The Washington Capitals are a mess. A Caps’ regular has left practice due to injury in consecutive days.

Wednesday, Ilya Samsonov was the latest player to get dinged up during a Peter Laviolette-guided skate. Samsonov absorbed a shot up high and did not return.

According to NBC Sports Washington’s JJ Regan, Sammy stopped a high shot from a teammate, fell down, and “was writhing around on the ice in pain a few seconds.” Samsonov skated off but watched the rest of practice from the bench.

Samsonov was replaced by Capitals video coach Brett Leonhardt, who has served as the team’s emergency goalie in the past.

Samsonov has started 10 straight games for the Capitals — the longest consecutive streak of the Russian netminder’s NHL career — but seemed unlikely to do so Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Samsonov was pulled on Monday after surrendering three goals to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period. Samsonov’s injury today makes a start from Vitek Vanecek even more likely against the Canes.

Today’s issue marks the second time in 2022 Samsonov has left a practice after getting hurt. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Daniel Sprong, and Carl Hagelin, who was felled at the end of Tuesday’s practice, have all left skates hurt this season.

Hagelin was unable to join his teammates on the ice today after taking a stick to the face/eye area. The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir remarked that “it looked serious.” Meanwhile, forward Joe Snively missed practice for a second straight day due to a lingering upper-body injury.

The Capitals, who have lost six straight home games, will try to end the streak at Capital One Arena against the Hurricanes on Thursday. Washington’s awful stretch of play since the start of the new year has them in the second and final wildcard spot in the East.