Washington Capitals: Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov Bring their A-Game to Worlds

If you’ve seen a bird flying around Russia it’s probably
Evgeny Kuznetsov of the Washington Capitals. If you’ve seen a defenseman make great passes but has a number nine that looks like eight, there’s Dmitry Orlov.

Washington Capitals fans had been looking for the Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov they saw in their Stanley Cup run the previous year but didn’t get an encore performance.

Kuznetsov’s was noticeable from an offensive standpoint as he very easily could’ve won the Conn Smythe Trophy from leading the team with 32 points last spring  along with 20 assists including the goal that sent the Capitals to the third round.

This season, Kuznetsov got off to a torrid (in a good way) start with nine points in his first five games. Other than that he was relatively quiet including when the Capitals needed him the most, in the playoffs. Though he at least did score a goal in the Game 7 loss.

More from International Tournaments

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• Capitals: Connor McMichael wins gold for Team Canada in World Juniors
• Capitals: Prospect Connor McMichael scores first goal of World Juniors for Canada
• Washington Capitals: Three Players Win Bronze with Russia
• Washington Capitals: Five Players Go for the Gold

Orlov and Matt Niskanen were a shutdown pair last season but were noticeably quiet this season.

Shortly after the NHL season ended, Orlov and Kuznetsov joined Team Russia for the 2019 IIHF World Championship. In the final preliminary game before the tournament.

Russia opened their tournament play with a 5-2 win over Norway. In that game, Orlov recorded a secondary assist on the second goal of the game. After some puck protection, Orlov made a backhanded pass to Mikhail Grigorenko, who finished it with a pass in front of the net to Artyom Anisimov.

Russia’s second game occurred on Sunday which was a 5-0 shutout over Austria. Once again, Orlov and Kuznetsov made an impact. Both players teamed up to assist on Ilya Kovalchuk‘s goal that made it 5-0, 4:05 into the third period.

After Kuznetsov’s shot was blocked in front of the net, he followed the puck to the boards behind the net and quickly dished it to Orlov. Orlov’s shot in the slot was tipped in by Kovalchuk. It was Orlov’s second assist of the tournament and Kuznetsov’s first.

Russia also recorded a shutout on Sunday, this time 3-0 over the Czech Republic that pitted Orlov, Kuznetsov, and their teammate Alex Ovechkin against their fellow Capitals teammates in Jakub Vrana and Dmitrij Jaskin. All players had a quiet game but it’s always fun when you’re watching Capitals teammates go up against each other on the international stage.

Today you can catch Lars Eller and Denmark on the NHL Network at 10 a.m. eastern as Denmark takes on Great Britain. Russia continues tournament play Wednesday against Italy.