Canes lose Corvo, fifth straight game

RALEIGH -- The Carolina Hurricanes have lost another game.

The Hurricanes, amazingly, have lost another player to a skate-slashing.

Can this season be any more trying for the Canes, any more troubling?

The Hurricanes were beaten 3-2 by the Washington Capitals on Monday night at the RBC Center, losing defenseman Joe Corvo to the leg injury in the first period while losing their fifth straight game.

Corvo was cut by the skate of Caps defenseman Karl Alzner just above his right boot and was taken to a hospital for treatment. Canes coach Paul Maurice said he did not know the nature or extent of the injury but believed it was significant, much like the leg laceration suffered by goaltender Cam Ward in early November.

"It's never good when you see a lot of blood on a guy's sock like that," said Canes forward Matt Cullen, who scored in the final 16 seconds to make it a one-goal game. "Hopefully, he'll be all right.

"Another tough loss. They're adding up."

For a few moments later in the first period, the Canes believed they may have lost defenseman Tim Gleason, as well. Gleason, who has been paired with Corvo, took a hard knee-to-knee hit from the Caps' Alexander Ovechkin and had to be helped to the locker room.

Ovechkin received a five-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct at 12:05 of the first -- the second ejection in three games for the hard-charging forward, one of the NHL's best but a player who at times crosses the line with his aggressiveness. He also needed assistance in leaving the ice, dragging his right leg.

"Gleason made a good move and he caught him with his knee," Maurice said. "I don't know how you want to define the play. It's dangerous for both players."

Gleason returned late in the Canes' ensuing five-minute power play. As for Ovechkin, second in the NHL in goals with 18, Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said more would be known today about the severity of his injury.

"He hurt his knee, obviously," Boudreau said.

But the Caps (16-5-6) had enough firepower with Ovechkin ejected and with forwards Alexander Semin and Mike Knuble still sidelined with injuries. Nicklas Backstrom had two goals and an assist, scoring the game-winner at 14:53 of the second, and Eric Fehr added a goal and assist as the Caps won their third in a row.

Boudreau gave Jose Theodore his first start in goal since a Nov. 14 loss at New Jersey, allowing Semyon Varlamov a day off. Theodore responded with a 38-save game, making several sparking stops as the Canes crashed the net and fired away.

"This is our 20th game when we scored two (goals) or less," Maurice said. "The puck has to go in the net."

Corvo scored the game's first goal, on a power play at 4:35 of the first, to give the Canes a 1-0 lead. But soon he was down on the ice, grabbing his leg in agony.

Corvo collided Alzner along the boards. As the two players tried to separate, Alzner's skate caught Corvo's leg.

Just like that, the Canes lost a player who is among the NHL's leading skaters in ice time per game (26:26). Ward was cut on the right leg Nov. 7 in the game at Columbus, sidelining him the last 11 games.

As for the game, it was so many others for the Hurricanes. Carolina (5-17-5) got the early power-play goal but couldn't score on the five-minute major or any other power play.

"We're just not consistent enough," Cullen said. "Their goaltender came up with some real big saves, I thought. We had a lot of opportunities on the power play weren't able to bury it, and that's kind of the story."

Cullen once had an open shot, but broke his stick. Eric Staal whiffed on a puck. Ray Whitney hit the post, the puck hitting Theodore in the back, and couldn't score.

Backstrom tied the score 1-1 on an Ovechkin pass, then fed Fehr for a two-on-one goal soon after the Caps killed off the Ovechkin major. Backstrom gave the Caps a 3-1 lead on a spinning backhander that fooled Canes goaltender Michael Leighton.

The Canes do not play again until Saturday, when they face the Vancouver Canucks at the RBC Center. It's time to reassess, regroup, possibly make a few personnel moves.

"Hopefully we can have an unbelievable story at the end of the season," Cullen said. "No one in here has given up. There's a lot of time left and we just have to find a way to turn things around."