Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary is out for the remainder of the team's playoff run after undergoing knee surgery.
The Capitals said Tuesday that Fehervary had surgery Monday for a torn meniscus in his right knee. Fehervary twisted his right leg trying to block a shot last week in Washington's penultimate game of the regular season.
"It's a massive loss for our team -- really feel for him," coach Spencer Carbery said. "My heart hurts for him because he's an unsung hero for our team. If you know the Washington Capitals and if you're around our team and if you watch our team, he's someone that goes unnoticed, that the rest of the hockey world probably doesn't pay much attention to, but he's a big part of our team."
Fehervary skated 19 minutes a game for the Capitals, missing only the season finale after getting injured, and was their top penalty-killer. The 25-year-old from Slovakia also blocked 150 shots.
"It's tough," fellow defenseman Matt Roy said. "It's obviously a huge loss for us. He's had such a good year and he competes hard for us, so he's definitely going to be missed."
A 2018 second-round pick of the Capitals, Fehervary has 22 goals and 53 assists in 299 career games, with career highs in assists (20) and points (25) this season.
Alexander Alexeyev, who had been a healthy scratch for most of the season, took Fehervary's place in the lineup for Game 1 of the first round against Montreal Canadiens. The Capitals beat the Canadiens 3-2 in overtime on Alex Ovechkin's second goal of the game.
Alexeyev required "significant dental work" after taking a stick to the face late in the third period from Jake Evans, but Carbery expects him to play in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
