ARLINGTON, Virginia – Alex Ovechkin’s goal-scoring chase is halted due to a lower left leg injury suffered against the Utah Hockey Club on Monday, and the Washington Capitals prepare for life without their captain for an indefinite period.
The Capitals expect to know more about Ovechkin’s injury before their game against the Colorado Avalanche at Capital One Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SNP, SNO, SNE, KUSA, MNMT, ALT), as the The 39-year-old left winger underwent more in-depth examinations on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, it was simply indicated that Ovechkin’s absence would be counted in weeks.
“We’re all sad,” defenseman John Carlson said Wednesday. “We all want him to recover as quickly as possible. It is an important element of our success this year and for the future. But he will be back. »
Before he was injured in a collision with Utah forward Jack McBain in the third period Monday, Ovechkin was ignoring his age by leading the NHL with 15 goals in 18 games. He notably scored five goals in his last two games to bring his career total to 868, 26 fewer than the NHL record held by Wayne Gretzky (894).
Ovechkin is the oldest player in NHL history to be the first to reach 15 goals in a season, and the Capitals (13-4-1) were dominant thanks to him, leading the Association in ‘Is with 27 points. Now they will have to deal with the emotions related to his loss and continue to win without him.
“He was the player of the hour in the NHL,” said forward Tom Wilson. “He’s looking for something bigger than hockey. The hockey world is disappointed because everyone was behind him and saw that he was giving everything he had. He feels all the pressure, and the hockey world is cheering him on. Arriving in the locker room and seeing that he was injured, it hurt us as teammates.
“But in the end, it’s part of hockey. These things happen, and players manage to bounce back. He’s going to do the same thing. »
This is still a first for Ovechkin and the Capitals. During his 20 seasons in the NHL, he missed a total of 59 games, 35 of which were due to injuries. He missed five games or fewer in 16 of the previous 19 seasons.
This total of missed matches will likely increase drastically due to this injury.
“It’s definitely new for this organization,” said coach Spencer Carbery. “He is a big part of our team on the ice, but also our captain and our leader in the locker room. In everything we do as a team, he acts as captain.
“When you lose a player like him, it’s big, but the coaches, players and leadership group need to focus on how to move forward from here. »
Carbery didn’t give a hint on who will replace Ovechkin on the top line with Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome, saying only that the coaches are evaluating “different scenarios.” » Among the options are Andrew Mangiapane, Jakub Vrana, Taylor Raddysh and rookie forward Ivan Miroshnichenko, recalled from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
Either way, the Capitals believe they have the depth to survive Ovechkin’s absence.
Buoyed by the off-season additions of forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois, Brandon Duhaime, Mangiapane, Vrana and Raddysh, and by the emergence of Strome, Protas and Connor McMichael, the Capitals lead the NHL with 4.33 goals per game this season. They took 28th place in this regard (2.63) last season.
Strome leads Washington with 28 points (six goals, 22 assists) in 18 games, ahead of Ovechkin (25). McMichael is second on the Capitals with 12 goals and third with 19 points in 18 games. Protas is fourth with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 18 games.
“It’s difficult to lose our top scorer, and he is a leader and an important presence in the locker room, but if we want to be successful collectively, now is the time to show what we can accomplish,” Protas said. We have to find a way to continue practicing our style, and someone else will have to step up. »
There could also be an emotional hurdle for the Capitals to overcome. Ovechkin is a pillar and a positive force in the locker room. Carbery said Ovechkin “was a little disappointed” with his injury initially, but expects his attitude to change quickly.
“As you know, he is a pretty positive person with an infectious personality who finds the positive in every situation,” Carbery said.
The positive aspect for the Capitals is that Ovechkin should play again this season, according to Carbery. Their job is to play well enough so that he returns to a team that is still in a good position in the standings.
“He’s our captain, a big piece of this team, so for sure we’re missing an important player,” Vrana said. We know that and we will do our best to win games without him. »
Even Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is disappointed not to face Ovechkin on Thursday and to see his record hunt put on hold.
“Growing up, I was a big admirer of him and Sid (Crosby), and their rivalry,” said MacKinnon, the NHL’s leading scorer with 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 19 games this season. “I’m still a big admirer of him for a lot of reasons and I love seeing him dominate. He is not moving at a snail’s pace towards this record. He dominates and he was aiming for the Maurice-Richard trophy. It’s a shame he’ll miss several weeks, but I hope he comes back sooner than expected and continues his quest. »
