Alex Ovechkin blocks the second of two shots by Ryan McDonagh in Game 6. The first shot struck his left foot. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)
Update 3:27 p.m.: The Capitals have confirmed Ovechkin’s injury.
Original post: Alex Ovechkin played the final two games of the Capitals’ first-round series against New York with a hairline fracture in his left foot, according to a league source with direct knowledge of the winger’s injury.
In the first period of Game 6, Ovechkin blocked two shots by Rangers’ defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The first shot, at 14:29 of the first, struck his left foot. Replay of the game shows Ovechkin hesitant to get up after that block.
Skating could not make the injury worse, the source said, so Ovechkin played with it through the rest of Game 6 and Game 7 against the Rangers. The fracture will only require rest to heal, the source said.
Ovechkin, who recorded one goal and one assist in the first-round series, took a combined six shots on goal and was credited with 16 hits in those two games combined. He skated 19:03 and 19:08 in Games 6 and 7, respectively, his lowest ice times of the series.
Under intense pressure from his home country to participate in the World Championship, Ovechkin played with the injury in Russia’s 8-3 quarterfinal loss to the United States Thursday as well. Ovechkin is an ambassador for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
On Tuesday before he left for the World Championship, Ovechkin was asked if he played through any injuries during the postseason and downplayed concern.
“Couple bruises,” Ovechkin said, “But nothing major.”
General Manager George McPhee acknowledged that a few Capitals were playing through injuries in the postseason when asked on Wednesday, but declined to name the players or their ailments.
“Everybody does. You really admire these players because they play through some things – all the players around the league do – and they don’t need a medal to do it,” McPhee said. “They play through it and they don’t need any recognition or anything. They just do it.”
Below is video of the shift where Ovechkin blocked the two shots and fractured his foot.
