Byfield Leaves Capitals Game Early With Upper-Body Injury

Quinton Byfield left Los Angeles's game in Washington after only four shifts because of an upper-body injury and was ruled out for the rest of the night. The Kings have not provided a timeline, and Byfield had one goal and one assist through six games while taking on top-line center duties after Anze Kopitar retired. Los Angeles entered the matchup as the NHL's only winless team and was already missing Mats Zuccarello, who is week-to-week.

Quinton Byfield exited Tuesday’s Capitals game in Washington after only four shifts. Los Angeles ruled him out for the remainder of the night with an upper-body injury and did not offer a return timeline. A team reporter observed he was absent from the bench before the announcement; he had briefly gone down in Monday’s practice and described tightness, though any link remains unclear.

The Kings entered the contest as the NHL’s lone winless club and were already without Mats Zuccarello, listed week-to-week. Byfield, now the top-line center following Anze Kopitar’s retirement, had one goal and one assist in six games, a minus-6 rating, and 21:03 average ice time. Los Angeles’ scoring has been sparse, with no skater at a point-per-game pace and only Brandt Clarke above four points.

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