Kuznetsov also scored in the victory.
The Washington Capitals saw former center Evgeny Kuznetsov put on a show Game 4 for the Carolina Hurricanes against the New York Rangers, and his night almost featured a Michigan.
Kuznetsov, who scored 1:51 minutes into regulation, took a big risk going for the highlight-reel move in a tie game midway through the third period, as he lifted the puck and spun around behind the net to attempt the play.
Adam Fox wasn’t having it, though, and knocked the puck off his stick.
Kuznetsov’s move may have not worked, but Carolina ultimately got the job done in regulation, as a power-play goal from Brady Skjei led to a 4-3 win to avoid a sweep.
It marked the Rangers’ first loss of the playoffs. New York had swept Kuznetsov’s ex-team in the first round.
Kuznetsov’s performance was big considering he had been a healthy scratch in Game 2, exactly six years to the day he scored the OT winner that sent D.C. to the Eastern Conference Final in 2018. Washington would win the Cup that season with Kuznetsov managing 32 points in that 24-game run.
In eight playoff games so far for the Hurricanes, Kuznetsov has three goals and two assists, along with a plus/minus rating of plus-1.