Capitals’ Kuznetsov ‘Never Numbers Guy,’ But Is Google Sheets Enthusiast

Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov may not be too big of an analytics enthusiast, but he does enjoy a good spreadsheet.

On Wednesday, the 29-year-old reflected on the Capitals’ lack of scoring chances of late as the team goes through a tough stretch in January, while also sharing more on how he and the team break down those stats.

“I was never numbers guy, but they do Google Sheets in the locker room I do read,” Kuznetsov said with a smile.

Kuznetsov also shared more on his strategy and perspective on generating chances, revealing that he prefers quality over quantity.

“Well, my chances was always low,” Kuznetsov explained. “I always believe that I’d rather have two good chances than 10 bad chance, right?”

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Kuznetsov has been outstanding on his revenge tour for the Capitals this season, posting 13 goals and 41 points through 40 games. He also has points in seven of his last eight games.

The Russian is on pace for a career-high 84 points, which would also mark his first season with 80-plus points since Washington’s championship season in 2017-18.

“This year was a big opportunity and big challenge for me and you know we all play for each other it’s always easy to be successful individually when the team plays well,” Kuznetsov told WHN earlier this season. “I just want to enjoy the game, you know? We play a lot, we train a lot. You always on the ice, you always with the puck and if you enjoy what you do, it’s [not] hard to come back the next day.”

The Capitals are 3-5-2 over their last 10 games and are looking to generate more chances, while also sparking the power play, which is currently operating at 14.2 percent (third-lowest in the league).