Alex Alexeyev is headed for a dentist’s chair after having his teeth rearranged by a Jake Evans high stick late in the third period of the Washington Capitals’ 3-2 Game 1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Head coach Spencer Carbery shared an update on Alexeyev postgame, saying the 25-year-old Russian rearguard is in need of “significant dental work.” Alexeyev missed the final 2:28 of the third period but did return for overtime, although he did not take a shift in the final frame before Alex Ovechkin’s game-winning goal.
Evans was originally assessed a double minor penalty for high-sticking, but the on-ice officials reviewed the play and determined Alexeyev was hit by the follow-through of Evans’s clearing attempt. The blade of Evans’s stick appeared to ramp up Alexeyev’s stick right into the defenseman’s mouth.
Alexeyev was inserted into the Capitals’ lineup for Game 1 due to his former Hershey Bears defense partner, Martin Fehervary, being out injured with a lower-body ailment. Fehervary has not skated since suffering the injury against the New York Islanders on April 15.
The Capitals’ 2018 first-round pick played 14:01 of ice time before the high stick took him out of the game. He recorded one shot on goal, two individual shot attempts, two hits, and three shot blocks.
Alexeyev also got away with a cross-check to the face on Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher early in the first period.
“I thought he was good tonight,” Carbery said. “Coming into the lineup, I know he’s played three games down the stretch. I thought this was one of his strongest games, and we needed it, and he did a good job. He defended well, had some good situations down low that I’m thinking of in the defensive zone, moved pucks. That’s what you want. You just want reliable minutes, and I thought Al provided that tonight.”
The Capitals will be back on the ice for an optional practice on Tuesday morning and host an optional morning skate ahead of Game 2 on Wednesday. Alexeyev’s status will likely become clearer after those two skates.