Alex Ovechkin will miss a pair of games against the Florida Panthers this weekend with an upper-body strain. The injury, which caused him to miss Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils, has not yet healed enough for him to comfortably move around the ice, let alone throw his body around and weave in and out of defenders on his way to doing what he does best. So far, Ovechkin has 14 goals and nine assists in 14 games so far for the Capitals, and missing him for any length of time will only hurt the strong Washington offense.

Ovechkin has tried to continue to practice with the Capitals, but his injury is preventing him from returning to games. He then sat out Friday morning’s skate. He has claimed that he is having trouble moving his left arm and that practicing without a stick is working out better for him. The Capitals hope to have him back in uniform by next Wednesday’s game against the New York Islanders. Until then, Ovechkin will continue to watch the action from the press box, a place he finds uncomfortable. At this time, only his motivation to get healthy and back on the ice seems to be driving him.

The upside for the Washington Capitals is that it gives them a chance to prove their worth without Ovechkin in their ranks. They are currently running away with the Southeast Division. They have an 8-3-4 record so far, resulting in 20 points, putting them five ahead of second place Tampa Bay and are second in the Eastern Conference behind Sidney Crosby’s Penguins. If they can play like a winning team against the Panthers tonight and tomorrow night, they’ll show that Ovechkin isn’t the Capitals and the Capitals aren’t Ovechkin. Instead, Alex is just the icing on an already sweet cake.

The Capitals would like to be seen as more than just a one-man team. In order for the Capitals to prove it, they will have to play like a team. Their rivals in Pittsburgh managed to be successful without Crosby last season and without Evgeni Malkin or Sergei Gonchar this season. The injury to Ovechkin is no different for Washingon. One man does not do everything, and there’s no time like the present for guys like Nicklas Backstrom, Brooks Laich and Alexander Semin to prove that they – and the rest of the Washington Capitals – are big enough to fill one man’s shoes.