Capitals' Alex Ovechkin out of NHL All-Star Game with lower-body injury
Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin will miss the NHL All-Star Game due to a lower-body injury, the team announced.
Ovechkin was selected by fan vote as the All-Star captain for the Metropolitan Division in the new 3-on-3 tournament format that will pit each conference's two divisions against each other in a single-period “game” with the winner of each advancing to the third period “final.”
“We made this difficult decision after taking into consideration what we felt was best for Alex and our organization,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said in a statement. “Alex has been an incredible ambassador for our team and the league, but we believe it is better if he uses this time to heal and ideally be completely healthy for the duration of the season.”
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Ovechkin will also be forced to miss the Capitals’ game on Feb. 2 against the Florida Panthers. The Caps have listed his status as day-to-day.
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In 46 games this season, Ovechkin has scored 28 goals and racked up 14 assists. The Capitals sit atop the Eastern Conference with their 35-8-4 record, the best start in franchise history.