T.J. Oshie lingered on the ice long after many of his Washington Capitals teammates departed for the locker room following the loss that eliminated them from the playoffs.

His family was at all four games, including in New York, just in case. They could be the final ones he plays in the NHL.

Oshie, 37, isn't calling it a career just yet, but the winger acknowledged Tuesday he and doctors must find a solution to his chronic back problems before committing to return for a 17th season.

"I'd love to play next year, but I will need to come back with somewhat of a guarantee that my back won't be -- it's hard putting everyone through the situation," Oshie said. "I'd like to find just an answer and a fix to the problem before I make another run at it."

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin took the blame for his team's opening round sweep at the hands of the New York Rangers, the first time the star winger ever went scoreless in a playoff series.

"It's always tough to lose a series. We had pretty good chances. We just didn't score. Our line didn't score lots of goals," he said after a 4-2 Rangers win on Sunday night in Washington, D.C. "Blame me. I didn't play well."

Alex Ovechkin had eight goals through his first 43 games this season.

At that point, some folks might have wondered if the 38-year-old forward was finally slowing down. But not his Capitals teammates. Forward Dylan Strome said he was chatting with goalie Charlie Lindgren around that time.

“We were like, ‘I’m not going to be surprised when he gets 30 this year,’” Strome said.

Fast-forward to the Capitals’ 2-1 win against the Red Wings on Tuesday.

Ovechkin streaked through the neutral zone as the clock counted down at the end of the second period. Forward T.J. Oshie banked the puck off the left-wing boards, and Ovechkin collected it as he crossed the blue line.

In a flash, Ovechkin handled the puck and snapped a shot from the top of the left circle. The puck whizzed past the blocker of goalie Alex Lyon with eight seconds left, giving the Capitals a 2-0 lead and Ovechkin his 30th goal of the season.

Washington Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear has entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

Bear will be away from the team indefinitely while he receives care. The league and union, which jointly run the program, made the announcement Wednesday.

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has decided not to appeal his six-game suspension for a high stick to the head of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor, a source told ESPN on Sunday night.

The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Wilson on Friday. It's the sixth suspension of his career. Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Wilson will forfeit $161,458.32.

T.J. Oshie returned to the Washington Capitals' lineup Sunday, getting back just in time for the ceremony honoring his milestone of playing in 1,000 NHL games.

And more importantly, at a crucial juncture of the season, with his team trying desperately to make the playoffs.

Alex Ovechkin scored twice, becoming the third player in NHL history to have at least 20 goals in 19 consecutive seasons and lifting the Washington Capitals past the Calgary Flames 5-2 on Monday night in a critical game in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired Evgeny Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals for a 2025 third-round pick.

Kuznetsov, 31, is under contract through the 2024-25 season with a total cap hit of $7.8 million next season and $8 million in actual money owed.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired veteran defenseman Joel Edmundson from the Washington Capitals.

The Leafs traded a 2024 third-round pick that previously belonged to the New York Islanders and a 2025 fifth-round pick that belonged to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Capitals retained 50% of Edmundson's salary, leaving Toronto with a $875,000 cap hit for the defenseman.

In need of a winger, the Vegas Golden Knights landed one Tuesday when they traded for Anthony Mantha with a 2024 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick going to the Washington Capitals, the teams announced.

Getting a top-six winger was thought to be a priority for the defending Stanley Cup champions only to become a reality on Monday. That's when they moved captain and left winger Mark Stone, who is out with an upper-body injury, to long-term injured reserve.