Capitals star Evgeny Kuznetsov may or may not play in Game 3 against Vegas

Capitals center Evgeny Kuzentsov will be a “game-time decision” for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday in Washington, his coach said Friday morning.

Barry Trotz told reporters that the 26-year-old Russian star hadn’t yet been medically cleared to play. He left Wednesday’s Game 2 late in the first period after grabbing his arm following a hard hit from Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb:

He skated to the locker room gingerly and didn’t reemerge. The Capitals have so far used typical NHL injury parlance to describe the issue: an “upper-body injury.”

Kuznetsov is critical to the Capitals. He leads these playoffs with 25 points. His 83 points in the regular season were second on the team only to Alex Ovechkin’s 87. The two of them have formed a dynamic first line alongside right winger Tom Wilson, who has a problem with dirty hits but is otherwise an effective player. Kuznetsov makes the line work, creating a link between Wilson’s physical forechecking and Ovechkin’s sublime finishing.

When Kuznetsov isn’t on the ice, Ovechkin is a lot less effective at five-on-five. The Capitals tend to dominate possession when the two of them are on the ice together, which makes sense: They’re great! But when Kuznetsov isn’t around, Ovechkin has a harder time generating offense. For No. 8 to be at his personal best, No. 92 probably has to be OK.

When Kuznetsov left Game 2, third-line center Lars Eller elevated his game to make up for it. Eller’s had a fine playoff, and the Capitals don’t need Kuznetsov to win this series. But it’d help a whole lot if Washington’s young superstar were on the ice and effective.