Capitals D Kempny out indefinitely with injury
Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny is out indefinitely after appearing to suffer a lower-body injury in Wednesday's loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team announced Friday.
Kempny won't be available to play in Friday night's game against the Minnesota Wild, and his status for the playoffs, which begin April 10, is undetermined.
The 28-year-old from the Czech Republic appeared to injure his left leg as he fell to the ice while wrestling with Lightning forward Cedric Paquette in the second period.
"I'd say we're going to have to be without him for an indefinite amount of time right now," Capitals coach Todd Reirden said. "We're just getting some more tests before we can make an official time statement on that, but I would just say right now that indefinitely he's out of our lineup."
Kempny has averaged 19 minutes of ice time per game this season, and has scored a career-high six goals with 19 assists. Before joining the Capitals for the 2017-18 season, he played two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Second-year player Christian Djoos is expected to fill in for Kempny, who was on the team's top defensive pairing with All-Star John Carlson.
--Field Level Media
