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Ovechkin protests 'dirty play' leading to Oshie's injury
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- Ovechkin protests 'dirty play' leading to Oshie's injury
Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin was incensed following Thursday's 2-1 Game 4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes after teammate T.J. Oshie suffered an apparent shoulder injury and did not return.Oshie was checked by Hurricanes forward Warren Foegele and hit the boards shoulder-first, rolling over in agony.
After the game, Ovechkin was furious that Foegele wasn't penalized for the incident.
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"It's a dirty play. It has to be not two minutes. It has to be a different call," Ovechkin said to Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post .
Capitals head coach Todd Reirden echoed Ovechkin's sentiments, calling the hit a 'dangerous play' on a 'defenseless player,' while noting that Oshie will be out for an extended period, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan .
"We won't be having one of our key players for quite some time," Reirden said .
T.J. Oshie of the Washington Capitals reacts after being injured in the third period. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Foegele defended himself against the notion of it being a dirty play, saying it was an innocuous hit while trying to retrieve the puck.
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"I was trying to lift his stick, trying to give him a little nudge. It was a little unfortunate play there, I wasn't trying to hurt him or anything. I hope he's OK," Foegele said, according to Khurshudyan.
Ovechkin was the subject of controversy following Game 3 after knocking out Hurricanes rookie Andrei Svechnikov in a fight. Svechnikov didn't play in Game 4 as a result of an injury suffered during the fight, and many stated that Ovechkin ought not to have participated in the bout.
It remains unclear whether Foegele will face supplementary decision, but with the series tied at two games apiece, it seems eminently possible that both clubs will be looking to amplify their physical play with a second-round berth on the line.
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