ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — The Washington Capitals placed Alex Ovechkin on injured reserve on Wednesday and recalled fellow Russian winger Ivan Miroshnichenko from the minors.
Ovechkin is Viewed week by week with an injury to his left lower leg. Participation on IR excludes Ovechkin for at least the next three games.
However, it is expected that the 39-year-old will be out for much longer his shin-on-shin impact with Jack McBain of Utah on Monday night.
Ovechkin's absence slows his pursuit Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals. He trails Gretzky by 27 points after scoring 15 goals in his first 18 games this season.
The Russian winger was on track to reach 895 sometime in February before going down in the third period at Utah. Early in the game, he tied the NHL record by scoring his 178th.
Washington not only placed Ovechkin on IR, but also placed winger Sonny Milano on long-term injured reserve. Milano is out with an undisclosed upper body injury.