Metsola, Savchenko, Shumakov and Vorobei. Players of the Week
To mark the end of the eleventh week’s play of the tenth season of the Championship (due to the season break for the Eurotour we have included performances in matches played on the 6th and 7th of the month) the Kontinental Hockey League has named the best players of the week in four categories.
– Best goaltender was Juha Metsola (Amur). The 28-year-old Finn helped the Khabarovsk Men to claim three wins in three outings, recording one shutout, a save percentage of 97.8, and a goals against average of 0.67.
– Best defenseman was Roman Savchenko (Barys), who helped the Astana team claim four victories in four games, contributing 2 (1+1) points (including the game-winner against Jokerit), 5 blocks, and 3 hits. The 29-year-old D-man from Kazakhstan did not receive a single negative rating on his way to earning a +3 for the week;
– Best forward was Sergei Shumakov (CSKA), who played in three road games for the Army Men and celebrated victory in all three, thanks in no small part to his haul of 5 (4+1) points, which included a double in Khanty-Mansiysk and two game-winners (the victims were Ugra and Sibir). The 25-year-old Russian received no negative ratings and merited a +5 for the week;;
– Best rookie, for the second time this season, was 20-year-old Kunlun Red Star defenseman Pavel Vorobei, who was given three outings and ended the week with 2 (1+1) points, 8 shots at the target, no negative ratings, and an average of 10 minutes 19 seconds on the ice. His goal againstNeftekhimik sealed victory for the team from China.
