Shoulder pain becomes too much for Nylander

It finally became too much this week and Nylander has opted for season-ending shoulder surgery, according to Caps general manager George McPhee.

Nylander originally injured his left shoulder on Dec. 1 while taking a faceoff during a game against the Florida Panthers. He missed the following three games before returning to play the next 14.

“This isn’t a decision a coach or [general] manager can ever make,” McPhee said prior to the Caps 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators at Verizon Center Tuesday night. “We left it up to Michael how long he could tough it out.”

The news that Nylander will have surgery today in Cleveland overshadowed the Caps’ fourth and final meeting with Eastern Conference-leading Ottawa. Forward Alex Ovechkin scored his 34th goal on a power play at 9 minutes, 11 seconds of the third period to break a 2-2 tie. Forward Alex Semin added his second goal of the night at 11:56. The win gave the Caps an improbable season sweep of the Senators, Stanley Cup runners-up in 2007.

The length of Nylander’s rehabilitation will depend on if his rotator cuff is partially or completely torn, but the injury has a typical recovery time of three to six months. His loss is a serious blow to a team that has fought its way back into the playoff race in the Eastern Conference after a 6-14-1 start.

Nylander, 35, was one of the organization’s three key free-agent acquisitions over the summer when the Caps signed him away from the New York Rangers with a four-year, $19.5 million contract. He leads the team with 26 assists and is second in points (37) and third in goals (11).

“We’re not going to trade our young assets to replace [Nylander] on the roster,” McPhee said. “We’ll play with what we have.”

Caps Notes

» Rookie center Nicklas Backstrom has been invited to the NHL YoungStars event at the NHL All-Star game next month in Atlanta. Backstrom, 20, is third among all rookies in points (31). He was one of 16 players chosen.