Washington: Capitals coach Barry Trotz said he still had no update on the status of Stanley Cup play-offs scoring leader Evegeny Kuznetsov, who sustained an apparent arm or hand injury during the first period of Washington’s 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

“Day to day,” Trotz said during a conference call held while lightning and thunderstorms in the DC area kept the team on their plane after it landed.

Trotz added that he couldn’t say whether Kuznetsov — who was injured on a hard but legal hip check by Brayden McNabb — would participate in the team’s practice. Coaches are normally reticent about releasing information about injuries, a policy that intensifies during the play-offs. Trotz, however, said defenceman Brooks Orpik was “fine” after absorbing a slash late in Wednesday’s game and requiring stitches after the victory that brought the Capitals even with the Golden Knights at one win each. Kuznetsov has 11 goals and 25 points in 21 games this spring.

Game 3 will be contested on Saturday at Capital One Arena, where the Capitals are 4-5 during the play-offs. Home-ice advantage hasn’t been as big a factor as it once was, and Trotz said it hasn’t been a big deal for his team.

“I think we got off to a little bit of a tough start just in our overall game, and I thought we fell down — you know, the first two games, we didn’t have any success,” he said, referring to losses in their first two games against Columbus in the first round. “No, we feel very comfortable at home. I think our game will translate at home. I think our fans will give us a really good boost. I know early in the playoffs we always feel a little pressure in the first round, I think probably all four years. Everybody does, I think. It’s a first step up from a regular season to the play-off intensity. So I think that’s the home-ice advantage goes away for a lot of teams.

“For us, we’re fine. I think it’s actually going to be a real good advantage for us. We can get some match-ups that we actually prefer, and we should be fine. We’re very comfortable with our record over the last four years at home, was one of the best in the National Hockey League. I think we’ll get right back to where we want it to be.”

— Los Angeles Times