Top 3 key Capitals to watch against Kings

#2 Evgeny Kuznetsov

Evgeny Kuznetsov’s play has improved of late. He scored the Capitals’ lone goal on Monday night at the San Jose Sharks for his fourth goal of the season. Three of Kuznetsov’s four goals on the season have come on the road which makes sense considering he has said he prefers road games over home games.

Kuznetsov is ranked fourth among NHL forwards in ice time per game averaging 21:43 minutes of ice time. He’s also tied for third on Washington in goals and tied for fourth in points with nine.

Kuznetsov ranks seventh in Capitals franchise history in points with 560 in his career. He’s two assists shy of Mike Gartner (392 assists) for the fifth most assists in franchise history.

Since his rookie season in 2013-14, Kuznetsov ranks third on Washington in goals with 169, assists with 391, and points with 560. In addition, Kuznetsov’s 386 even strength points during that span rank second on the Caps behind Alex Ovechkin’s 487.

In 17 games against the Los Angeles Kings, Kuznetsov has recorded 15 points with six goals and nine assists. He’s certainly on his way to passing his point total from last season if he can keep it up and maintain a level of consistency. Caps need it.