Kraken's Oleksiak ejected for hit to head of Capitals' Alexeyev
Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak was ejected for his hit on Washington Capitals blue-liner Alexander Alexeyev during the second period of Friday's matchup.
Oleksiak caught Alexeyev up high while the latter was playing the puck behind the Kraken's net. Officials handed Oleksiak a match penalty for an illegal check to the head, which gave Washington a five-minute power play.
The Capitals announced Alexeyev wouldn't return to the contest due to an upper-body injury.
Alexeyev has been ruled out for the rest of tonight's game. The Capitals are down yet another player. Here's the hit by Oleksiak: pic.twitter.com/M5LC0Bi3AM
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) December 10, 2022
Washington ended up winning the contest 4-1.
Oleksiak, 29, had four goals and three assists in 21 games heading into Friday's game. Alexeyev has drawn into the Capitals' lineup five times this season.
Washington is already dealing with some absences on the blue line. Dmitry Orlov hasn't played since Nov. 5 due to a lower-body injury, while Martin Fehervary has been held out of the lineup after suffering an upper-body ailment on Dec. 3.