The 31-year-old hadn't been scratched since 2021, when he sat out due to disciplinary reasons.

After being benched in Vegas Saturday, Evgeny Kuznetsov again finds himself in a tough spot and will be a healthy scratch against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday.

Head coach Spencer Carbery confirmed that Kuznetsov will be the odd man out and called it a "mental reset," per The Washington Post's Bailey Johnson.

Kuznetsov took part in the team's optional skate at Mullett Arena. The decision comes after a disappointing performance in a 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights, where he took an unnecessary roughing penalty at a pivotal moment and failed to generate chemistry or offense.

Carbery gave Kuznetsov only two more shifts after his penalty, and he sat out for the final 5:54 minutes of regulation, including when his team had an extra attacker. He ended up logging a season-low 15:20 minutes against the Golden Knights.

Carbery had also expressed his displeasure with Kuznetsov's top line with Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson before Saturday's game, saying the trio hadn't "fared well analytically for us at all."

This season has also ben inconsistent for the 31-year-old. Through 19 games so far, Kuznetsov has just nine points, including one in his last six games. He leads all Capitals forwards in ice time per game (21 minutes) and is among the NHL leaders among forwards in that department.

Dylan Strome was Ovechkin and Wilson's center on Saturday, though Carbery shook up the lines and moved Connor McMichael to that spot late in the game with the offense failing to click. It's unclear if those lines will stick, though.

The last time he was a healthy scratch was on May 3, 2021, when head coach Peter Laviolette sat him and Ilya Samsonov for "disciplinary reasons." Before that, his last healthy scratch was in his rookie season under head coach Barry Trotz.

With Kuznetsov out, Hendrix Lapierre will return to center, with Matthew Phillips also getting to draw back into the mix.

Puck drop is at 9 p.m. ET at Mullett Arena. It is the final stop on a five-game road swing out west.