Laviolette Shares Latest On Ovechkin & Injury For Capitals

For the Washington Capitals, the team is hoping that what happens in Vegas ends up staying in Vegas, as they struggled big time in a 6-2 loss to the Golden Knights and also had to play without captain Alex Ovechkin, who is dealing with an injury.

Ovechkin is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body ailment, and head coach Peter Laviolette provided an update on the 37-year-old postgame.

"There's always things that are going on with players," Laviolette said, not specifying whether or not it was a new injury or a lingering one. "Alex is usually really durable, but this is something that he wasn't able to skate this morning, and it took him out of the lineup tonight."

Laviolette couldn't say if Ovechkin would play on Tuesday against Colorado, but said that it was good that the team had an off day Sunday so that Ovechkin could get some more time to rest and recover.

Saturday marked the first game of the season Ovechkin has missed. He had played in all 48 games up to the game in Vegas, and so far, he has 30 goals and 22 assists for 52 points. He is at 810 career goals and sits 85 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL record.

Ovechkin's absence was notable against the Golden Knights. Washington lacked energy and its usual "jam" and ended ups starting slow. That led to sloppy play throughout the night, and turnovers and costly mistakes ultimately led to the team's fifth straight regular-season loss at T-Mobile Arena.

READ MORE ON WHN: Ovechkin-less Washington Capitals Fall Apart In Vegas, Vibe Check & What To Know

Washington has one game left on its three-game road swing before heading home to face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. It is unclear whether or not Ovechkin will be back before then or what the status is regarding his timeline.

Ovechkin is slated to play in the 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend on Feb. 3-4 in South Florida as the Capitals' lone representative this season. It's unclear if the injury changes that timeline. The Russian was named to the Metropolitan Division team last season but did not play after testing positive for COVID-19 in February. He chose to skip the festivities and take a one-game suspension both years before last in order to rest up for the playoff push in the second half.