Players

Evgeny Kuznetsov: The Epitome of Effort

Kuznetsov (Caps Outsider)

While Caps fans were on the edge of their seats in Game 1 waiting for one of Evgeny Kuznetsov‘s shots on goal to get through Flyers’ goaltender Steve Mason, it never happened.  Kuznetsov had 7 exciting shots on goal, giving new meaning the old saying “close, but no cigar.”  He had almost twice as many shots on goal than anyone else on the team.  Justin Williams and John Carlson each had 4 shots and Alexander Ovechkin had 3 shots.

The song remained the same for the hard working center in Saturday’s 4-1 win against the Flyers in Game 2. Kuznetsov  had 4 shots on goal, but fans know that it’s only a matter of time before he lights the lamp.

Kuznetsov played in all 82 regular season games.  The 23-year-old Russian led the team in points with 77, 20 goals and 57 assists.  He is the seventh player in franchise history to register at least 20 goals and 57 assists in a season.  He averaged 2.35 shots on goal per game, which makes his awesome effort with 7 shots during playoff Game 1 even more thrilling.

Coach Barry Trotz addressed the issue of shots on goal after the game, “There’s only one stat that really matters and that’s the one they put on the scoreboard.”

So keep shooting, Kuzy!  Remember the words of the great Wayne Gretzky, “You always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Let’s Go Caps!

Barbara Banks

Barbara Ann Banks is a freelance writer out of Rockville, MD.

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