Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov in Concussion Protocol After Alex Ovechkin Fight

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour announced rookie forward Andrei Svechnikov has entered the NHL's concussion protocol after a fight with the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin during Game 3 of their first-round playoff series Monday night.

Svechnikov, who was knocked out by Ovechkin during the first period of a 5-0 Canes win and did not return, is expected to miss at least Game 4 Thursday night. The Caps lead the series 2-1.

There are conflicting accounts about what happened to lead to the one-sided brawl.

Ovechkin, one of the NHL's most accomplished and recognizable players, said Svechnikov was the one to suggest the fight, and he merely agreed to drop the gloves.

"First of all, I hope he's OK," he told reporters. "Yeah, I'm not a big fighter, and he's the same. He asked me to fight and said, 'Let's go.' I hope he's OK. You don't want to see a guy get hurt or something. And you just go a different way."

Although the 19-year-old winger hasn't spoken publicly about the incident, Brind'Amour said he finds it hard to believe the rookie acted first:

"I just heard Ovi talk about it. He said our guy challenged him so if that's the case, that's a little different. But if you watch the video, because I've got to watch it, he slashes him twice, Ovi. Whack, whack. And then Svech gives him back. I don't know if there's words exchanged, but one guy's gloves comes off way first and that's Ovi's, it's not our guy's. It's a little bit frustrating because he got hurt and it's his first fight. He's played 90 games, he's never fought in his life and I'm pretty sure Ovi knew that. That stuff bothers me, but it's done."

Both players are from Russia and are eligible to become teammates at the 2019 IIHF World Championships next month depending on whether the Capitals or Hurricanes are still in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

If Svechnikov does miss Game 4, his next chance to return would come Saturday night when the series shifts back to Washington, D.C. for Game 5.

The second overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft ranked sixth on Carolina with 37 points (20 points and 17 assists) across 82 regular-season appearances. He tallied two goals in Game 1 against the Caps and added an assist in Game 2 before playing just four minutes Monday night.