Alex Alexeyev scored his first NHL point against the Seattle Kraken in the second period and then it was all downhill from there.
On his very next shift, the Capitals’ rookie defenseman absorbed a brutal headshot from Jamie Oleksiak that sent him out of the game.
Alexeyev has been ruled out for the rest of tonight’s game. The Capitals are down yet another player. Here’s the hit by Oleksiak: pic.twitter.com/M5LC0Bi3AM
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) December 10, 2022
As Oleksiak went to check the Russian, the Kraken veteran’s left shoulder directly connected with Alexeyev’s face, crumpling him to the ice. Oleksiak was given a five-minute major for an illegal check to the head and received a match penalty ejection. Marcus Johansson would score the game’s winning goal on the ensuing power play.
After laying on the ice face first, Alexeyev eventually got up and retreated to the locker room woozily. The Capitals later announced that the rearguard would not return to the game due to an upper-body injury.
INJURY UPDATE: #Caps Alex Alexeyev (upper body) will not return to tonight’s game.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) December 10, 2022
Alexeyev played 7:42 total and had an assist and four blocked shots.
If Alexeyev is unable to suit up in Winnipeg, the Capitals will likely need to call up a replacement from Hershey unless Dmitry Orlov, who has been shelves for the last month-plus, is able to play. Martin Fehervary is also out due to injury and on injured reserve.
As for Oleksiak, he will likely get a call from the Department of Player Safety and could get suspended multiple games due to the hit.
Update, Saturday, 10 AM: Oleksiak will have a hearing today for the hit.
