Spooner’s return to Avangard. Week 5 top imports
The Canadian forward returned to the Hawsk’ lineup and Avangard restarted winning games. DeAngelo keeps on impressing for SKA, while Klok gained pace for Neftekhimik. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.
Canada
F, Avangard, 3 G, 6 (1+5) points, -1
The Hawks had a rocky start of the season, and forward Ryan Spooner has come to rescue as he was signed to a new one-year deal in late September after several rumors linked him with different KHL clubs, including Avangard, for which he played last term. On Sept. 30 Spooner played his first game with the Hawks, netting the game-winner that finally got Avangard out of a long losing streak. Three days later, Spooner had two assists in the Hawks’ losing effort against Lokomotiv (3:5). On Saturday, Avangard returned to victory in a home game against Barys (4:0). The Ontario native posted a hat-trick of assists, the sixth time in his career. The two teams will meet again on Thursday, and Spooner will have a chance to increase his loot.
Czechia
D, Neftekhimik, 2 G, 3 (0+3) points, even
The Czech defenseman, in his third year in the league — all spent in Nizhnekamsk — finally started producing at his usual pace. He’s currently on a three-game scoring streak, with two of these games being held last week, both won by the Wolves. He started with an assist in Neftekhimik’s SO win over Lada, then he had a couple of helpers as the Wolves defeated Amur at home (4:1). The Ostrava native is yet to score his first goal this season, but at this pace, he has all the chance to finally get it soon. Moreover, Neftekhimik is currently on an encouraging fifth place in the Eastern Conference’s standings.
USA
D, SKA, 2 G, 2 (1+1) points, +2
After a striking debut, last week De Angelo had his first game without points when SKA defeated Dinamo Minsk in an away battle on Thursday (3:0). That night, De Angelo still logged more than twenty minutes and had two shots on goal, making his contribution in a coveted away win. Two days later, SKA faced Severstal for the second time this season. It was another high-scoring game, but this time, Severstal emerged as the winner (4:3). The American defenseman, who was only at his fourth game in the league, had a goal and an assist that night. First, he opened the score with less than one minute played in the game with a shot from the blue line, then he assisted Sergei Plotnikov’s late tally in the closing frame — it was too late for SKA to rally back with Severstal up by two. SKA is keeping on pushing for a successful season, and De Angelo may be a key part of it.
Slovakia
F, Spartak, 3 G, 3 (2+1) points, -3
It wasn’t the best week for Spartak, with two losses in three games, and the lone victory achieved against last-placed Barys. However, Ruzicka played on a good level last week. Despite starting with zero points in Spartak’s SO loss to Traktor (2:3), the Bratislava native posted his fourth goal of the season on Thursday, when the Red-and-Whites achieved a home victory over the Kazakh franchise (4:2). Two days later, on Saturday, Spartak lost again, this time to Metallurg, but the Slovak forward participated in both goals scored by his team, netting a tally and delivering an assist in more than nineteen minutes of ice time. Despite last week’s rough patch, Spartak is still the second seed in the Western Conference.
