Alex Ovechkin Is Day-to-Day, Pausing the NHL's Most Important Countdown

The most durable tank in NHL history is officially in the shop. Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, according to Daily Faceoff.

He is missing time right as the Capitals are trying to find their footing early in the schedule. Washington just dropped a tight 3-2 game to the Boston Bruins and now has to figure out how to generate offense against the Philadelphia Flyers without the guy who has carried their power play for two decades.

"Daily Faceoff reported Ovechkin is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury."

Ovechkin missing games is statistically weirder than a goalie scoring a goal. In 20 NHL seasons, the guy has missed just 59 total games, and only 35 of those were actually from injuries. He usually treats lower-body issues like a minor inconvenience, not a reason to miss a shift.

Every game he sits out is a forced pause on the only countdown that truly matters to hockey fans right now: the chase for Wayne Gretzky's all-time record of 894 goals. When you are racing the clock against Father Time, every single week counts.

If you were looking to hammer an Ovechkin anytime goalscorer prop tonight against Philadelphia, you will have to find another way to spend your money. The Capitals moneyline also looks a lot less fun when you remove the greatest scoring weapon of this century from the ice.

Washington hosts the Flyers tonight, and then we wait for the next medical update. For a guy who normally plays through everything short of a missing limb, being labeled day-to-day means we just have to hold our breath until the next morning skate.