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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich left Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins with a leg injury in the second period and is "day-to-day," according to head coach Dale Hunter.
Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg checked Laich, who has missed only four games since the start of the 2007-08 season, into the end boards with about eight minutes remaining in the second period. Laich crumpled to the ice and crawled towards the bench before teammates assisted him. Laich could not put any weight on his left leg at the time as he was escorted to the locker room.
At the next commercial break, however, Laich returned and attempted to skate, but ultimately left under his own power as he limped back towards the locker room.
After the game, Laich was seen wearing a knee brace over his left knee as he left Verizon Center with crutches. Via The Washington Times' Stephen Whyno, Laich was in good spirits:
"We'll see tomorrow. I'm not a doctor, but these things sometimes there's some swelling and you've got to wait to see what happens," he said. "I don't think it's anything serious. In the past I've been a fast healer, so we'll see when I wake up."
The Caps are already missing Nicklas Backstrom (head injury) at center, so missing Laich for a significant period of time would be a considerable loss.