Ovechkin declared day-to-day with upper-body injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Alex Ovechkin is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the Capitals announced Monday. Ovechkin left Sunday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after getting tripped up by goalie Erik Kallgren’s stick and slamming his left shoulder into the boards.
The Capitals did not practice Monday and did not have any media availability. The team was at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for its team photo allowing us a glimpse at Ovechkin the day after the injury.
Ovechkin was in full uniform and was not in a sling. Having said that, he did appear to favor his left arm. At one moment, the team applauded an announcement that was made and Ovechkin only moved his right hand.
We won’t know the severity of the injury, however, or what that means for his availability in the final week of the season or heading into the playoffs until we see his level of participation on the ice. Even then, we may not know the full picture as the team could choose to sit him as a precaution. A playoff spot has already been secured and seeding is the only thing yet to be determined in the final week.
The team will hold a morning skate Tuesday to prepare for that night’s game against the New York Islanders. That will be our first chance to see if Ovechkin participates and to hear any updates from head coach Peter Laviolette as to his availability for Tuesday’s game and beyond.
