WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: Evgeny Kuznetsov #92 of the Washington Capitals is skates off of the ice after being injured against the New York Islanders during the second period at Capital One Arena on March 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The Washington Capitals got some good news about Evgeny Kuznetsov, as he’ll likely avoid missing substantial time

The Washington Capitals have won four straight games going into Sunday’s tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers. A huge reason for their recent success has been center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who has seven points in a recent three-game point streak.

However, the Capitals got some horrible news regarding him. On Friday night against the New York Islanders, defenseman Thomas Hickey slashed him. Kuznetsov then hit the boards hard and eventually went to the locker room cradling his arm. He left the game and did not return.

On Saturday, the Capitals announced Kuznetsov is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. This is a huge relief for the Caps. Kuznetsov has been outstanding for them this season, with 71 points in 71 games. He has already set a career-best with 21 goals while averaging a career-high 18:47 of ice time per game.

Without him, the Capitals will likely turn to Nicklas Backstrom to handle more minutes. He’s an extremely capable center who works very well with star forward Alex Ovechkin, who Kuznetsov has been playing with as of late.

Replacing him on the second line will most likely be Lars Eller, who has been the third-line center this season. It’s sad the Capitals have to break up their second line because it was just starting to come together. Backstrom, Andre Burakovsky and T.J. Oshie had been looking excellent over the past few games. They were finally starting to score and dominate on both ends of the ice.

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The Capitals are probably going to get Kuznetsov back for the postseason. Getting him back would give them a significant boost. If the Capitals are going to win the Stanley Cup this year, Kuznetsov’s going to have to play a huge role in it.