Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie underwent a successful surgery to repair a fractured right clavicle, the team announced Sunday, and he remains out of the lineup indefinitely.
Because the standard length of recovery for such a surgery is in the range of 6 to 12 weeks, Oshie is unlikely to play again this year.
Oshie was injured late in Game 4 of the Capitals’ first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes, when he was pushed from behind into the boards by Warren Foegele.
Oshie’s bad break is the latest in a long injury history that includes five known concussions and a broken ankle.
The 32-year-old was the Capitals’ second-leading goal scorer this year with 25.
The Capitals called up Devante Smith-Pelly from their minor-league affiliate and added him into a reshuffled lineup for Game 5, which Washington went on to win 6-0.
“I’m not sure there’s another player that wants to play a game any more than T.J. Oshie on our team,” Capitals coach Todd Reirden said before Game 5. “The fact that he’s not with us is going to be a tough void to fill, but that just should hopefully push people to get to a different level and have his back, so to speak.”
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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