Ovechkin ended playoffs on pain-numbing injections, will skip worlds

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will not join Russia at the World Championships this year because of a lower-body injury that required pain-numbing injections to close out the playoffs, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation announced Thursday.

Ovechkin and the Capitals were eliminated by the Penguins in Game 7 of their second round series Wednesday, and while Ovechkin said he's ready to join his countrymen, he didn't want to let his teammates down playing at less than 100 percent health.

While the specifics of the injury aren't clear, Ovechkin was forced to momentarily leave Game 5 of the first round versus the Toronto Maple Leafs after a controversial low hit from Nazem Kadri.

Ovechkin is notoriously proud to represent Russia in international events, and has played in the tournament 12 times. He finished the postseason with eight points (five goals, three assists) in 13 games.

Although Ovechkin won't be able to play, Russia announced fellow Capitals Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov will join the team.