Pettinger Joins Injury List With Fractured Thumb

Already without their captain and starting goaltender, the Washington Capitals learned yesterday that left wing Matt Pettinger could miss the remainder of the season with a fractured right thumb, and center Boyd Gordon will be sidelined at least two weeks with a knee injury.

Pettinger scored his 15th goal in Thursday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but left the contest in the third period after being struck by a slap shot. It was unclear how Gordon was hurt, but it also occurred late in the game.

Because of the recent rash of injuries, the Capitals, losers of eight of their past nine games (1-4-4), face an enormous challenge beginning tonight against the visiting New York Islanders.

In addition to losing two-thirds of their checking line, they're also missing captain Chris Clark (sprained shoulder) and goalie Olie Kolzig (sprained knee). And their dire situation is compounded by the departures of veteran forwards Dainius Zubrus and Richard Zednik, who were dealt to the Buffalo Sabres and the Islanders, respectively, before the NHL trade deadline earlier this week.

"It's kind of my standard answer: Someone else is going to get the opportunity to play more minutes," Coach Glen Hanlon said at Kettler Capitals Iceplex.

Minor league forward Alexandre Giroux was later recalled from Hershey (Pa.) of the American Hockey League.

Excluding star wingers Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, the Capitals will have only two players in tonight's lineup (center Kris Beech and defenseman Brian Pothier) with more than 20 points to their credit.

"It would have been nice to finish up the season strong," said Pettinger, who missed the opening seven games with a shoulder injury. "I know there's only five weeks left, but I would like to come back if possible."

Backstrom Draws Praise

Former Capitals forward Bengt Gustafsson, who is now the coach of Sweden's national team, offered this scouting report on Nicklas Backstrom, the Capitals' No. 4 overall pick last June: "He is an intelligent player with great, great hands. He finds those passes and those holes in small, small [places] the way like [Wayne] Gretzky did."

Backstrom currently plays for Brynas in the Swedish Elite League, where he has 12 goals and 28 assists in 45 games. Gustafsson coached the 19-year-old in last year's world championships.

"He has all the skills, but he is not as physical as Peter" Forsberg, he added. "I am sure he is going to be a great hockey player, but is he going to reach that kind of success that Forsberg has had? It is impossible to talk about that now."

Agent: Zero

Ovechkin still hasn't hired an agent certified by the NHL Players' Association to replace Don Meehan, whom Ovechkin fired in November. But Ovechkin's father, Mikhail, was seen speaking with agent Mark Gandler during yesterday's practice. Gandler said he has not been retained by Ovechkin, but would welcome the opportunity to represent him. He already represents Semin. . . . Ovechkin has retained Treseler Zalbe LLC for his marketing representation.