Best Players of the 16th Week: Metsola, Barantsev, Zhafyarov, Chekhovich

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the Regular Season’s sixteenth week (including the Dec. 19 game) in four categories.

In the week spanned between the late 2020 and the early 2021, the League’s teams played a total of 23 games, with 495 players (33 goalies, 163 defensemen, and 299 forwards) taking part in the action.

— Best goalie was Juha Metsola (Salavat Yulaev), who won two games of two last week, including one shutout. Metsola faced 54 shots, or 27 per night, saving 96.30%, and posted a goals-against average of 0.98. Metsola has a shutout streak alive now at 84 minutes and 46 seconds.

— Best defenseman was Denis Barantsev (Lokomotiv), who scored 3 (0+3) points in three games last week, posting no negative ratings, ending the week being plus-3. He logged an average time on ice of 14 minutes and 50 seconds, recorded one hit, and blocked two shots.

— Best forward was Damir Zhafyarov (Torpedo), who won three games of three with his team last week. He scored 8 (2+6) points, getting on the scoresheet in all the last week’s games and reaching a career-high posting more than 37 points in a single regular season. Zhafyarov posted no negative ratings, ending the week being plus-4 and had seven shots on goal.

— Best rookie was forward Ivan Chekhovich (Torpedo), who won three games of three with his team last week, scoring 4 (2+2) points. Chekhovich got on the scoresheet in all the last week’s games, posting no negative ratings ending the week being plus-4. He also had 12 shots on goal and earned three powerplays for his team.