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Washington Capitals star forward Alex Ovechkin is expected to miss the next four to six weeks due to a left leg injury sustained during a recent game against the Utah Hockey Club. Ovechkin fractured his fibula in a collision with Jack McBain on Monday night. Fortunately, the injury will not require surgery, according to a team statement provided by the Capitals.

The incident occurred with 14:30 remaining in the third period when McBain veered sharply across the Washington zone to gain possession of a loose puck, resulting in leg-on-leg contact with Ovechkin. The Capitals' captain, who had already scored twice in the game, fell to the ice in visible pain and was unable to continue.

The Capitals initially indicated that Ovechkin would be out on a week-to-week basis. However, further evaluation by team doctors confirmed a fracture to his left fibula, ruling him out for a minimum of four weeks. If his recovery extends to the full six weeks, the superstar winger could miss up to 18 games. A four-week recovery would see him miss approximately 12 games.

Previously, Ovechkin's longest absence due to injury was seven games at the end of the 2020-21 season because of a lower-body injury. He also missed six games during the 2009-10 campaign with an upper-body strain following an altercation with Jason Chimera.

Teammate Tom Wilson shared his reaction to the news, expressing surprise at Ovechkin's injury. "It's one of those things where like, he's going to miss games? It's new to me," Wilson said on Wednesday.

Ovechkin had been off to a phenomenal start this season, leading the league with 15 goals in the first 18 games, the highest goals-per-game rate of his career. He was on pace to potentially break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record, sitting just 26 goals shy of tying Gretzky's 894 career goals.