TORONTO – As one of Toronto’s top-pair defenceman returns, one of Washington’s goes out.
Karl Alzner, ruled a game-time decision after sitting out the morning skate, is not in the lineup for Game 3 of the Capitals-Maple Leafs playoff series Monday because of an upper-body injury.
This marks the first playoff game he’s missed since 2010.
Alzner simply doesn’t sit.
The Capitals’ all-time ironman holds a franchise record with 540 consecutive regular-season games played, ranking him 18th on the NHL’s all-time list and fifth among all active players.
Though Alzner’s official ironman streak can continue next fall, his run of consecutive regular-season and ironman games ends at 599.
“Everyone’s gonna battle through injuries at this time of year. This is our first taste of that,” said fellow Capitals defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk.
Had he dressed Monday, it would have marked Alzner’s 60th straight playoff game.
The top-pair, shutdown defenceman underwent sports hernia surgery in the summer, and a sore groin has impeded his play at times this season. He skated an average of 22:34 in games 1 and 2 with a minus-1 rating.
“We’re confident in our D core that we can play at an elite level with any of our guys,” goaltender Braden Holtby said.
The speedy Nate Schmidt, who was relegated to the Capitals’ seventh defenceman upon the Shattenkirk acquisition, draws into the lineup to replace Alzner.
A favourite among Capitals fans, Schmidt scored in Washington’s 4-1 victory over the Leafs in the final week of the regular season and will be paired with John Carlson.
“That’s the luxury we have is the depth this year,” Matt Niskanen said.
“[Schmidt] got bounced when Shattenkirk arrived, and when he got a chance to go back in, he played even better than he did before. Everyone is confident in his abilities, and he should be too.”
Injuries to defencemen has been a theme of this series. Toronto’s Roman Polak had his season ended by a Brooks Orpik hit in Game 2, and Nikita Zaitsev sat out the first two games with an upper-body injury.
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