Duszak’s change of scenery and Comtois’ excellence. Week 13 top imports
Comtois excels with Dynamo, while Duszak finds a new home with the Kunlun Red Star. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.
Canada
F, Dynamo Moscow, 3 G, 4 (1+3) points, +3
It has been a good week for Dynamo Moscow, with two wins in three games, only falling to CSKA on Thursday (0:1). When the Blue-and-Whites won, Comtois was among the starring players. First, the Quebecoise forward had an assist in Dynamo’s win over Lokomotiv on Tuesday (3:0). Then, on Sunday, Comtois had a great performance. In the White-and-Blues win over Kunlun Red Star (5:4 OT), the forward posted a goal and two assists, and also posted a plus-2 differential. Comtois is currently the third Dynamo Moscow’s forward for points, trailing only Nikita Gusev and Jordan Weil, and his offensive contributions and physical presence will be crucial for Alexei Kudashov’s squad as the regular season approaches its midway point.
USA
D, Kunlun RedStar, 2 G, 3 (0+3) points, even
The offensive blueliner has just changed uniform, swapping Severstal’s yellow-and-black for Kunlun Red Star’s colors. And he fit his new jersey just fine, getting three helpers in his first couple of matches for Kunlun Red Star. The Dragons lost both games, against Lada (1:2) and Dynamo Moscow (4:5 OT), respectively, but Duszak found his way to the scoresheet in both encounters. He first assisted Kunlun Red Star’s lone goal against Lada, netted by Ian MacCoshen, then he had a couple of helpers as Kunlun Red Star tied things up in the third period against Dynamo Moscow. With the Dragons still looking to recover from the coveted playoff places, Duszak’s offensive production on the blue line will be key for Kunlun Red Star, especially after the departure of Ryan Merkley to Avangard.
France
F, Avtomobilist, 2 G, 4 (1+3) points, +3
The 35-year-old veteran keeps on scoring points at a great pace for Avtomobilist, just as he always did throughout his KHL career. Last week, the Frenchman played two games for the Yekaterinburg team, with one win and one loss. In the Motormen’s win over Avangard on Thursday, Da Costa had one goal and one assist with a plus-1 differential as Avtomobilist celebrated a 4:2 win. Then, on Saturday, the French forward had another multi-point game as he distributed a couple of helpers in Avtomobilist’s losing effort against Traktor (3:5), reaching 24 assists for the season. Da Costa is currently one of the top scorers in the league, and his points will be critical for Avtomobilist in the reminder of the season.
Germany
F, Avtomobilist, 2 G, 3 (1+2) points, +3
Another Avtomobilist player in excellent shape is Brooks Macek. The Germany international had another strong week, often playing side-to-side with Da Costa, and compiling three points in two matches for the Motormen. Macek, who trails only the Frenchman in his team’s scoring list, had an assist as Avtomobilist defeated Avangard, then had one goal and one assist – with a plus-2 rating – in the Motormen’s defeat to Traktor. With the midway point approaching, offensive production from its top imports will be critical for Avtomobilist.
