The first of three Red-White scrimmages ended in a hard-fought 4-4 tie that was highlighted by two goals and a primary assist from Evgeny Kuznetsov, the Caps’ first round draft pick last month.
The scrimmage also featured a pair of goals from invitee Sean Wiles (Alaska-Anchorage), a fight between 6-8 defenseman Joe Finley and Anthony Pisano and a serious-looking knee injury to Hershey defenseman Zach Miskovic.
Miskovic will miss the remainder of camp, according to GM George McPhee, who didn’t say much more about the injury. Miskovic told me it’s “just a sprain” as he limped out wearing a brace.
“He should be okay,” McPhee said. “Hopefully it’s something that won’t require surgery.”
Miskovic was injured when he was hit by Finley near the side boards. Finley, skating for the Kuznetsov’s Red team, was immediately challenged by Pisano, a fighter who was born in Elkton, Md. The scrap featured a lot of grappling and Finley ending up on top.
“I didn’t mind one scrap,” McPhee said. “If you’re going to have confrontations, drop the sticks and get it over with. I didn’t want them to go again. It looked like they wanted to do it again. They were a little frisky today and wanted to blow off some steam. That’s fine.”
The big story, though, was Kuznetsov’s impressive debut. The 26th overall pick scored on a redirection and by finishing off a crossing pass and also set up Wiles’s first goal with a nifty play.