Caps 4 – Isles 1

It just keeps getting worse for the Islanders.

They dropped their sixth straight game last night in a wretched 4-1 loss to the Caps at the Coliseum – on a night Mariusz Czerkawski was scratched with what the team called an irregular heartbeat.

Czerkawski had been singled out Monday for his poor play away from the puck, and seemed a likely candidate to be a healthy scratch anyway to accommodate AHL recalls Mattias Weinhandl and Jeff Hamilton.

A team spokesperson said Czerkawski felt ill following practice Monday, after which he had a matter-of-fact meeting with coach Steve Stirling about where he needs to improve his game.

The team said Czerkawski, who leads the Isles with 11 goals, has no previous heart problems and called it “a minor incident.”

Czerkawski, who was not available for comment, is expected to resume skating today.

Neither Mike Milbury nor Stirling was available last night to elaborate on Czerkawski’s status or prognosis, since the team only announced the irregular heartbeat through its public-relations department after the coach and GM had departed.

But the Isles proved last night that no matter who’s in their lineup, things are so rotten right now, there may be no hope until Milbury backs up the truck.

“I’ve been on teams where guys don’t care, and that’s not the case here,” Adrian Aucoin said.

Washington raced to a 3-0 lead on goals from Kip Miller (5-on-3 power play), Jaromir Jagr and Ivan Ciernik in the first period as the Isles lost by another knockout.

“Obviously the situation is worsening,” captain Michael Peca said.

“We have meetings and guys will stare at their shoelaces the whole time. And you hope they get it, you hope they get the message. You ask if they get the message, and they nod ‘yes,’ so there’s not much more we can do, other than whack someone across the head.

“But obviously we’re not gonna do that.”

For a second straight game, fans chanted, “Mike Must Go.” But these chants may have been directed at Peca, as well as at Milbury.

The boos rained on No. 27, scoreless since Nov. 6, during a segment when his picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“That’s what fans do,” Peca said. “There’s no denying that I’d like to have more goals than I do, but having said that, I haven’t hurt the team, haven’t been a liability.

“I’m capable of doing other things to help the team, and I think I’ve done that to this point.”

* Arron Asham scored the goal for the Isles in the third period after Dainius Zubrus had made it 4-0. . . .

Caps became the last team to win consecutive games this season. Olaf Kolzig turned aside 25 shots in the Cap net. . . .

Islanders are 1-24-3-1 in their last 29 meetings with the Capitals. Isles also are 1-12-1 in their last 14 home games against Washington. The Isles’ only victory in that stretch clinched their first playoff appearance in eight years on April 6, 2002.