The Gretzky chase will have to wait. Alex Ovechkin will be away from the Washington Capitals to attend to a family matter and the health of a loved one.
After going scoreless in his last four, Ovechkin sits at 32 goals through 54 games this season and 812 for his career. Every time he lights the lamp, he inches closer to hockey immortality – and helps the Capitals fight for a playoff spot in the tough Metropolitan Division.
It is not clear how long he will be absent but will be missing at least tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. The club also takes on the Florida Panthers on Thursday before meeting Carolina again on Saturday night.
Hopefully, the superstar winger will resolve whatever is taking him away and return to the team before long.
In the meantime, the Capitals have recalled Joe Snively to take his place. The 27-year-old winger has played six games with Washington this season, recording one point. The 5’9″ forward certainly isn’t a replacement for Ovechkin but is a nice offensive piece that the team can move around and potentially put on the powerplay.