Alex Ovechkin will serve his punishment for missing the 2018 NHL All-Star Game in the Washington Capitals first game back after the break.
Ovechkin, who could have chosen to sit Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, is choosing to play instead as the Capitals look to end a six-game losing streak before an extended weekend off.
As others have pointed out, this means Ovechkin will sit out vs. Calgary on Feb. 1 to satisfy penalty for skipping All-Star Game this weekend. https://t.co/h73RWCsgTz
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) January 23, 2019
Ovi will now miss the team’s Feb. 1 meeting with the Calgary Flames.
The move appears to be purely based on where the Capitals are at the moment, and that’s in a rut. The six-game losing streak has a seen them fall out of first place with just three wins in their past 10 games.
Despite the back-to-back nature of Wednesday’s game -- the Caps blew a two-goal third-period lead in a 7-6 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday -- Ovechkin and the Caps will host a Toronto team that’s lost three straight and seven out of their past 10. The game, then, is a better opportunity to snap the winless skid. There isn’t a team hotter than the Calgary Flames, so it makes sense.
The 2019 NHL All-Star Skills will take place on Friday, Jan. 25 (9 p.m. ET, NBCSN) and the 2019 NHL All-Star Game will be on Saturday, Jan. 26 (8 p.m. ET, NBC).
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• NHL reveals 2019 All-Star Game rosters
• Pass or Fail: NHL’s eco-friendly 2019 All-Star Game jerseys
• NHL announces 2019 All-Star game coaches
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck