Capitals star Alex Ovechkin day-to-day with upper-body injury

The Washington Capitals suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night but encountered a much scarier setback when superstar captain Alex Ovechkin appeared to hurt his left arm and/or shoulder when he crashed into the boards early in the third period of that contest. 

According to The Athletic, Ovechkin is considered day-to-day at the start of the last week of the regular season with an unspecified upper-body injury. The Athletic adds that Ovechkin did not "do much with his left arm" when he was spotted in attendance for the annual team picture on Monday. 

Washington next hosts the New York Islanders on Tuesday. 

The final three contests are massive for the Capitals as they battle with the rival Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan Division standings. Following Sunday's action, Washington trails Pittsburgh by a single point but holds a game in hand over the Penguins. The Penguins host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and then welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets to town on Friday night. 

Per ESPN stats, Ovechkin is fourth in the NHL with 50 goals, and he's also contributed 40 assists across 77 games this season. If he doesn't play Tuesday, his next chance to return would be for Thursday's matchup at the Islanders.