Caps' Alex Ovechkin stepping away to attend to family matter

ARLINGTON, Va. — Alex Ovechkin will be away from the Washington Capitals to attend to a family matter and the health of a loved one and is expected to be gone for at least the rest of the week, if not longer.

General manager Brian MacLellan announced Ovechkin's absence before the team's morning skate Tuesday. No further details were released, though it appears Washington is preparing to be without its longtime captain and face of the franchise for an extended period.

Coach Peter Laviolette said he doesn't envision Ovechkin will be back «in the foreseeable future.»

«When it comes to your family and parents, that's what matters,'' Laviolette said. „He's going to deal with some things right now and we're going to be supportive.“

Further complicating matters if Ovechkin needs to go home to Russia, where his parents and other family members live, are travel restrictions in place amid the country's war in Ukraine. There are no direct flights between North America and Moscow.

The Capitals play two home games this week before facing the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL's Stadium Series outdoors in Raleigh on Saturday night.

»Sending positive thoughts on behalf of the organization,'' the Hurricanes posted on Twitter before the team played at the Capitals on Tuesday night. «There is nothing more important than those we love. We are wishing the best for Alex and his family.''

Ovechkin, 37, leads Washington with 32 goals and 54 assists. He has missed only 48 games throughout his 18-year NHL career, and the Capitals have lost 25 of them.

»We've been playing without key guys all season and last year and the year before. We're going to miss him,'' center Lars Eller said. «We're a better team when he's in our lineup, but other guys will