After being listed as a game-time decision earlier on Monday, we now know the official status for Washington Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner for Game 3 of their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He is out.
The Capitals announced just before the start of the game that the veteran defenseman will be sidelined due to an upper body injury and is currently listed as day-to-day. He will be replaced by Nate Schmidt who will start the game skating on the team’s top defense pairing alongside John Carlson.
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The fact Alzner is not playing is particularly noteworthy given how long it has been since the Capitals have played a game without him in the lineup.
Monday’s game will be Alzner’s first missed game since the 2010 playoffs when he sat out Game 6 of the Capitals’ first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.