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Alexander Ovechkin out 7-10 days with undisclosed injury, will miss showdown with Flyers

Alexander Ovechkin

Injuries are part of the game and always an issue for everyone. For Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin they’ve been a rarity in his career. In recent seasons, the only thing that’s been able to keep Ovechkin off the ice has been his own play that’s bordered on reckless and earned him a suspension or two.

Now Ovechkin will see what it’s like to deal with an injury as he’ll miss the Capitals Eastern Conference showdown with the Flyers tomorrow. Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau explained what he felt Ovechkin needed most right now.

“He’s been bothered by this nagging ailment for a couple of months,” says Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “We just thought we’d take care of it now. His body needs a little bit of rest. We thought this was a good time to rest his body for a week to two weeks so he’s fresh come April.”

The Caps game with the Flyers is their only one over the next six days so if Ovechkin has something that’s nagging him, resting him now with the playoffs on the immediate horizon is a no-brainer. The question left here is how well will the Caps handle being without their top offensive producer for even just a game or two. The Caps offense even with Ovechkin in the lineup has been spotty at best. The Caps have gotten Nicklas Backstrom on the ice recently and Alexander Semin is back and producing again as well, but let’s face it, those guys aren’t Ovechkin and Backstrom has had a down season even with Ovechkin on his wing.

The timing of this is a bit convenient for the Capitals in that they don’t have to worry about losing him for too many games, but not having him for a showdown with the Flyers with the top spot in the Eastern Conference up for grabs hurts. That said, if the Caps are able to gain control of the top spot in the East by beating the Flyers without Ovechkin, then perhaps Washington is indeed made of sterner stuff than we thought.