Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary will be sidelined for the rest of the team`s playoff campaign after undergoing surgery on his knee.
The Capitals announced on Tuesday that Fehervary had surgery on Monday to address a torn meniscus in his right knee. The injury occurred during Washington`s second-to-last game of the regular season last week, when he twisted his right leg while attempting to block a shot.
“It`s a massive loss for our team — really feel for him,” said coach Spencer Carbery. “My heart hurts for him because he`s an unsung hero for our team. If you know the Washington Capitals and if you`re around our team and if you watch our team, he`s someone that goes unnoticed, that the rest of the hockey world probably doesn`t pay much attention to, but he`s a big part of our team.”
Fehervary typically played around 19 minutes per game for the Capitals and was their primary penalty-killer. The 25-year-old Slovakian also led the team in blocked shots with 150. He missed only the final regular season game following his injury.
Fellow defenseman Matt Roy commented, “It`s tough. It`s obviously a huge loss for us. He`s had such a good year and he competes hard for us, so he`s definitely going to be missed.”
A second-round pick in 2018, Fehervary has recorded 22 goals and 53 assists over 299 career games. This season, he set career highs with 20 assists and 25 points.
Alexander Alexeyev, who spent most of the season as a healthy scratch, took Fehervary`s spot in the lineup for Game 1 of the first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens. Washington won the game 3-2 in overtime, secured by Alex Ovechkin`s second goal.
Alexeyev required “significant dental work” after being hit in the face by a stick from Jake Evans late in the third period of Game 1. However, Coach Carbery anticipates Alexeyev will be able to play in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
Rupert Hartwell