String of injuries finally catching up with Sens

PHILADELPHIA — Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson is saying all the right things with the club in the midst of an atrocious road trip, having lost five consecutive games and on the cusp of losing control of its once secure playoff spot.

Alfredsson says it’s important to “stick to the system,” he suggests the Senators are “stepping in the right direction” and that veterans need to be “solid and dependable and kind of guide the younger guys” through the pressurepacked environment.

That’s precisely the message the captain is supposed to send, a “Keep Calm And Carry On” approach, as the team prepares for Thursday’s game here against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Flyers are yet another team whose chances of making the playoffs are somewhere between slim and none, but it’s always a rough, tough environment for a visiting team to win in.

Yet for all of Alfredsson’s confidence, you can’t help but wonder if the team’s unlikely success, coping with a ridiculous string of injuries, including star defenceman Erik Karlsson, through the first two-thirds of the season, has finally caught up with them.

Take a hard look at the names in the lineup.

The only proven, consistent goal scorer during his career is the 40-year-old Alfredsson himself, and he has been up and down this year, too.

Kyle Turris, elevated to the No. 1 centre status due to Jason Spezza’s injury — by the way, the team’s silence on his recovery from back disc surgery is not good news — has struggled to be a consistent front-line player.

The Senators badly need left winger Milan Michalek to take the leap of faith and return from his knee surgery, adding his speed and shot to the lineup, taking pressure off Alfredsson, Turris, Guillaume Latendresse and rookies Jakob Silfverberg and Mika Zibanejad.

The latter two have exhibited classic first-year qualities: Great one night, not so great the next. As the run to the playoffs heats up, they’re learning about the School of Hard Knocks; that the space in the scoring areas shrinks as spring approaches.

It’s also something that Cory Conacher, acquired in the trade for Ben Bishop last week, is discovering.

Meanwhile, the supporting cast has delivered few timely goals lately.

Zack Smith hasn’t scored in nine games and has three for the season.

Erik Condra has three, none in his past 20. Chris Neil, goalless in 28 games, is also at three for the season.

In this case, the Power of Three is not a good thing.

The Senators have scored two or fewer goals in each of the five games of the losing streak.

The answers have to come from within.

Is it time for MacLean to finally make a major shuffle of his forward lines?