Capitals Share Injury Update on Ovechkin: How It Will Impact Pursuit of Gretzky Record

The Capitals released the details of Ovechkin's injury in a statement on social media this morning.

Late into last night's game against the Utah Hockey Club, Ovechkin skated into the path of Utah forward Jack McBain, creating a hard knee on knee contact.

Ovechkin got the worst of it, and was down on the ice in discomfort for a few moments before being carried off by his teammates. The superstar was unable to put any weight on his leg on the way off.

The Capitals' preliminary update of week-to-week means that Ovechkin did sustain a fairly serious injury, but also still has a chance to avoid the worst case scenario.

Sports Doctor Harjas Grewal offered his estimation of the injury as an MCL sprain, which would keep Ovechkin out 4-6 weeks. However, it could be an ACL injury, which would be catastrophic. It's unclear if that has been ruled out before Ovechkin sees the specialists.

It's absolutely brutal to see this injury happen to Ovechkin, just as he was on his hottest scoring streak in the last two seasons. Ovechkin scored two goals last night, giving him the league lead in goals so far this season.

In the last few weeks Ovechkin has really closed the gap on Gretzky's record, now just 28 goals away. Ovechkin recently opened up that Gretzky has been frequently texting him and supporting him through the record chase.

If Ovechkin misses 4-6 weeks, he should have plenty of time to return and break the record by the end of next year. If it's a longer-term injury, there would be significant concerns about him breaking the record. Hopefully when Ovechkin does return, he's able to get back to this level of success again.