Alex Ovechkin Taking Leave of Absence from Capitals

Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan announced on Tuesday that captain Alex Ovechkin will step away from the team for a brief period. The Ovechkin family is attending to the health of a loved one, per Capitals PR.

The Caps play three games in five nights - CAR, FLA, then CAR again - and there is no timeline for Ovechkin's return.

The captain is currently chasing Wayne Gretzky's all-time record of 894 NHL goals and only needs 82 more to catch The Great One. Meanwhile, the Capitals are hanging onto a Wild Card playoff spot with several teams nipping at their heels.

Best wishes to the Ovechkin clan.

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