A helping hand in the hardest moment. First round’s top imports
Reid Boucher leads the league for Avangard, while Robin Press scores points in all games. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.
Sweden
D, Metallurg, 6 G, 7 (2+5) points, +6
Press was incredibly useful for Magnitka in the first-round contest against Amur, posting more than a point a game and leading the league with a plus-6 differential (tied with Spartak’s Michal Cajkovsky). In particular, Press scored points in all games against the Tigers, only once ending with a negative rating (in game four, when Amur ended with a 5:2 victory), with a crucial performance in game five, when he had two helpers, including for Roman Kantserov’s game-winner. For his efforts, Press was awarded the Best defenseman honors for the first round. The Swede’s skills will be key for the Andrei Razin’s men as Magnitka faces Spartak in the second round.
United States
F, Avangard, 5 G, 7 (7+0) points, even
Just as in the regular season, Boucher was instrumental for the Hawks, leading the league with seven tallies and scoring all three goals for Avangard in game three’s victory (3:1) in Togliatti. The American forward also netted the game-winner in game five, where he potted a double. Boucher is now at only four goals from Sergei Mozyakin’s 2016-2017 campaign – the Magnitka’s leader scored 55 goals back then. For his efforts, Boucher was awarded the Best forward honors for the Gagarin Cup playoffs’ first round. His goals will be much needed also in Avangard’s second-round battle against Lokomotiv.
Canada
F, Salavat Yulaev, 6 G, 9 (5+4) points, -2
Despite Salavat Yulaev’s loss, Leivo had a strong showing against Traktor, leading the league with nine points and forming a formidable trio with Ivan Drozdov and Alexander Chmelevski. The Canadian forward, in his first season in the league, posted points in all games, in particular contributing three points to Salavat Yulaev’s 4:1 win in game two, where he also potted the game-winner for the Ufa team. One of the last to surrender for Salavat Yulaev, Leivo gave his side a chance even in the losing games, and was overall one of the best players on the ice. However, he will now have to rest until the next season.
Slovakia
D, Spartak, 6 G, 3 (3+0) points, +6
Spartak’s towering defenseman was excellent for the Red-and-Whites, leading the league with three goals from the blue line and posting a top plus-6 differential, tied with Press. The Bratislava native scored in the last two games of the series against Severstal, in particular netting the OT, game-winner in game four. With the teams tied at four, Cajkovsky unleashed a powerful one-timer from the right circle following a smooth pass by Maxim Tsyplakov. As Spartak meets Metallurg in the Gagarin Cup playoff’s second round, his offensive skills and physical abilities will be key for the Red-and-Whites.
