Capitals Break Down Kuznetsov's Shootout Antics, Address Controversy Behind Moves

ARLINGTON -- To wrap up a practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, head coach Peter Laviolette split the Washington Capitals into two groups for a shootout competition. And to start things off, Evgeny Kuznetsov took center ice, and Charlie Lindgren knew what was coming.

The 30-year-old scooped up the puck and slowly crept up the ice, deking the entire time. As he stickhandled, he waited for something to open up and decided to shoot low right. But Lindgren was ready with a save, knowing what to expect after watching other netminders fall victim to Kuznetsov's antics time and time again.

"Oh man, it's hard because he's obviously got such good hands and he's coming down super slow, so he's just waiting for that little bit of opening," Lindgren said, adding, "I think as a goalie, it's almost just like a read when you think he's gonna shoot the puck... I love that he's on my team because it's fun to watch and tough to stop."

For Kuznetsov, the move, which consists of 20-plus dekes, is simple and doesn't require overthinking.

"Mind, game, right?" he laughed and then added another joke for good measure: "I don't count the dekes in my head."

Lindgren is one of the only netminders who has stopped Kuznetsov. After hitting posts over time, the Russian has perfected the move, which has put him on multiple highlight reels.

However, it has also stirred up debate, as some argue that his slow-motion approach is an unfair loophole that goes against the rule to maintain a forward motion.

Objectively speaking as a goalie, Lindgren doesn't see any controversy behind the move.

"I mean,  I remember Patrick Kane doing a similar move 15 years ago. There's the high-skill guys," Lindgren pointed out. "I think it's a legal play, as long as the puck's still going forward, they're playing by the law. That's totally fine."

T.J. Oshie, who rose to prominence in the hockey world thanks to his shootout heroics for Team USA in Sochi, agreed, adding that most teams know it's coming.

"They have the rules set in place. If you don't write the roles, I mean, there can't really be controversy for it. It's not like goalies haven't seen it," Oshie noted. "So if they don't adjust to it, then that's their own fault. Goalies pre-scout, teams pre-scout, we watch other guys' tendencies, they watch our shooters' tendencies. So you know, they've seen it, they know there's a chance that's coming."

At the end of the day, Kuznetsov has spent a lot of time honing his craft, and he and his teammates enjoy every second of it.

"It mean, it works," head coach Peter Laviolette laughed. "He knows what he’s doing. You have to have some confidence to go in that slow and pull that off. [It's] a really nice play, a really nice goal."