ARLINGTON, V.A. — Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary's season is over after undergoing surgery to pair his meniscus, the team announced Tuesday.

Fehervary sustained the injury to his right knee in the second-to-last game of the regular season, when he twisted his leg defending against the New York Islanders. He ultimately returned to finish that game, but did not play in the regular season finale or Game 1 and has not skated since.

In 81 games this season, Fehervary picked up five goals and 20 assists for a career-high 25 points. He played a pivotal role on the team's top-4, complementing Matt Roy on a shutdown defensive pairing.

It's a major loss for Washington, as the Slovak blueliner has been a key contributor defensively and on the penalty kill all season long while logging heavy minutes. The team is also missing key forward Aliaksei Protas, who is continuing to recover from a skate cut but is expected to return at some point in the opening round.

With Fehervary out, the team will look to extras Alex Alexeyev, Ethan Bear and Dylan McIlrath to help fill the void. Alexeyev played in Game 1 and filled in well alongside Trevor van Riemsdyk, but late in regulation, took a high stick from Jake Evans that knocked out several teeth.

Alexeyev will require "significant dental work," though he returned for the start of overtime and appeared to be available.