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Ovechkin ‘OK,’ may play again soon

OV injured

From NHL.com:

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin did not suffer any torn ligaments in his right knee after sustaining an injury Sunday while playing for Russia at the 2014 IIHF World Championship.

Andrei Safronov, Russia’s general manager, told reporters in Belarus on Monday that an MRI exam showed Ovechkin’s injury is not as severe as initially feared.

“He’s OK at the moment,” Safronov said. “There’s some pain, but he’s working with the doctors.”

It’s expected Ovechkin will miss Russia’s next game, Tuesday against host Belarus, on the final day of the preliminary round. Safronov said Ovechkin will remain with the team and could return for the quarterfinals, which are Thursday.

Meanwhile, the IIHF suspended German forward Marcus Kink for clipping Ovechkin:

Upon careful review of the hit, the Disciplinary Panel observed that in delivering the hit, Kink has lowered his own body position to a level so as to cause contact with the right knee of Ovechkin. The Russian forward’s efforts to avoid the hit are simultaneous with the hip-to-knee contact by Kink. The missed poke check attempted by Kink caused him to lean forward where the player remained when the two players made contact.

The Disciplinary Panel determined that Kink was in violation of rule 524 b) Clipping. Although Kink did not intentionally target the knee of Ovechkin, the lowering of his body position as the two players collided caused the hip-to-knee contact which is classified as clipping.

CSN Washington has more on the story, which fortunately sounds like it could’ve been a lot worse for the Caps and their fans.