Alex Ovechkin Suffers Unexpected Injury Setback: He Will Now Miss Significantly More Time

Alex Ovechkin went down with a heartbreaking injury recently, and now it's been revealed that he will miss more time than initially expected.

The Washington Capitals are the story of the NHL season thus far, as they have posted an incredible 13-4-1 record through their first 18 games played.

While there have been many success stories throughout that run, it's 15 goals for captain Alex Ovechkin that is driving their success, with less than 30 goals now separating him from Wayne Gretzky's all-time scoring record.

Unfortunately, he recently suffered a knee injury that had many worried for his future, with the team officially designating him as 'week-to-week' in their first update after their game against the Utah Hockey Club.

Now however, the team have confirmed it will be much worse than intiially expected, ruling him out for 4-6 weeks after revealing that he has a fractured fibula in his left leg after a collision with Jack McBain.

According to TSN's Chris Johnston, the six week layoff will be the longest of Ovechkin's career, a true testament to the shape he has kept himself in over two decades, as well as the immense amount of luck that comes with a run like that.

At almost a goal per game early in the year, many were looking at Wayne Gretzky's record to be easily surpassed this season, but now, his absence and the time it will take to get back to 100% will no doubt effect that historic chase.

At 39-years of age, injuries will become harder and harder for Ovechkin to recover from, and although he'll get back to 100% at some point this season, he may not be the player we saw through 15 games, with fans around the league hoping that he can at some point break the 894 record set by Gretzky.

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