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Avangard, Boucher start delivering. Last week’s top imports
The Hawks took off thanks to Boucher’s production, Sulak impresses in Vladivostok, and Claesson opens his goal-scoring account in the league. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.
Czechia
D, Admiral, 2 G, 3 (2+1) points, +1
The Czech defenseman was good last year already for the Sailors, but this time around is performing as one of the league’s top d-men – he’s produced more than a point per game for Vladivostok and he has been a huge part in Admiral’s strong 2022-2023 start. In the third regular-season week, the Sailors faced Salavat Yulaev twice, winning both encounters. First, they had a shutout victory, with Sulak assisting on Alexander Gorshkov’s game-winner and then scoring a highlight-reel goal himself minutes later. Then, in the next game, he tied things up with Salavat Yulaev being up by one with an early goal – once again with an assist by Gorshkov. Sulak’s tally once again helped Admiral achieving a victory – if the Sailors want to reach the playoffs, Sulak simply must go on like this. For his efforts, the Czech was awarded best defenseman honors last week.
Canada
G, Metallurg, 2 G, 2 W, 1 SO, 96.97, 1.00 GAA
Metallurg also had a great start of the season, with Pasquale in fantastic shape since the beginning. Last week, he had two striking performances when Metallurg traveled to the Far East to face Amur twice. He first had a season-high 36 saves when he shut out the Tigers on Thursday – including an outstanding save on an open-net chance for Belarus Evgeny Oksentyuk which is a strong candidate for the save of the year. On Saturday, the two teams collided again. This time, Pasquale didn’t record a shutout, but he stopped 28 shots of 30 helping Magnitka coming out of Khabarovsk with two straight wins. The veteran goalie is having yet another strong season in the KHL, and Metallurg is one of the league’s hottest teams.
Germany/Canada
F, Avtomobilist, 3 G, 8 (3+5) points, +2
Macek was already featured last week in this column, yet he had another impressive week last time around – he’s currently leading the league with 14 (6+8) points. And eight of these points came from last week’s games. After a quiet, one-point performance in Avto’s win over Spartak on Wednesday, Macek’s production skyrocketed with three points in Friday’s victory over Sibir and another 4 (2+2) against Neftekhimik on Sunday (4:3). The Yekaterinburg franchise is currently one of the top teams in the league, and Macek is a huge part of this success.
Sweden
D, CSKA, 2 G, 3 (1+2), +1
The Swedish defenseman is known first and foremost for his reliable defensive play – but last week, he unleashed exciting offensive skills when he scored three points for CSKA. On Wednesday, the blueliner helped the Gagarin Cup reigning champions defeating Vityaz with a 4:2 score when he assisted Sergei Plotnikov on the third period. Then, he opened his goal-scoring account in the KHL in the next game in CSKA’s victory over HC Sochi, when he defeated Maxim Tretyak after a nice pause in the left circle. Claesson is starting feeling at home within the Red-and-Blues lineup, and he’s a precious addition for Sergei Fedorov’s lineup.
United States
F, Avangard, 3 G, 3 (2+1) points, even
Last week, Avangard finally got its first win of the season, and Boucher was one of the best players on the ice when he scored two points for the Hawks – including netting the game-winner – on a 5:2 away win over Barys. That night, the forward added a helper in Alexei Bereglazov’s second tally of the season. Boucher also scored a goal in Avangard’s 2:1 OT defeat in Novosibirsk on Tuesday. Avangard is keeping on improving after a tough start, and Boucher will be a significant player as the Hawks try to climb up the rankings.
