The Capitals are 13-4-1 in their first 18 games, and Ovechkin was leading the NHL lead in goals (15) and the top-ranked player in standard fantasy hockey leagues at the time of his injury. Ovechkin stands at 868 goals in 1,444 career games, only 26 behind Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record (894 in 1,487 games).

The Capitals had announced on Tuesday that Ovechkin would be listed as week to week after sustaining an injury “to his lower leg” but that he would undergo further evaluation

"Russian machine never breaks." That's what a young Capitals forward named Alex Ovechkin told reporters after a 2006 game in which he left and did not return after suffering a foot injury. Well, 18 years later the Russian machine is cracked.