Larsen unstoppable; Koshechkin unbeatable. Top Ten Goals, Saves and Hits
Great goals, spectacular saves and the hardest hits, starring Philip Larsen, Vasily Koshechkin and Martins Karsums – the KHL is proud to bring you the best moments from the second week of the tenth Championship.
Top 10 Goals: Larsen, the Lone Ranger
Last week we noted the absence of the “Usual Suspects” from the scorers of the top ten goals of the week, and of course, it was only a matter of time before one of the League's superstars made his mark. We speak of the lightning strike from behind the net by SKA's Pavel Datsyuk, who reacted with such speed that Torpedo goalie Stanislav Galimov did not even notice the Magic Man's presence until the puck had hit the back of the net.
However, this was a week rich in great goals, and neither Datsyuk's masterpiece, nor Leschenko's confident strike, nor young Kaprizov's emphatic finish to Shumakov's pass, nor Darren Dietz's determined dash through the defense even made it into the top two. Our runner-up was a sublime solo effort from Riga forward Lucas Lessio, who glided down the flank, cut inside on the blue line, and completed an elegant slalom through the Ugra rearguard with an assured finish which even lifted Sandis Ozolins off the bench. The week 2 winner, from Salavat Yulaev's “Great Dane” Philip Larsen against HC Sochi, was another dashing solo skate and very similar to Lessio's effort, only better. Watch and judge for yourselves.
Top 10 Saves: Koshechkin, the rapid-reaction force
Something for everyone in this week's top ten: a Dominik Hasek-style “windmill” from Traktor's Vasily Demchenko; a sturdy block to thwart a one-on-one by Jokerit's Ryan Zapolski; a seemingly desperate yet successful dive from Salavat Yulaev's Ben Scrivens, and all this before we even reach the top two. In silver-medal place we chose Alexander Lazushin of Lada, who probably deserves a bravery award for the way he faced down and smothered a close-range strike in the match against Ak Bars, but our gold medal this week goes to Magnitogorsk netminder Vasily Koshechkin, who seemed to have grown eyes in the back of his head to produce this unbelievable reaction save with the tip of the stick to deny Traktor a simple tap into an (apparently) empty net.
Top 10 Hits: Karsums launches Lepisto
Salavat Yulaev's Denis Kulyash featured in last week's listings, and he returned to the Top Ten in week 2 with a crunching challenge on Kunlun Red Star danger man Matias Myttynen. Similarly, Dynamo Moscow forward Martins Karsums was among the Best Supporting Actors in last week's award ceremony, but this week he takes the Oscar for Best Hit. Possibly, Karsums wanted to help new Jokerit coach Jukka Jalonen perform a line change, so he forcefully deposited Helsinki D-man Sami Lepisto on the bench. Firm but fair, and the “Flying Finn” saw the funny side.
