The Washington Capitals and its fans are holding their collective breath after captain Alex Ovechkin crashed into the boards and left the game. He was ruled out with an upper body injury.
Ovechkin was on a breakaway when he was evidently tripped by Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Erik Kallgren, sending him crashing into the boards.
Alex Ovechkin was down for a good moment. He was able to get to his feet. But he skated off directly to the tunnel towards the locker room.
There was no call on the ice against Kallgren.
It appeared Ovechkin was favoring his left shoulder. It’s a sight that no one who follows the Capitals wants to see. At any time, especially not as the playoffs are nearing.
Washington has just three games remaining on their regular season schedule. The Capitals are fighting to get out of the wild card spot to avoid a first-round matchup in the playoffs against either the Carolina Hurricanes or the East’s top seed, the Florida Panthers.
The Capitals cannot afford to lose Ovechkin for any significant time. The NHL’s third all-time goal scorer leads the team with 50 goals and 90 points. He is also third with 40 assists.
Fingers will certainly be crossed while awaiting any additional news on Ovechkin’s injury.
