Game Audit: Can/Rus WJC Final
Reply With Quote8 Valuiski - 14 Sobchenko - 10 Tarasenko
Tarasenko looks absolutely fantastic. He has plenty of skill and lots of speed. The one knock on him though is that he is obviously not used to the physical play of the Canadians. He'll need to get better at keeping his head up as he makes the transition, but overall he's awesome. Sobchenko wasn't someone to watch every shift, but he had a great shorthanded breakaway in the 2nd that opened my eyes to him. It took me a while to figure out who the third forward was on this line. That's mostly because Valuiski didn't stand out and many times he had to cover the point because Orlov kept rushing up the play. It must be tough being the third member of a line and getting boxed out of the offense by an aggressive defenseman who has no interest in actually playing defense...this is how Valuiski's game went.
Valuiski and Sobchenko were each pointless with Valuiski picking up the -1 while Sobchenko stayed even. Tarasenko had 1g and 1a and was a +2.
13 Kitsyn - 25 Kuznetzov - 21 Kalinin
The KKK line...Kuznetzov showedTONS of skill. He was very quick and was exciting to watch. Although he was a 2nd line center, I would say he was Russia's best player. I'm surprised that Kuznetzov and Tarasenko didn't skate on the same line because the skill there would be flat out amazing. They finally skated together in the third and scored the tying goal. If I had to pick only one Russian player who I thought will make the NHL, it would be Kuznetzov. Kitsyn also had a strong game. He isn't nearly as talented as Semin, but he reminds me a lot of him the way he skates and handles the puck. Kitsyn benefitted off a Kuzentzov rush in the 3rd and made it a one goal game, 11 seconds after Panarin's goal. Kalinin had speed and hands, but he's clearly the third most talented forward on this line. He's just not on the same level as the other two K's.
Kitsyn had 1 goal, Kalinin had 1 assist, and Kuzentzov had an impressive 3 assists. Kalinin was +1, Kitsyn +2, and Kuzentzov +3.
27 Panarin - 28 Golubev - 18 Bocharov
Panarin scored the 1st and the 4th goals for Russia, both of which were huge. That being said, if he were to make it to the NHL, I would never own him on my fantasy roster ever. Panarin is the stereotypical Russian hockey player who will frustrate you beyond belief. I thought he looked transparent in the first, then in the 2nd he got a chance in front on Russia's 1st PP and he dove trying to get a 5 on 3. As the game progressed he put more effort forward, but this guy picks and chooses when he puts forth his best effort and that pisses me off more than anything. Golubev and Bocharov both showed flashes of brilliance but couldn't put together a strong 60 minutes. It is quite possible that the reason for that was Panarin's fluctuating effort, but I honestly don't know. This is the first time I'm watching any of these three play.
Panarin had 2g and was +1, Golubev had 2 assists and was +2, and Bocharov was pointless and -1.
7 Burdasov - 15 Voronin - 17 Dvurechenski
Burdasov had a couple decent shifts, but this line was flat out no match for any of the Canadian lines. Voronin took a high sticking penalty in the 2nd while trying desperately to steal the puck from Ellis. None of the players stood out over the long haul of the game, but Dvurechenski found himself on a breakaway with less than 90 seconds left in the game and he found the back of the net. This absolutely shocked me and I think Visentin should have stopped it.
All three of these players should have been pointless, but Dvurechenski found himself with a late goal on a breakaway. He was +1 because of it while Voronin was even and Burdasov was -1.
12 Urychev - 9 Orlov
Urychev and Orlov were an interesting tandem. Orlov is flat out amazing. He is quick and shifty and looks much more like a forward than a defenseman. He wears #9 too which seemed like a forward's number. The one knock I have on him is that he looked a little too much like a forward...I have a hunch that he is a forward turned defenseman who doesn't fully understand his defensive responsibilities yet. Urychev was alright, but not nearly as good as Orlov. Since Russia dressed 8 D, this tandem was pure offense, while the bottom tandem was pretty close to pure defense.
Urychev went pointless and -1 while Orlov was pointless and +1.
3 Pivtsakin - 6 Berdyukov
Both of these two had a decent game. Again, nothing to stand out, but no major turnovers that caught my eye.
Both players were pointless and +2.
23 Ignatovich - 2 Zaytsev
Zaytsev was one of the Russian defenders who showed a ton of confidence and was not afraid to make the right play. He found himself really playing a strong game and even threw the body around too. Orlov looked the best to me and then Zaytsev, though Zaytsev looked more like a strong offensive defenseman while Orlov looked a forward who was thrown on D and might make bad defensive mistakes eventually. Ignatovich was a guy who had a very quiet game. I guess that means he played a good defensive game.
Ignatovich was pointless and -1 while Zaytsev was pointless and even.
26 Sergeyev - 5 Berezin
I thought Sergeyev was awful and just a plug, but to my surprise, he was one of the first 5 Russians on the power play. Nothing really worked out for him, so I still don't understand why they didn't put Zaytsev on here. I didn't hear Berezin's name too much and this is the line that I thought was pure defense, though the Russian coach must have thought Sergeyev was offensively capable.
Sergeyev went pointless and +2 while Berezin actually had an assist (a 2nd assist) and went +1.
Shikin
Shikin had a rough game, though I'm not convinced it was all his fault. The Russians as a team had a hard time matching Canada's intensity in the beginning and Shikin didn’t help much. He was eventually yanked with Russia down 3-0.
Bobkov
When Bobkov came in, he was calm and quick. He made great saves and the Russian team responded very well. They settled down and played their game and eventually scored 5 straight. Bobkov looked great out there and the Ducks should be pretty excited about their prospect.
