17 Things: Kuznetsov Benched, Capitals Injury Updates & Scares, Ovechkin Back, Pacioretty's Progress, All-Star Picks, Teddy Bear Toss

WASHINGTON — A wild Sunday capped off quite the week for the Washington Capitals, as John Carlson's late-game heroics, a superb night for the fourth line and Max Pacioretty's first contribution to the scoresheet led to a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

What also stood out in that win, though, was the fact that Evgeny Kuznetsov watched a majority of it play out from the bench as he received a demotion with head coach Spencer Carbery moving Alex Ovechkin to play with the likes of Pacioretty and Dylan Strome, who scored his team-leading 15th goal in the win.

We discuss that and a lot more updates from the Capitals in this week's 17 Things. There are two bonus thoughts, but for the sake of things, let's keep the title at 17, yeah?

17 Things

1. Kuznetsov skated just 12:46 minutes, the lowest total of ice time he has received all season, with the exception of his healthy scratch just a month ago. The Russian had started the game on the top line with Ovechkin and Tom Wilson, but he was benched after lackluster backchecking and an overall poor on-ice sequence that led to Kevin Fiala making it 2-1 in the second. He did not play the remaining 6:58 of that second period, and in the third, he got just 2:43 more minutes of ice time.

2. Carbery didn't speak too much on it postgame, simply stating that he did not like the sequence that resulted in the goal for Fiala and, as a result, put Ovechkin with Pacioretty and Strome to try to spark something. It worked, and as the domino effect would have it, Kuznetsov took a seat.

3. There continue to be questions surrounding No. 92 and what's next for him as he continues to struggle. He's on pace for just 29 points this season, matching his career-low in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign while marking his worst total in a full NHL season. The trade value doesn't necessarily seem to be there right now, and recent reports indicate that the offseason is the best bet to move him with more cap flexibility and more teams looking to shake things up by then.

4. There's also the question of how he's feeling mentally. In his postgame comments Wednesday, where he had a goal and assist and even broke out in his famous "Birdman" celebration, Kuznetsov said that the Devils are a team that “it's still fun for them every day, probably practice and stuff like that." That's not meant to be ripped out of context, but Carbery did agree on Saturday that there is a "challenge" to getting Kuznetsov back to his consistent, elite form while making sure he rekindles that joy and love for the battle and compete of the game. Whether that's still there is an enigma.

5. Going back to a result of the Kuznetsov benching, though, the Ovechkin-Strome-Pacioretty combination was electric. In 7:19 minutes together at 5-on-5, the trio combined for six shots and a goal, with Pacioretty forcing the turnover that sent Strome and Ovechkin on a 2-on-0 break. Their expected goals-for percentage is 27.42, which isn't bad for a combination just getting started. I imagine it stays together, as Pacioretty continues to look better with each game.

6. Pacioretty and I caught up on Saturday. He said that he felt significantly better in his second game, and said that it's all just a matter of time. The one thing he hasn't lost amid this entire saga of re-tearing his Achilles: his lethal shot, which was on full display against the Carolina Hurricanes and even a couple of times against the Kings.

7. He was visibly emotional after getting his first point since coming back from nearly a year layoff, and that assist was also his first helper since the 2021-22 campaign. Pacioretty was moved as he held up his game puck, encouraging his teammates not to take anything for granted.

8. Pacioretty's stall-mate at Capital One Arena is All-Star selection Tom Wilson, who hurt his nose and was bloodied in Sunday's victory. He went in for a hit on Alex Laferriere and appeared to catch the butt-end of Laferriere's stick in the nose, leaving him covered in blood. He went to the room for a short amount of time but ultimately came back to finish the game and help the team secure two points.

9. Those two points moved the Capitals back into a tie for a Wild Card spot. It wasn't the prettiest win, but it was the kind of win that Washington had been looking for: a full team effort where the group came together to "find a way." It's not all doom and gloom in D.C. anymore, and hopefully, it's the kind of game the club can build on.

10. The biggest reason for Sunday's victory, though, was that fourth line. Beck Malenstyn continues to be a force to be reckoned with, and Nic Dowd and Nicolas Aube-Kubel both shined with multi-point nights. What works so well for that group? The answer was simple for Dowd: "speed." Over 26 games and 248:13 minutes combined together, they've scored 13 goals at 5-on-5 while only giving up four for an impressive goals-for percentage of 76.47. Even more impressive, 197 of their total face-offs have begun in the defensive zone, and only 8.37 percent of the draws start in the offensive zone. Talk about a line that can make things happen.

11. On to injury updates: the most concerning update is for T.J. Oshie, who returned home to Minnesota for treatment to address a lingering upper-body injury that has held him out since Dec. 16. It is unclear when he will be back with the group, but it is discouraging news considering he had been taking contact and back on the ice following the break.

12. Sonny Milano doesn't appear likely to make it back for "Chia Milano" night; he's been skating in a non-contact jersey these last couple of practices, but head coach Spencer Carbery indicated that he's not close. His status remains week-to-week, and he has not played since Dec. 9. He was spun around by Jacob Trouba in that game, which could be the cause of the injury, though it's unclear if that's the case.

13. On the bright side, Charlie Lindgren is making major progress and has taken part in the last two practices. He was not good enough to go on Sunday, but don't be surprised if he returns on Thursday.

14. The team also avoided another major injury scare on Sunday, as Alex Ovechkin played 17:29 minutes and extended his point streak to five games despite being a game-time decision. He had been hurting after colliding with Jordan Staal back on Friday, and he missed practice due to maintenance on Saturday. He was well enough to go, though, and appears to be fine and regaining his form, a great sign for D.C.

15. Another scare avoided: Martin Fehervary left the game against the Kings after taking a controversial hit from behind from Alex Laferriere and going hard into the boards late in the second period. He returned for the third period, though.

16. And, a third back on Saturday, as top prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko left the Hershey Bears' 5-3 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack late after being shaken up on a big hit. He was back in the mix and played on Sunday, though, in a historic game for the Bears.

17. What made it historic was the annual Teddy Bear Toss, which made highlight reels around the world as Capitals prospect Bogdan Trineyev scored the game-opening goal to ignite the toss. A record 74,599 bears were thrown on the ice, a new record in hockey. Always fun to see.

Bonus thoughts:

18. Going back to the team's All-Star selection of Wilson, the pick is more than just the stat line. Wilson is a leader through and through, and he has earned the "A" he wears on his chest and does all of the little things right, explaining his third nomination in three years.

That doesn't mean Dylan Strome or John Carlson or Anthony Mantha, who the team is encouraging fans to vote for, can't also attend. Ovechkin reportedly informed the team of his preference not to attend the festivities earlier in the season, as he wants to rest up for the second half of the season. And yes, he's earned that after 13 career nominations, attending last year and chasing down Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record.

19. A gear geek thought! Alex Ovechkin continues to experiment with new sticks, and per Monumental Sports Network's Tarik El-Bashir, he is no longer under contract with CCM. The Bauer Vapor Hyperlite has been his weapon of choice the last few games, but on Sunday, he had a very custom stick that was unmarked and had just his signature "8" logo on it, and some words on the side. Interesting stuff. I'll do more digging this week.