There are only two days left before the start of the World Youth Hockey Championship.
Usually by this time it is already known which team claims what and what is capable of.
Test matches always helped in this, and for the Russian national team and the Canadian players there was a separate Super Series that attracted the attention of fans.
This year, the pandemic prevented friendly matches, but an exception was made for Russia and Canada.
The two main contenders for the title have agreed to play at Rogers Place in Edmonton, which will host the New Year's World Championship alongside Red Deer.
Before the start of the match, both teams were surprised by the changes in their roster.
Sergey Zubov changed the striking link at the last moment - Marat Khusnutdinov returned from the left flank, replacing Fyodor Svechkov, and Semyon Demidov joined him.
The main star of the national team Matvey Michkov remained in the top three on the right.
It was unusual for Canadians to see Connor Bedard as the 13th forward - the same young nugget as Michkov.
From the beginning of the meeting, it was noticeable that functionally the Russian players were not yet at their peak, while the Canadians were already literally flying on the ice. They needed a reason to realize their advantage, and it was presented by Demidov. After its optional removal, the hosts had enough ice half a minute to open up the Russian defense. In equal compositions, the Maple Leaves continued to act with the same pressure, and after 50 seconds the score doubled - Yaroslav Askarov gave his opponents the opportunity to finish off the puck for the second time in a row.
The Canadians continued to push in their ruthless style. As soon as one admitted a loss in the center of the site, three rivals immediately ran into the Russian zone, and the goalkeeper again had only to capitulate. At the 17th minute, the puck had to be removed for the fourth time, and again after the removal. The defense of the Russian national team did not stand up to any criticism at that moment. At the same time, Zubov did not change Askarov and gave him the opportunity to further defend the gate.
After the disastrous first period, the situation began to improve. The Canadians no longer tried with all their might to move forward, but instead fell into a penalty trap. As soon as they were in the minority for the first time, after 26 seconds, Nikita Chibrikov, with Demidov's filing, took off the first puck. The owners of the ice did not enlighten, and they earned three more penalties, for a while they even remained three of them. This allowed the special brigade of the majority to organize another goal. This time Michkov fired an aiming shot from the right circle.
The Russian players gradually got the feeling that they could try to save the situation - there was still half an hour of play ahead, and the gap had already been reduced to two goals. But defensively, everything was still pretty bad. Mason McTavish, who opened the scoring in the match, found himself alone on the right flank, easily got close to Askarov and scored a double. Fortunately, the difference was quickly restored. Alexander Pashin threw from an acute angle two minutes before the break, when the Canadian goalkeeper Sebastian Kossa was not ready for this.
For the third period, Askarov was replaced by Yegor Guskov.
For almost ten minutes he managed to keep the goal dry, until Bedard appeared on the ice.
The 16-year-old striker was given a spot on the spot and almost buried the Russians' chances for a comeback.
During the remaining time, only Michkov managed to prove himself - 37 seconds before the end, he made a double and set the final score.
If such a match took place during the Super Series, usually held in November, then such an outcome would hardly be alarming.
In fact, the Russians lost only one period, and in the rest, they managed to compensate for the failures in defense with the smart play of Michkov and his teammates in the special brigade.
Defender Shakir Mukhamadullin admitted problems with the game in his zone, in particular, great hopes were pinned on him.
“The first period was ruined. Failed discipline, many unnecessary deletions. The Canadians played well in the majority, converted the chances. It was hard to recoup from 0: 4. The next two periods played well. In the second, we had the initiative. Let's draw conclusions, we will prepare for the tournament. The training camps went well, there were both load days and game trainings. In Canada, quarantine has passed, the first trainings were more intense in order to quickly get used to, acclimatize. There are covid measures everywhere, we are ready for this. There are no problems with that, ”the player told the Championship.
There is very little time left before the start of the World Cup, and it will be difficult for Zubov to reprogram the defenders.
However, the Russians will not meet with Canada before the playoffs, and it will be possible to establish interactions during the group stage, in which Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia and the United States will become rivals.