Ruzicka’s hat-trick and Sulak’s milestone. Week 7 Top Imports
Adam Ruzicka netted his first KHL hat-trick last week, and Libor Sulak reached 100 league points. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.
United States
F, Avangard, 2 G, 5 (3+2) points, +5
Boucher had a productive week for Avangard. On Monday, he played a key role in the Hawks’ 3:1 victory over Traktor, scoring two goals, including the game-winning goal at 48:47 and an insurance marker at 58:32. His offensive contributions in this game helped Avangard gaining two precious points in the Eastern Conference standings. Later in the week, on Thusday, Avangard faced a high-scoring battle against Spartak Moscow. Despite the 5:6 loss, Boucher managed to score again at 50:14, giving his team a chance for a late comeback. This goal marked his third in two games during this period, underlining his critical role in Avangard’s offensive strategies. The Hawks are currently still out of the playoff’s places — Boucher’s scoring will be key to returning in the top eight.
Slovakia
F, Spartak, 3 G, 5 (3+2) points, -3
Adam Ruzicka gave a solid performance for Spartak last week. He continued to be a reliable presence on the ice, contributing to his team’s offensive games and netting his first KHL hat-trick. After being held scoreless in the Red-and-Whites’ 0:5 loss to Dynamo Moscow, he helped the team to bounce back on Thursday, leading Spartak to a 6:5 win over Avangard – including netting the game-winner with six minutes to go. He also had an assist that night. On Oct. 19, Spartak had another high-scoring win, defeating Amur 5:4 in Khabarovsk. In the game, Ruzicka assisted Andrei Loktionov’s fourth marker of the season midway through the game. It was a positive week for Spartak who is firmly in the top four in the Western Conference. Ruzicka’s offensive production will be more and more needed as the postseason approaches.
Canada
G, Traktor, 3 G, 2 W, 94.62%, GAA 1.67
The Canadian netminder keeps on being a force for Traktor, adding another two wins last week, with one loss on Monday as he stopped 20 shots in a losing effort against Avangard (1:3). Two days later, Fucale had another strong performance with 33 saves out of 34 shots in Traktor’s home win against Ak Bars (3:1), then he had 35 stops on Friday with the Chelyabinsk side celebrating another win on home ice, this time against Salavat Yulaev. With Traktor topping the Eastern Conference’s standings, Fucale is primed for another long season, with plenty of saves and action.
Czechia
D, Admiral, 3 G, 1 (1+0) point, +2
The Sailors’ defenseman didn’t have the best week stats-wise, yet his lone point was an important one — on Saturday, in Admiral’s 5:3 home win against Lada, he netted the opening goal after just two minutes, a point that marked his 100th in the league. He took 222 games to reach that mark. Among all the Czech defensemen who played in the KHL, only the late Karel Rachunek needed fewer games. Sulak is already in sixth place for all-time scoring among Czech blueliners, with Jakub Nakladal slightly above him at 119 points.
