Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner, who had not missed a game in seven seasons, was out Monday night for Washington's 4-3 overtime loss to Toronto in Game 3 of their first-round series. He will also be out for Wednesday's Game 4 in Toronto, head coach Barry Trotz said Tuesday. Alzner, who has an upper-body injury, had played in 599 straight regular-season and playoff games combined. His status will be evaluated day to day. The last game he had missed was Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, a 4-1 loss to Montreal in a first-round series won by the Canadiens in seven games. Alzner, 28, is in his ninth NHL season, all with the Capitals. Nate Schmidt stepped in to fill Alzner's spot alongside John Carlson on defense. Schmidt, who had played 60 games during the regular season, assisted on the first goal of the game, by Nicklas Backstrom. ESPN's Pierre LeBrun contributed to this report.
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