Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has fractured fibula; goal-record chase on hold

Alex Ovechkin's chase of Wayne Gretzky's goal record is temporarily on hold after the Washington Capitals star left Monday night's game with an injury.

The team announced Thursday that Ovechkin suffered a fractured left fibula after he absorbed a leg-on-leg hit from Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain during the third period. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Ovechkin had been on a torrid scoring pace this season. Before Monday's injury, he had scored twice in the 6-2 win over Utah, giving him five goals in the last two games and a league-leading 15 goals in 18 games.

Here's what we know about Ovechkin's injury:

Alex Ovechkin injury update

Ovechkin saw team doctors after returning to Washington and the Capitals said he has a fractured left fibula and will miss four to six weeks.

The Capitals play 13 to 19 games during that time.

"You hate to see it," teammate Nick Dowd told reporters after Monday's game. "He's been absolutely on fire and he's huge for our team."

How was Alex Ovechkin hurt?

McBain inadvertently hit Ovechkin in the leg, and the Capitals star fell to the ice at 5:30 of the third period.

Ovechkin struggled to get to the bench, tested the leg with a short twirl on the ice during a TV timeout then went to the dressing room. He didn't return.

Washington's Tom Wilson fought with McBain late in the third period.

Alex Ovechkin injury history

According to Capitals Outsider, Ovechkin has missed only 59 games in his 20-season career. Of those, 35 were because of injury. The others were for suspensions and personal or other reasons. He missed three games last season because of injury.

How are the Capitals addressing the Alex Ovechkin injury?

The Capitals placed Ovechkin on injured reserve Wednesday and called up forward Ivan Miroshnichenko. The 20-year-old Russian had six points in 21 games with the Capitals last season. He won an American Hockey League title with the Hershey Bears last season and has 14 points in 16 games with that team this season.

Andrew Mangiapane, a former 35-goal scorer who arrived in an offseason trade, skated in Ovechkin's place on the top line during Thursday's practice.

Where does Alex Ovechkin stand in the Wayne Gretzky record chase?

Ovechkin has 868 goals and needs 27 more to break Gretzky's record of 894 career goals. That record has stood since Gretzky retired in 1999. Ovechkin has another year on his contract beyond this season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Ovechkin injury update: Latest on Washington Capitals star