After a week-plus absence, Capitals second-line center Evgeny Kuznetsov will be back in the lineup Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. Kuznetsov skated fully during the Capitals’ morning skate.
Brendan Leipsic will be the healthy scratch, sitting out his first game of the season.
Also: It appears Kuznetsov (upper body) will return from a three-game absence, while it looks like Leipsic will be a healthy scratch.
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) February 20, 2020
“Just want to create a little bit more of a competitive lineup,” Capitals head coach Todd Reirden said of Leipsic’s scratch. “The fourth line has been pretty consistent all year but there’s been some ups and downs recently. We’re just looking for a different look. Someone can maybe create some more offensive from that spot. We’ll see if we can do that without losing the energy and momentum shifts that the fourth-line has been able to create for us.”
Kuznetsov suffered an upper-body injury, like his left shoulder, midway through the second period of the Capitals’ February 10 game against the New York Islanders. The Russian center was crunched by Leo Komarov into the boards by the Islanders bench. Kuzy left the ice in pain and immediately went down to the tunnel.
Over the last three games, Lars Eller has filled in for Kuznetsov on the second line while Travis Boyd centered the third.
Headline photo: Miranda Rosenfelt/RMNB
