Washington forward T.J. Oshie sustained an upper-body injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the Thursday night road game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Capitals announced.
It was not clear when or how Oshie was injured. He skated seven shifts, totaling 6:07 of ice time, in the first period and did not return from the locker room to start the second.
Losing Oshie for any length of time would hurt the Capitals’ faint chances of securing a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Entering Thursday’s action, they were five points out of the second wild-card spot held by the Pittsburgh Penguins, with three other teams tied or in front of them.
Oshie, 36, has tallied 35 points (19 goals, 16 assists) in 58 games this season. That includes 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 23 games since the All-Star break.
–Field Level Media