The Washington Capitals will be without key forward T.J. Oshie for the foreseeable future, the team confirmed on Sunday afternoon. In a press release, the team announced that Oshie had gone successful surgery on a fractured clavicle and would be out indefinitely.
Oshie was injured in the third period of Thursday's Game 4 loss when he was shoved from behind by Hurricanes rookie Warren Foegele and sent crashing into the boards. The Capitals winger collided hard and awkwardly with the wall.
Oshie was able to leave the ice under his own power but did not return to the game. Doctors latter diagnosed the injury as a broken right collarbone.
Foegele was given a minor penalty for boarding. That decision was received poorly by the Capitals' bench, which felt that Foegele should have received a major penalty for his role in hurting their player. (The Hurricanes were able to kill off the penalty and hold on to their 2-1 lead for the duration of the game.)
Afterward, Washington coach Todd Reirden didn't try to hide his displeasure with the way the play was handled by both Foegele and the officials.
"It was a defenseless player that was quite a distance from the boards," Rierden said. "It's an extremely dangerous play and [Oshie] will not be with our team for a while."
Reirden also said that he expected the league to review the incident for potential supplemental discipline, but the Department of Player Safety did not give Foegele a hearing after the incident.
In any case, Oshie's absence is a major blow to the Capitals' lineup, as he is one of their key offensive pieces both at even strength and on the power play. He has a goal and an assist through four games this postseason.
The Capitals lead the series 3-2.
