John Carlson expresses concerns about loss of defensemen due to so-called 'clean hits' following Trevor Van Riemsdyk's injury

The Washington Capitals were dealt another blow in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers when defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk exited after taking a hard hit from Matt Rempe.

Rempe caught van Riemsdyk high on the head as he was playing the puck behind his net, leaving van Riemsdyk visibly shaken before heading to the locker room.

Although the hit was called for interference by the officials, Capitals star John Carlson voiced his frustration over losing yet another defenseman to injury from a borderline play.

"I'm sick and tired of losing defensemen to 'clean' hits, though. That's for sure," said John Carlson. "Whether it's the end of the regular season or in the playoffs, it's frustrating. It's frustrating how guys can get injured and it's legal."

Since April 7, Van Riemsdyk is the fourth defenseman the Capitals have lost due to a hit. Rasmus Sandin, Nick Jensen and Vincent Iorio were also sidelined due to injuries sustained on heavy hits.

Despite the adversity, Carlson remains confident in his group's ability to battle through it.

"We got keep our head up and keep battling. We were down men plenty of time this year. I love this group and we were giving it all and turn this around next game," John Carlson added

Now facing a 3-0 series deficit, the Capitals will look to stave off elimination in Game 4 at home on Sunday night.

John Carlson's Capitals 3-1 loss to the Rangers

The Washington Capitals find themselves in a precarious position after suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the New York Rangers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

John Carlson opened the scoring at 5:34 of the first period with a well-placed wrist shot from the high slot. However, the Rangers quickly extinguished that hope, as Chris Kreider tied the game 34 seconds later by tipping in Mika Zibanejad's point shot.

The turning point of the game came in the second period, when Barclay Goodrow scored a short-handed goal at 6:08. Vincent Trocheck led a 2-on-1 rush and set up Goodrow, who beat Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren with a low wrist shot from the slot, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead.

New York extended their lead to 3-1 on a power-play goal by Vincent Trocheck at 15:22 of the second period. Trocheck executed a give-and-go with Zibanejad before firing a one-timer from the slot past Lindgren.

Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin was a key factor in the victory, making 28 saves on the night. Lindgren, on the other hand, stopped 19 of the 22 shots he faced.