Evgeny Kuznetsov Yevgeny Yevgenyevich Kuznetsov ( Russian : Евгений Евгеньевич Кузнецов ; born May 19 , 1992 ) is a Russian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . He previously played for Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League ( KHL ) . He has represented Russia in junior and senior level competitions on numerous occasions , winning gold medals at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships , as well as at the 2012 IIHF World Championship and 2014 IIHF World Championship . Playing career . Professional . Kuznetsov made his professional debut in the 2009 – 10 season with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL . That season , he played 35 games , totaling eight points . After his performance for Traktor , he was ranked as the third - best European skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft , where he was eventually selected in the first round , 26th overall , by the Washington Capitals . In the 2011 - 12 season , Kuznetsov was selected to the KHL All - Star Game . During the season , he also won the Continental Cup and bronze medals with his team . It was reported that during the 2013 - 14 season , Kuznetsov earned $ 3 . 8 million to play for Traktor . On March 8 , 2014 , Kuznetsov signed an entry - level contract with the Washington Capitals . On March 25 , he scored his first career NHL goal , which happened to be a short - handed goal , against the Los Angeles Kings with under a minute left to tie the game ; the Capitals , however , eventually lost 5 – 4 in the shootout . On April 23 , 2015 , Kuznetsov scored the first and second Stanley Cup playoff goals of his career against the New York Islanders . In the same game , he also had an assist in an eventual 5 – 1 Washington win . On April 27 , 2015 , he scored the game - winning goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarter - finals against the Islanders in the same series , advancing the Capitals to a Conference Semi - finals match - up against the 2014 - 15 Presidents Trophy - winning New York Rangers . During the 2015 - 16 season , Kuznetsov set a career high in points with 77 and was named to his first All - Star Game as a replacement for Capitals teammate Alexander Ovechkin , who pulled out due to a lower - body injury . International play . Kuznetsov played for Team Russia at the 2010 World Junior Championships held in Saskatchewan , Canada . He was selected as the player of the game for Russia after the preliminary round game against Austria . Kuznetsov again represented Russia in the 2011 World Junior Championships in Buffalo , New York . He was the only 18 - year - old on the Russian team ; every other player was 19 . He finished second in the tournament in scoring , with four goals and seven assists in seven games . He also had three assists in the gold medal game , in which Russia overcame a 3 – 0 deficit in the third period against Canada to win 5 – 3 . Kuznetsov was named by the tournament coaches as one of the three best players on his team , and was named to the tournament all - star team by the media . He was also named the best player in the match against Norway , in which he recorded one goal and one assist . He finished tied for second in the tournament in scoring , alongside teammate Vladimir Tarasenko , with four goals and seven assists . Kuznetsov then served as team captain for Russia at the 2012 World Junior Championships , the third year in a row he participated in the tournament . On December 29 , 2011 , in a game against Latvia , Kuznetsov recorded three goals and six assists for nine points in an emphatic 14 – 0 win for Russia . This set a record for most points by a Russian player at the World Juniors , as well as the second - highest total in a game in the history of the tournament , one point behind Peter Forsberg of Sweden , who set the record in 1993 .