Injury report: Caps lose first rounder

The Washington Capitals came into Thursday night's matchup against the Vancouver Canucks with a so-so record of 4-4-1. 

Not great - but not a huge hole compared to other teams in the East, including divisional rivals New York Rangers. They fell to 4-5-1 following a tough loss to the Western Canadian team by a score of 6-2.

To add insult to injury, the team lost Brett Connolly, a former 6th overall pick in 2010 - he was forced to leave the game with what was described with an upper-body injury.

As mentioned by the Capitals' PR account, his status will be re-evaluated today - and announcement on the severity of his injury should be made public in short order.

Selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Connolly was signed by the Capitals in 2016, and re-signed again in the summer of 2017. He scored 15 goals in 66 games - a respectable output, and perhaps a sign that his potential is finally being met.

That being said, he's been off to a slower start in 2017, with only 1 goal and 1 assist in 10 games played.