Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Day-to-day with upper-body injury
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Kuznetsov (upper body) is considered day-to-day, Roman Stubbs of The Washington Post reports.
Kuznetsov didn't take part in Monday's optional practice after leaving Sunday's 5-3 loss to Minnesota early in the third period. He was injured following a hit from Wild defenseman Matt Dumba. It's unclear at this time if Kuznetsov will be available for Tuesday's contest against Columbus. The 30-year-old forward has produced 12 goals, 51 points and 158 shots on net in 70 contests this campaign.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Injured Sunday
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There was no update on Kuznetsov (undisclosed) after he left Sunday's game against Minnesota, Roman Stubbs of The Washington Post reports.
Kuznetsov took a big hit from Matt Dumba in the third period and did not return to the contest. He logged a minus-1 rating in 13:41 of ice time prior to the injury. An update on his status should be available before Tuesday's matchup with Columbus.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Good to play Wednesday
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Kuznetsov (illness) is expected to play Wednesday against Anaheim, per Mike Vogel of the Capitals' official site.
Kuznetsov was questionable for Wednesday's contest because the illness kept him out of Tuesday's practice. He has 11 goals and 50 points in 61 contests this season. Kuznetsov is entering Wednesday's action after scoring two goals and five points over his last two outings.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Dealing with illness
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Kuznetsov was absent from practice Tuesday with a non-COVID illness, Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports.
Kuznetsov started the 2023 calendar year mired in a 14-game goal drought but has re-discovered his offense with nine points in his last 10 outings. At this point, the center should be considered questionable to play against Anaheim on Wednesday, though the team hasn't provided a specific update on his availability for that contest. If he does miss out, Nicklas Backstrom figures to be in the mix to suit up on the top line with Alex Ovechkin.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Pops for four points Saturday
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Kuznetsov scored two goals and added two assists, one on the power play, in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Rangers.
He potted the Caps' final two tallies of the afternoon, snapping a brief three-game point drought with the performance. It's Kuznetsov's first multi-point effort in February and first multi-goal game since Nov. 7, and on the season the 30-year-old has a somewhat disappointing 11 goals and 49 points through 60 contests, with what would be a career-worst minus-8 rating.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Nets lone goal in loss
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Kuznetsov scored a goal on two shots in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Sharks.
Kuznetsov has two goals and six helpers over his last 10 games, and he was the only Capital to score in this one. The 30-year-old center has been playing down the lineup lately, but Dylan Strome was benched for part of Sunday's game, which could signal an opportunity for Kuznetsov to get back into the top six. Kuznetsov has produced eight goals, 36 helpers, 122 shots on net and a minus-4 rating through 54 outings overall, though his unusually low 6.6 shooting percentage offers ample room for improvement down the stretch.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Nets OT winner
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Kuznetsov tallied two points, including the winning goal, in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime victory over the Blue Jackets.
Kuznetsov set up Trevor van Riemsdyk's goal in the second period before scoring the winner in overtime, beating Joonas Korpisalo with a wrist shot from the circle. The goal was Kuznetsov's first in 14 games, with his last tally coming on Dec. 29. The 30-year-old center now has seven goals and 36 assists through 52 games this season.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Slides another helper in loss
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Kuznetsov registered an assist, three shots on goal and two hits in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Golden Knights.
Kuznetsov has picked up four helpers over his last four games, and 10 assists in 11 outings since his last goal. The 30-year-old center helped out on a Marcus Johansson tally in the third period of Saturday's defeat. Kuznetsov is up to 40 points (six goals, 34 helpers), 114 shots on net, 28 hits and a minus-2 rating through 48 appearances.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Posts two assists in win
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Kuznetsov notched two assists and three shots in the Capitals' 4-0 win over the Coyotes on Thursday.
Kuznetsov picked up a helper on Tom Wilson's power-play goal that extended the Capitals' lead to 3-0. He also picked up the primary assist on Dylan Strome's second goal of the game, finding the former Blackhawk wide open to pot an easy goal. This performance gives Kuznetsov three points in his last three games after struggling out of the gate in the month of January. The Russian forward has six goals and 39 points in the 2022-23 campaign.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Picks up assist Monday
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Kuznetsov logged an assist in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Islanders.
Kuznetsov helped out on T.J. Oshie's equalizer in the third period. The assist snapped Kuznetsov's four-game point drought, but he's gone eight contests without a goal, picking up seven helpers in that span. The center is up to 37 points, 107 shots on net and a minus-2 rating through 45 outings. He's shooting a paltry 5.6 percent, so there's reason to be hopeful he'll turn it around in the second half of the campaign.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Adds two helpers
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Kuznetsov picked up two assists in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Blue Jackets.
Both of Kuznetsov's helpers came on third-period power plays, setting up T.J. Oshie and Alex Ovechkin. The two-assist game extended Kuznetsov's point streak to seven games, with two goals and nine assists in that span. The 30-year-old center has excelled as a playmaker on Washington's top unit, tallying six goals and 30 assists through 40 games this season.
Kuznetsov picked three apples in a 9-2 rout of Montreal on Saturday.
It was great pass after great pass for the elite playmaker who is on a five-game, eight-point streak that includes six assists. Kuznetsov has 17 points, including 14 helpers, in 15 games in December. He's been held off the score sheet just three times this month.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Extends point streak
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Kuznetsov tallied a goal, two shots and a minus-2 rating during Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Senators.
Kuznetsov is on a four-game point streak (two goals, three assists) and has managed a point-per-game across 14 contests in the month of December. The Capitals could be in line to shuffle their lineups once Nicklas Backstrom (hip), Tom Wilson (knee), and T.J. Oshie (upper body) return, but those reinforcements should only help the 30-year-old playmaker pay further dividends for fantasy managers.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Two-point night in OT win
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Kuznetsov had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 overtime win over the Senators.
The goal wasn't pretty, but they all count. Kuznetsov's centering pass deflected in off Ottawa defender Jake Sanderson's stick on the power play in the first period. It was just his fifth of the season. His shooting percentage is just 4.7 percent this season, well below his career mark of 11.3, so we expect Kuznetsov to start putting more pucks in the net soon. He has 27 points (five goals, 22 assists) in 34 games.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Helps out on milestone marker
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Kuznetsov registered an assist and two PIM in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks turned the puck over in their own zone, and Kuznetsov took a poor shot on a pass from Anthony Mantha. The puck went back to Mantha, who then set up Alex Ovechkin's 800th career goal, earning Kuznetsov the secondary helper. The assist also extended Kuznetsov's point streak to six games (one goal, six helpers). The center is up to 23 points, (four tallies, 19 helpers), 73 shots on net, 22 PIM and a minus-2 rating in 30 appearances. He's seeing second-line usage lately, as Dylan Strome has found some success in Kuznetsov's usual top-line spot.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Ends goal drought
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Kuznetsov scored a power-play goal on two shots in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Jets.
Kuznetsov entered Sunday with five assists in his last four outings, but he'd gone seven games without a goal. His tally put the Capitals up 2-0 at 8:21 of the second period. A four-time 20-goal scorer, Kuznetsov is off to a slow start with just four tallies to go with a solid 18 assists through 29 appearances this season. The center has added 72 shots on net, 20 PIM, a minus-3 rating and nine power-play points, but he's been surpassed by Dylan Strome for top-line usage.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Two helpers in Wednesday's win
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Kuznetsov had two assists -- one on the power play -- while adding four shots, one blocked shot and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Flyers.
Kuznetsov helped T.J. Oshie tie it at a goal apiece in the second period with the extra man before adding a helper on Washington's final goal, scored into an empty net with nine seconds left in the third by Alex Ovechkin. With four assists in his last three games, Kuznetsov has raised his season total to 17 in 27 games, but he remains stuck on three goals.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Bags apple Wednesday
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Kuznetsov tallied an assist and two shots during Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win against the Flyers.
Kuznetsov set up Sonny Milano for the game-tying marker late in the third period as the Capitals snapped a four-game skid. While goals have been hard to come by this season (two in 20 games), the 30-year-old has four helpers in his last seven games and could see further improvement with the return of T.J. Oshie to the lineup.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Adds helper to rout
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Kuznetsov collected an assist in Friday's 5-1 win over the Lightning.
The Capitals welcomed back star defenseman John Carlson from a lower-body injury, which jump-started a team that had just one win in six games during his absence. Kuznetsov's apple was his fifth of the season, and he's scored two goals through 10 games played. Fantasy managers are accustomed to huge performances from Kuznetsov, who does have a four-point game on the ledger, but overall, he's been inconsistent early this season.
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Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov: Erupts with four points
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Kuznetsov scored twice and added two assists, all on the power play, in Monday's 5-4 win over the Oilers.
Kuznetsov's goal at 18:09 of the third period stood as the game-winner. He hadn't scored in his first 12 games of the campaign before Monday's monster performance. The 30-year-old center now has 11 points (five on the power play), 29 shots on net, 14 PIM and a minus-2 rating through 13 contests this season. He's struggled early on, so fantasy managers will hope this outing sparks some consistency in Kuznetsov's play.
