TORONTO — The Washington Capitals are in a funk.
Six losses in seven games have quashed the momentum from a 3-0 start to the season, and mounting injuries have hampered coach Glen Hanlon’s attempts to find cohesive lines.
With forwards Alexander Semin and Chris Clark doubtful for tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre and top defenseman Tom Poti questionable, the Caps might have to find other answers to stop the slide.
“We definitely need those people, but this is another opportunity for people to step forward,” Hanlon said. “We’ve got people fighting for their NHL lives here. If you give up that many minutes, someone is going to have an opportunity to play. [Saturday night] it was Mike Green who stepped up and took Tom Poti’s offensive slot. We need someone in this forward group to come up and take these 20 minutes for Semin and someone to step in on the power play for six or seven minutes.”
Clark left the game early Friday night at Verizon Center after taking Alex Ovechkin’s slap shot in the ear. He did not travel with the team to St. Louis and had not joined the team here as of last night.
Semin did not return to Saturday’s game against the Blues after leaving the ice late in the first period favoring his right ankle — the same ankle he sprained in a preseason game that caused him to miss six of the first seven games. Poti, who has a pulled groin muscle, will give it a go at the morning skate again today at the ACC and then be re-evaluated.
“We have the guys in here to get the job done,” goaltender Brent Johnson said. “I think we are confident in everyone, but it is something we need to get a little more of. We need to get a swagger in this dressing room — a belief that we can beat any team in this league.”
If Clark and Semin do not play, it likely will mean a chance for Brian Sutherby to crack the active lineup for the second time this season. He dressed and played sparingly Oct. 12 against the New York Rangers.
Other players also will be expected to log more minutes. Ovechkin, Michael Nylander, Viktor Kozlov and Matt Pettinger all played at least 22 minutes against the Blues, and Nicklas Backstrom played center for a full game for the first time.
If Backstrom stays in the middle between Ovechkin and Kozlov, it should mean another chance for Tomas Fleischmann on the second line. Fleischmann has been all over the place — from playing on the top line to seeing spot duty on the fourth unit to being a healthy scratch to seeing time with the second group.
“I think he has to learn how to be 178 pounds and play in a big man’s game,” Hanlon said. “There’s lots that do. He’s not the lightest guy in the league. There are lots of [small] guys who have success in this league.”
Today’s game
WASHINGTON CAPITALS AT TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto
TV/radio: CSN, AM-1500, FM-107.7
Goalies: Capitals — Olie Kolzig (3-3-0, 2.52 GAA). Maple Leafs — Vesa Toskala (4-3-1, 3.34) or Andrew Raycroft (1-1-2, 3.64).
Injuries: Capitals — Out: D Steve Eminger (ankle), RW Eric Fehr (back/hip). Questionable: D Tom Poti (groin), RW Alexander Semin (ankle), RW Chris Clark (ear). Maple Leafs — Out: W Darcy Tucker (knee), D Bryan McCabe (groin), C Kyle Wellwood (groin), D Carlo Colaiacovo (knee).
Notes: This is the third game in four nights for the depleted Caps. With his two goals Saturday against St. Louis, Mike Green now has three this season — doubling his career total. Toronto has won two straight and is 3-1-1 in its last five. Captain Mats Sundin is third in the NHL with 18 points and Oct. 11 passed Daryl Sittler for the most scored in a Leafs uniform. Tucker skated yesterday for the first time since injuring his knee but won”t play against the Caps.
— Corey Masisak
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