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.