Washington Capitals’ Evgeny Kuznetsov suspended one game for high-sticking

Evgeny Kuznetsov has been given a one-game suspension after high-sticking Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kyle Burroughs on Monday.

The incident occurred after Kuznetsov was knocked down following a scoring play. After getting up, he appeared to have intentionally swung his stick at Burroughs’ face and then cross-checked him while he was laying on the ice.

Kuznetsov will miss Washington’s contest against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday and is eligible to return on Saturday against Los Angeles.

Kuznetsov was fined $5,000 for high-sticking Florida’s Noel Acciari in a post-whistle scrum during Washington’s first-round playoff series against Florida last season. Monday’s incident happened late in the second period when Kuznetsov was taken down near the Canucks net. He then appeared to intentionally swing his stick towards Burroughs’ face and gave him an additional crosscheck while Burroughs was still on the ice.

Back in September of 2019, Kuznetsov was given a three-game ban for cocaine use while representing Russia at the World Championship earlier that year.

Kuznetsov has four assists in as many games with the Capitals last year. He’s fresh off of one of the best seasons of his career, a 78-point campaign, and was going to carry much of the team’s load this season with Nicklas Backstrom on the sidelines.

It’s a tough blow, but luckily for the Caps, it won’t be for long.