Capitals star Alex Ovechkin to miss second straight game with upper-body injury

For the second consecutive contest, the Washington Capitals will be without their captain as they attempt to catch the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan Division standings. 

Alex Ovechkin's status for the start of the playoffs next week is also in question. 

According to ESPN/The Associated Press and Tom Gulitti of the NHL's website, Ovechkin will remain a spectator for Thursday's matchup at the New York Islanders due to the unspecified upper-body injury that also kept him out of action for Tuesday's 4-1 loss against those same Islanders. 

It's unclear if Ovechkin will be able to play in Friday's regular-season finale against the New York Rangers.

"He had a good day today," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said of Ovechkin, who skated with teammates earlier on Thursday. "He won't play tonight, but he had a good day today.

"I don't know what tomorrow will bring. That's the best description I can give you, he had a good day out there. He moved well, he passed, he shot, skated, felt good. Tomorrow when we go to work, we'll see where everything's at at that point."

Ovechkin has been sidelined since he appeared to injure his left arm and/or shoulder when he crashed into the boards early in the third period of this past Sunday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gulitti added the 36-year-old says he's "hopeful" he'll be ready for Game 1 of the postseason that will likely take place on either Monday or Tuesday. 

Heading into Thursday evening, Washington trails Pittsburgh by a single point but holds a game in hand. As noted by Tim Kavanagh of ESPN, the team that finishes third in the Metropolitan Division standings will face the Rangers in the playoffs, while the other club will get a first-round series against the Florida Panthers.

As for Ovechkin, he remains fourth in the league with 50 goals and has also tallied 40 assists across 77 games this season.