Capitals’ Justin Sourdif leaves game with upper-body injury

A premature exit for a young winger.

During a game between the Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators, Capitals forward Justin Sourdif was forced to leave the game early due to an upper-body injury.

While the team didn’t specify what took Sourdif out of the game, early in the second period of Sunday night’s game, while forechecking in the Nashville zone, Sourdif was clipped in the face by a puck that ricocheted. He ended up not returning. He registered 6:17 of ice time across eight shifts, posting a shot on goal while delivering a hit.

It was Sourdif’s 45th game of the season. He missed one game earlier this year due to a lower-body injury, and although he was initially expected to miss an extended period, he returned to the lineup a few days later.

The 23-year-old is making the most of his first full season in the NHL. Though he played a couple of games with the Florida Panthers over the previous two years, Sourdif has found a solid home in Washington. He has scored nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points, including an impressive five-point performance against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 5. The Richmond, B.C. native has a plus/minus of +15 while averaging around 14 minutes of ice time per game.

Sourdif is in the first season of his two-year contract extension that he signed with the Caps in late June. The deal carries a cap hit of $825,000. He was acquired by Washington just days before, as he was traded by the Panthers to the nation’s capital in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft and a sixth-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft. 

In 48 career NHL games, Sourdif has scored 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points.