Kuznetsov on mend with Capitals
Center might return against Devils
Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov was a full participant in the team’s practice on Thursday, taking line rushes and skating in his usual spot on the power play, indicating he could return to the lineup for Friday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils after missing the past six games with a concussion. Kuznetsov has not been medically cleared yet, though that could come tonight.
“Good step in the progress today, for sure, going through full practice,” coach Todd Reirden said. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow. It was good to see him out there today, that’s for sure.”
Forward Devante Smith-Pelly (lower-body injury) and defenseman Michal Kempny (upper-body injury) both returned to practice after taking maintenance days on Wednesday, and both are expected to play against the Devils. Captain Alex Ovechkin missed Thursday’s practice, and the team said it was maintenance for an undisclosed upper-body injury. Ovechkin practiced on Wednesday, and when asked if Ovechkin will play tonight, Reirden said, “I’m expecting him to, yes.
Washington has been plagued with injuries for the past two weeks as both Kuznetsov and forward T.J. Oshie went down with concussions in the same game on Nov. 14. Oshie has yet to skate, and Reirden has said he won’t have much of an update on Oshie until he takes the ice. Oshie had nine goals with five assists in 18 games before getting hurt, and with this being his fifth reported concussion, there’s concern he could be out longer-term.
“That’s always the concern with any of those type of injuries,” Reirden said. “I’m hoping that’s not the case. . . . It’s good to see him around here and I know he’s excited to get back out there when he gets a chance.”
At the time Kuznetsov got hurt, he was the team’s leading scorer with six goals and 15 assists through 18 games, and his return will especially help the power play with all six of his goals coming on the man-advantage. Washington has impressively won six games without both him and Oshie. In line rushes on Thursday, Kuznetsov skated between wingers Jakub Vrana and Brett Connolly, indicating the top line of center Nicklas Backstrom, right wing Tom Wilson and Ovechkin will stay intact when he returns to the lineup.
“Trying to find what works best for everybody,” Reirden said. “It makes a tough team to match up against and check as well. It’s a good problem to have. Whether Nick is in that spot or Kuznetsov’s in that spot or we’ve seen [Lars] Eller slide into that spot, we’ve been able to have some success and it’s a difficult matchup. Sometimes certain opponents cause you to think differently and we’ll see how he is tomorrow, whether he is ready to play tomorrow night.” TV: Radio: