Kucherov’s double, Sergachev’s 100th point and Provorov’s goal: the success of the Russians in the NHL overshadowed the injury to Kuznetsov and “-4” Ovechkin

Leadership qualities of Kucherov

The current holder of the Tampa Bay Presidential Cup has gained an excellent shape and is not going to slow down. Lightning players away got the better of Columbus, extending the winning streak to seven matches. The principle of the confrontation was added by the fact that last season the teams met among themselves in the first round of the playoffs. As a result, overtime was needed to find out the winner, and the main creator of the guests' success was Nikita Kucherov, who was noted for productive actions in the 11th game in a row.

The Russian opened an account in the third minute of the match. By this time, the teams managed to earn mutual deletion and played in incomplete compositions. Lightning were able to better use the free zones and broke into the enemy’s defense. Braden Point at a speed pulled the puck, and then made a transfer to Mikhail Sergachev. He performed the sketch, and Kucherov coolly put the club. It is worth noting that for the defender, this scoring score was 100th in the overseas career. He has 23 goals and 77 assists in 214 games.

In the second period, Danish Blue Jackets striker Oliver Björkstrand scored the 18th goal of the season and equalized. After that, goalkeepers entered the business, who until the end of normal time were no longer allowed to hit their goal. As a result, Elvis Merzlikin scored 28 saves, and Curtis Mackelinn - 31 salvations. At the same time, Kucherov had a great moment, but his throw in the style of Alexander Ovechkin was trapped.

The outcome of the meeting was decided in overtime, where the Tampa hockey players turned out to be more successful. Point, Hedman, and Kucherov left no chance for rivals, and the Russian again acted as the tip of the spear. Already at the 31st second of the extra time, the trio had a great combination, and Nikita had only to transfer the puck to an empty corner.

Kucherov chalked up the 27th goal of the season and reached 11th place in the list of snipers. He was ahead of his partner Stephen Stamkos, approaching Rangers striker Artemy Panarin and Winnipeg striker Kyle Connor. Both have 28 exact shots. As for the scorer race, Nikita has 69 (27 + 42) points and shares sixth place with Brad Marchand from Boston.

The goal “drought” of Ovechkin and Kuznetsov’s injury

Unlike its Eastern Conference rivals, Washington again stumbled. Todd Rirden’s wards lost to the Islanders at home. The duel turned out to be tense and productive (3: 5), but this time it was not among the authors of the goals of the Russians. Alexander Ovechkin does not score the second match in a row and has not yet been able to join the 700 club.

The leader of the Capitals had an extremely inexpressive match and was indirectly involved in each of the conceded goals. So, Ovechkin was on the ice when Anthony Bovillier made a double, and Devon Teyvs, Leo Komarov and Jordan Eberle - once hit the gates of Ilya Samsonov. As a result, the Russian goalkeeper spent 30 minutes 36 seconds on the ice, for which he reflected only 75% of the shots.

It is worth noting that despite the passivity in defense, in the attack Ovechkin was quite productive. It was he who waged an active fight on the dime when John Carlson forced to surrender Thomas Greiss in equal compositions, and also diverted attention to himself in the episode with a goal from TJ Osha in the majority. However, the Russian ended the meeting with a utility score of “-4,” which was a repetition of his worst result of the season. Until now, he only once performed as unsuccessfully - in a match with Carolina (4: 6).

In addition, a meeting with a team from New York was overshadowed by the injury of Yevgeny Kuznetsov. Forward “Capitals” came under power reception performed by Komarov and was forced to leave the site in the middle of the second period. According to Rirden, at the moment the severity of the damage is unknown.

The success of Provorov and the unsuccessful series of Bobrovsky

“Florida” suffered a fourth defeat in a row and complicated the task of reaching the NHL playoffs. This time, Sergey Bobrovsky and partners did not find weighty arguments against Philadelphia (1: 4), and the Russian goalkeeper was once again unable to leave his goal intact.

The defeat of the Panthers was laid by Ivan Provorov. At this point, the guests were in the lead thanks to the exact hit of Mackenzie Wigar, and the Russian regained the status quo. Defender “Flyers” received a pass at the border of the left circle of the face-off, shifted to the center and with a powerful wrist throw asked the goal net. For him, this goal was the tenth of the season, which allowed him to gain a foothold in the status of the best sniper among domestic defenders. His closest pursuer is Sergachev, whose asset is two less accurate throws. At the same time, the Lightning player is one point ahead of the compatriot in terms of points.

In the remaining time of the match, the hosts upset Bobrovsky twice more, and the last puck was in the net at the moment when the guests released the sixth field player onto the ice. The two-time winner of the Vezin Trophy made 30 saves, but still extended his unsuccessful series to 31 matches. The last time he had a chat out was November 2, when 22 saves were enough to defeat Detroit.