Capitals Kempny undergoes surgery, to be off ice to 6 months

Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny underwent surgery Tuesday to repair his torn left hamstring and is expected to be off the ice for four to six months, the team announced. Kempny suffered the injury March 20 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and has since been sidelined.

The 28-year-old from the Czech Republic appeared to injure his leg as he fell to the ice while wrestling with Lightning forward Cedric Paquette in the second period of that game. Kempny averaged just over 19 minutes of ice time per game this season and scored a career-high six goals with 19 assists in 71 games. He was traded to the Capitals before the 2017-18 season after two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Capitals have two games left in their season: Thursday at home against Montreal and Saturday at home against the New York Islanders. The Capitals (102 points) have clinched a berth and are in first place in the Metropolitan Division, with the Islanders (99 points) in close pursuit.