ARLINGTON, Va. – Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said that he was a healthy scratch Tuesday because he overslept and was late for the team’s morning skate.
“I just messed up with my alarm clock,” Ovechkin said after returning to practice Wednesday. “I put 8:30 p.m., not a.m., so I fall asleep and make mistake.”
Ovechkin met with head coach Barry Trotz shortly after his late arrival to the Kettler Capitals Iceplex and was told that he would not play against the San Jose Sharks.
“It was an honest mistake,” Trotz said. “But we have certain accountability rules and everyone is accountable in our room.”
That includes the face of the franchise and one of the game’s greatest scorers.
“Coaching is not about equality but there are certain foundational things,” Trotz said. “We’ve done a lot of things from a cultural standpoint that makes this team very accountable to each other and that’s why it’s very important. It applies to everybody.”
With Ovechkin and injured center Nicklas Backstrom missing the same game for just the fifth time since Oct. 2007, the Capitals fell to San Jose 5-0. It was Washington’s most lopsided home defeat since a 5-0 whitewash against the Dallas Stars on April 1, 2014.
“I think the guys know we didn’t get success because we don’t have work ethic and we didn’t manage the puck,” said Ovechkin, who watched the game from the press box.
“We didn’t create any chances from the start, from D-zone, neutral zone, nothing. We play that game tomorrow; it’s going to be different game.”
Ovechkin will return to the lineup Thursday against the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Chimera day-to-day with lower-body injury
Forward Jason Chimera was absent from practice Wednesday and is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Chimera fell awkwardly into the Sharks’ net midway through the third period and appeared to be favoring his left leg as he skated back to the bench. Chimera took a regular shift after the incident and led the Capitals with six shots on goal.
“That’s a good sign,” Trotz said. “That says ‘he’s hurtin’ but he’s going to stay in the fight.’ You’re hurt but you’re not broke. That’s probably where we are [as a team] today. We were hurt last night but we’re not necessarily broke. We just have to fight through.”
Trotz said that he expects Chimera to play Thursday against Chicago.
