Capitals Lose Key Defenseman For Playoffs

Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary will miss the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after undergoing surgery to repair his meniscus in his right knee, the team announced Tuesday morning. Fehervary suffered the injury in the Capitals' penultimate regular-season game on April 15.

The Slovakian blue-liner did not appear in Game 1 of the Capitals' first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens, which they won 3-2 in overtime.

Fehervary, 25, just had the most productive regular season of his career with 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 81 games. He averaged 19 minutes of ice time per game, fifth-most among Washington defensemen. He also played a key role on the penalty kill.

A second-round pick by the Capitals in the 2018 NHL Draft, Fehervary has 75 points (22 goals, 53 assists) in 229 regular-season games, as well as three points (two goals, one assist) in 12 playoff games.

With Fehervary unavailable on Monday, the Capitals placed Alexandar Alexeyev on the third pairing alongside Trevor van Riemsdyk. Alexeyev, who appeared in eight games during the regular season, logged three blocked shots, two hits and a shot on goal in 14:02 of ice time in the overtime victory.

The Capitals are also awaiting the return of key forward Aliaksei Protas, who burst onto the scene with 66 points (30 goals, 36 assists) and a plus-40 rating in 76 games this season but hasn't played since April 4.

Game 2 between Washington and Montreal is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.

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