advertisement

Caps' Burakovsky to have surgery, out rest of first round

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Washington Capitals winger Andre Burakovsky will have minor surgery to repair an upper-body injury and miss the rest of the first-round series against Columbus.

Coach Barry Trotz says Burakovsky could return if his team advances deeper in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Burakovsky was injured in Game 2 Sunday on a hit by Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner.

The 23-year-old Burakovsky had been playing in a top-six role for the Capitals in the first round after putting up 12 goals and 13 assists in 56 regular-season games. His absence pushed Chandler Stephenson up the lineup to play alongside Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie.

Stephenson skated a regulation career-high 17:02 in the Capitals' Game 4 victory on Thursday that tied the series at 2. Game 5 is Saturday afternoon in Washington.

___

More NHL hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.