Three points of Svechnikov, goals and assists of Kucherov and Malkin, Vasilevsky's record: how the Russians became the stars of the day in the NHL

Duel Kucherova and Malkin

One of the central matches of the next NHL gaming day was held at the Amalie Arena, where Tampa Bay hosted Pittsburgh. The meeting ended with the fifth consecutive victory of the current holder of the Presidential Cup and was remembered for the bright game of Russian legionnaires. In the compositions of both teams, a total of four domestic athletes took to the ice, each of whom was noted for productive actions.

Despite the fact that the main duel was Nikita Kucherov and Evgeni Malkin, another Russian was the first to distinguish himself. This season, Mikhail Sergachev shows off-season mature hockey and is fighting for the title of best domestic defender in the NHL. In the confrontation with Pittsburgh, he scored the eighth goal in the championship, which allowed him to overtake Ivan Provorov in the number of points. At the moment, the Lightning defense player has 27 points.

After that, Kucherov and Malkin took the first roles. In his 500th game in the National Hockey League, Nikita helped Tampa Bay double the lead by acting as an assistant. The top scorer of last season launched a lightning counterattack, which brought to the end Braden Point and Stephen Stamkos.

Malkin answered this more than with dignity, helping twice to reduce the backlog. First, he responded to the lumbago Patrick Hernquist and scored his 17th goal, and then found the transfer of John Marino. Thanks to this, Eugene got 56 points, which allowed him to break out to 16th place in the scorers rating.

Nevertheless, the last word remained with Kucherov. 33 seconds before the final siren, he received a pass from the blue line and “shot” the empty “Penguins” gates. It is noteworthy that one of the assistants was goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevsky. Forward Florida team scored 65 (25 + 40) points and caught up with Washington defender John Carlson, who is located on the tenth line of the ranking table. Edmonton striker Leon Dreisatl leads with 83 (29 + 54) points.

As for Vasilevsky, he was marked by a pass and 29 salvages, which allowed him to become the first star of the match. With him at the gate “Lightning” did not concede in regular time already in 17 games in a row, which became the club’s new record. Until now, the achievement belonged to his compatriot Nikolai Khabibulin. In the 2002/2003 season, Tampa Bay held 16 meetings without losing in regular time - it won 12 victories and suffered four defeats in overtime.

The success of Svechnikov

The Arizona duel with Carolina turned out to be even more effective. For two teams scored eight goals, five of which scored guests. And this despite the fact that the wards of Rod Brindamor were inferior with a score of 0: 2, but managed to turn the course of the meeting. Moreover, the Russian Andrei Svechnikov took a direct part in three scoring.

It was the domestic forward who began the Hurricanes comeback and became the author of his first goal. At the 26th minute, Svechnikov was quickest on the dime and left Antti Raantu out of work. And after less than six minutes, he took a double and pulled his team forward, and he acted in a similar manner. In the end, the striker demonstrated that he is able to play on partners, acting as an assistant in the episode with the goal of Sebastian Aho.

These successes allowed Svechnikov not only to become the first star of the match, but also to reach 28th place in the scorers race. The assets of the young Russian became 50 (22 + 28) points, which allowed him to bypass a whole group of players, including William Nyulander, Point and Aho. It is worth noting that Andrew has already surpassed his own achievement of the last season. Then he chalked up 37 (20 + 17) points.

Anniversary puck Nichushkina and transfer Kovalchuk

Forward “Colorado” Valery Nichushkin continues to delight his personal fans. After the end of the goalless series of 91 matches, he began to hit the opponent’s goal in almost every third meeting. However, this week he made an exception to the rule, distinguishing himself in two games in a row.

Two days ago, Buffalo suffered, and this time it was the turn of the Ottawa. One of the worst league teams was unable to cope with the attacking power of Colorado and lost with a score of 1: 4. It is all the more remarkable that the beginning of the rout was laid by Nichushkin. Together with Andre Burakovsky, they demonstrated excellent forekking in the enemy area, after which Valery dealt with Markus Hogberg in a full-time duel.

Nichushkin scored the tenth goal of the season and until the end he may well establish his best score for goals in the NHL. At the moment, his debut year in the league was the most successful, when he scored 14 accurate throws.

Unlike the Colorado striker, his compatriot Maxim Letunov is still taking his first steps in the National Hockey League. The 23-year-old striker spent the second match for San Jose, but managed to open an account with goals. The center forward took part in a sharp counterattack and became the author of the third goal against Edmonton. At this, the Russian striking achievements were completed, but his partners were able to get the upper hand - 6: 3.

Ilya Kovalchuk did not go without points for the effectiveness. The forward of "Montreal" contributed to the victory over Anaheim and helped Brendan Gallagher to excel. The Russian veteran great developed the attack and gave the transfer to a free partner, who could only deliver an accurate throw. The 17th issue of the Canadiens chalked up 11 (5 + 6) points in 14 meetings for the new team and continued to score whists before the start of the playoffs. Over the course of several weeks, rumors have been circulating in the NHL about its possible exchange into a team challenger for the Stanley Cup.