After losing eight of nine games to end January and begin February, the Washington Capitals (60 points) desperately needed to regain some momentum. They have done just that following their third-straight victory on Thursday night, but it is coming at a potentially big cost.

Winger and fan favorite TJ Oshie suffered a non-contact injury during the third period of the Caps' 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning (65 points) and was helped to the locker room. He did not return. Spencer Carbery's squad rallied around Oshie's concerning exit, with Rasmus Sandin breaking a 3-3 tie and Connor McMichael clinching the W with an empty netter for his second goal of the night.

Fans understandably think the worst whenever a player goes down without any force coming from another skater. The recovery timetable for such freak injuries are often long and grueling. Nothing has been confirmed, but there will be plenty of prayers emanating from the Washington D.C. area tonight.

This unfortunate development is the latest setback for Oshie, whose 2023-24 campaign has been derailed by injuries. The 37-year-old has 10 goals and 17 total points in 38 games played. While his best days are behind him, the 2020 All-Star's leadership presence is essential for the Capitals. His arrival via trade in 2015 eventually helped all-time great Alexander Ovechkin and Washington finally capture their first Stanley Cup in 2018.

Fans did at least get a response from TJ Oshie in the wake of this injury scare. “I’ll be back,” he replied on X after his team put the Lightning away. “Thanks for the love Caps fans.”

Hopefully, the prognosis is far better than expected.