The Washington Capitals announced that Alex Ovechkin was taking a leave of absence due to a family health matter early Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters after the team’s morning skate, Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said that Ovechkin is not expected to return to the team this week.
The news was reported by the Washington Post’s Roman Stubbs.
Alex Ovechkin is not expected to be back this week, per Laviolette. Ovechkin addressed the team this morning.
— Roman Stubbs (@romanstubbs) February 14, 2023
Laviolette’s comments suggest Ovechkin will likely miss the Capitals’ next three games at the least. The Capitals play the Carolina Hurricanes at home Tuesday, the Florida Panthers on Thursday, and then travel to Raleigh for the franchise’s fourth outdoor game on Saturday. If Ovi is unable to play, it would mark the first career outdoor game he’s missed in his career.
There’s no timeline on Ovechkin’s absence but Laviolette did say he’s expecting to be without him for the foreseeable future, which means he’ll miss Saturday’s Stadium Series game. #Caps
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) February 14, 2023
The Capitals’ first game next week is Tuesday, February 21 against the Detroit Red Wings. That would mark the seventh possible day he’s away from the team.
“The most important thing is family, right?” Nicklas Backstrom said. “I understand what he’s going through. I think for us as a team we’re all aware of the situation and we’re in a tough stretch coming up here. Teams are winning so we have to do that too. We have to chip in for reach other and make sure we play as a team.
“We’re here supporting him,” he added. “We’re on his side and hope everything goes well.”
