TJ Oshie was injured in the third period of the Capitals’ game against the Lighting, Thursday.
As Oshie curled with the puck in the offensive zone, he sent a backhand pass to Dylan Strome and fell to the ice in major pain.
Victor Hedman tried to help him to the Capitals bench. Play was eventually whistled dead as concerned Capitals gathered around him.
Oshie had to crawl off the ice before briefly sitting on the bench and re-gathering himself. He then slid down to the end of the bench where he hobbled down the tunnel.
Oshie skated 16:37 in the game. He left the game at the 11:54 mark of the third period.
Tonight marked Oshie’s 996th game of his career. He’s four shy of a milestone 1,000th career game — a goal he hoped to achieve coming into the year.
Oshie has missed significant time to injury over the last few seasons, including to deal with recurring back problems. After undergoing a procedure on his back last spring, he has missed 17 games so far this season.
Earlier in the season, Oshie indicated that his back injury had become “part of my everyday life now” and led him to quit playing golf. Though he did not participate in the team’s optional skate on Wednesday, a back brace was present among equipment in his stall.
Osh 🙏
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 23, 2024
