The Washington Capitals were dealt a short-term blow when it was announced that Alex Ovechkin would be taking a leave of absence from the team to deal with a family matter. On Wednesday morning, we found out that the reason for Ovechkin's absence was due to his father, who has tragically passed away on Wednesday morning.

Ovechkin left the team ahead of their Tuesday night matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes, and it is expected that Ovechkin could be away from the team for up to a week as he deals with this loss. Obviously in situations like these, a return to the ice is the last thing that folks are thinking about, and Ovechkin will rightfully be given all the time he needs before returning.

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The Capitals certainly missed Ovechkin in their 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes, and the whole situation could be made more difficult for Ovechkin to handle considering the fact that most of his family resides in Russia. As of right now, there are no flights from America going into Moscow, which could make things even more complicated for Ovechkin if he ends up going to Russia.

For now, though, the focus is on allowing Ovechkin time to deal with this loss. The Capitals will have to find a way to get by without their leading goal scorer for the next few days, but if they can do that, they would be in a great spot to continue their playoff push throughout the remainder of the season.