- Alex Ovechkin missed a second straight Capitals practice Monday with a lower-body injury
- Washington listed the 41-year-old captain as day to day and left him off the roster in Hershey
- Read below for Spencer Carbery’s update on Ovechkin and the preseason
Alex Ovechkin is banged up again.
The Capitals captain sat out a second straight practice Monday at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, and Washington listed him as day to day with a lower-body injury. The team did not say what the injury is or when he picked it up.
Ovechkin opened camp healthy and had been skating on a line with Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard. He was also off the ice Sunday.
Spencer Carbery was asked how the week shapes up for his captain.
“Right now, we’ll see how it goes this week. We’ll be off tomorrow and then we’ll come back and have two practice days, so I’ll be able to give you a more accurate update on when we see him play and how many games.”
Pressed on whether Ovechkin gets into a preseason game at all, the coach would not budge.
“I’m not going to commit to anything. I’ll know better once we come back off the off day.”
Check the lineup Washington posted for Monday night in Hershey against the Flyers, with no No. 8 on it:
This is the third camp in a row Ovechkin has opened with something bothering him. He missed most of last September with a lower-body injury and still dressed for two exhibition games.
Two preseason games remain after Monday, at home against Boston on Friday and in Philadelphia on Saturday. The regular season starts Oct. 2 against the defending champion Hurricanes.
The 41-year-old is heading into his 22nd NHL season, one plenty of people around the league expect to be his last.
Day to day in September is not the same as day to day in April, and the Capitals have no reason to rush Ovechkin into exhibition hockey.
