Alex Ovechkin was having one of his best stretches of the season, but his night came to an early end on Monday after a leg injury.
The Washington Capitals, who won 6-2 against the Utah Hockey Club in Salt Lake City, now have to wait and see if Ovechkin will miss more than just the final minutes of the game.
Ovechkin had scored two goals earlier in the game, but with 14:30 left, he collided with Utah’s Jack McBain while trying to clear the puck from the defensive zone.
The two players accidentally made contact with their legs, and Ovechkin went down to the ice. He took a moment to get up before being helped off by teammate Jakob Chychrun. Ovechkin briefly sat on the bench before going to the locker room and did not return to the game.
After the game, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said Ovechkin was still being evaluated.
The two goals Ovechkin scored during the game brought his career total to 868, leaving him just 26 goals behind Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals.
Ovechkin’s goals also gave him the lead for the most goals in the league this season, with 15. He reached this total in just 18 games, the fewest games he’s ever needed to reach 15 goals in a season.
Ovechkin had scored a hat trick in a 5-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, bringing his total to 13 goals in his last 11 games.
He also reached two milestones during the game. Ovechkin scored his 178th goal against a different goalie, Utah’s Connor Ingram, tying an NHL record with Jaromir Jagr. Ovechkin also recorded his 100th multi-goal game on the road, becoming the first player in history to do so.
The Capitals, who have won four straight games, will play next on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche.
