February’s finest: Yeryomenko, Belov, Regin and Lauta
To mark the end of the sixth month’s play of the eighth season of the Championship, The Kontinental Hockey League has named the best players of the month in four categories.
– Best goaltender was Alexander Yeryomenko (Dynamo Moscow), who enjoyed 8 outings in total and helped his team win 7 of them, finishing the month with 2 shutouts (both in the playoffs), a goals against average of 0.94 and a save percentage of 96.96. Yeryomenko’s shutout series continues, and currently stands at 156 minutes and 1 second;
– Best defenseman was Anton Belov (SKA), with 10 outings, 6 victories, 2 points (0+2), 18 blocks, 11 hits and 18 shots at goal. Belov did not receive a single minus on his way to earning a +4 for the month;
– Best forward was Peter Regin (Jokerit), with 8 points (5+3), including a brace at Riga and 6 points in powerplay, from 11 appearances. Regin also struck 35 shots and blocked 9 from the opposition – the highest February totals of any forward in the League.
– Best rookie was 20-year-old Avangard forward Artur Lauta, who played in 9 games, 5 of which were victories, scoring 3 goals and further testing the opposing goalies with 15 shots. Lauta averaged 8 minutes 50 seconds of ice time and earned a +2 for the month.
