Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green missed opening night, still healing up from an upper-body injury. Green made his debut in Boston on Saturday and scored on a beautiful one-timer from the point.
The goal was made possible by Russian rookie Evgeny Kuznetsov, playing in Nicklas Backstrom’s spot on the second power play unit, who found Green with a perfect pass from across the ice.
Look at this.
Before the season started, head coach Barry Trotz had high hopes for Green this season.
“You are going to see a guy like Mike Green get back to some of the numbers that he had in the past,” Trotz said to The Washingtonian. With a goal in his first game, Trotz’s words seem prescient.
On top of that, Kuznetsov getting on the board is a big deal. Despite getting just 6:36 TOI on Thursday, Kuznetsov — the team’s fourth line center currently — is being used on the team’s second power play unit along with fellow rookie Andre Burakovsky. He needs all the confidence he can get.
