Kuznetsov is the Capitals’ leading scorer and he ranks fifth in the league in points with 54. His 39 assists are third in the league, and he’s also third in the NHL with a plus-24. Kuznetsov recently participated in his first all-star game, and he was named the “first star” of January by the league.

With Kuznetsov out of the game, Mike Richards centered the second line of wingers Justin Williams and Andre Burakovsky. Richards was questionable before the game because of a lower-body injury he suffered at Nashville on Tuesday, but he played 11 minutes and 3 seconds against the Wild. The Capitals also just got third-line center Marcus Johansson back from an upper-body injury this week.