Washington Capitals center Lars Eller, who played in last night’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins in the Capitals preseason opener, left practice early today. The Capitals are saying Eller is suffering from a lower-body injury.

It is not clear if Eller was injured in last night’s game or was injured during today’s practice.

Caps center Lars Eller left practice early today. Team said it is lower-body and he left for precautionary reasons. Caps will see how he feels tomorrow.

— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) September 27, 2021

The Capitals are already down one center, with Nicklas Backstrom continuing his hip rehab.

The 32-year-old Eller played in 44 of the 56 regular season games for the Capitals last season. He recorded eight goals and 15 assists.

The Capitals are back in action Wednesday night when they host the New Jersey Devils in their second preseason game. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM.

By Jon Sorensen