Hat-tricks and fightbacks
It’s been a good week for scoring feats. A red-hot import set a KHL record for hat-tricks in a regular season, another treble snapped a long losing streak and two teams reached milestones after fighting back to win games.
Leivo hits hat-trick record
Josh Leivo just keeps on scoring. Last week he potted his fourth hat-trick in 26 days and, in the process, became the first man to hit four trebles in one regular season. Vladimir Tarasov had 4x3 in the 2011/2012 season, but one of them came in the playoffs. With his recent surge, it’s no surprise that Leivo is riding high at the head of the KHL scoring race. The 31-year-old leads the way with 59 (38+21) points, 11 clear of Trevor Murphy and Maxim Shabanov. His current hot streak totals five games, with 12 (10+2) points in that run.
Meanwhile, it’s not just Leivo who likes his goals in threes. Team-mate Sheldon Rempal also potted a hat-trick last week in an 8-1 win over Sochi.
Dynamo comeback secures milestone for Kudashov
Alexei Kudashov claimed his 350th win as a head coach in the KHL. But the way his Dynamo Moscow team did it, recovering from 0-3 to win at SKA, was even more impressive. The victory marks the fourth time that one of Kudashov’s teams has retrieved a three-goal deficit to win. That puts him level with David Nemirovsky, while Zinetula Bilyaletdinov and Oleg Znarok lead the way with seven comeback wins apiece.
Severstal leads the way for fightbacks
Dynamo isn’t the only team that loves a comeback this season. Severstal was down 0-2 and 1-3 against Sochi on Sunday but recovered to win in a shoot-out. David Dumbadze scored twice late in the third period to save the game and set the Lynx on the way to a sixth victory after falling two behind in a game. That’s a league leader this season, with four more teams on five fightback triumphs. Severstal’s win also takes it up to second in the Western Conference, putting the team on track for a best-ever regular season in Cherepovets.
Boucher makes an impact at Avangard
While Kudashov is one of the most experienced coaches in the league, Guy Boucher is at the start of his career with Avangard. But the veteran Canadian has already made an impact, guiding the Hawks to their best form of the season to date. Defenseman Semyon Chistyakov told KHL.ru more about how the new man brought a second pre-season to the club in December, including two sessions a day during the international break. “You could say we all started from zero, kicking off with the training process and finishing up in the games,” he said. “Of course it was hard at first, but then we got used to it and now we’re really happy with how we’re playing.”
Roy overtakes Jerabek
Vityaz defenseman Jeremy Roy is the most productive blue liner in his club’s KHL history. His assist in last Monday’s game at Traktor moved him to 82 (13+69) points for the club since his arrival in 2022. That put him one ahead of Czech defenseman Jakub Jerabek, who played for Vityaz in 2016/2017 and again from 2019 to 2021. Roy is currently on 83 points from 181 games.
Barys snaps skid, Zhafyarov scores at last
After 12 defeats in a row, Barys finally tasted victory on Sunday. A hat-trick from Nikita Setdikov earned a 4-3 overtime verdict against Sibir. Ironically, Setdikov established himself as a KHL player after joining the Novosibirsk club, having previously found himself on the fringes at Salavat Yulaev and Avtomobilist. Earlier in the week, another unwelcome sequence came to an end when Damir Zhafyarov scored on Admiral. That was his first goal in 11 months and his first for Barys. Previously he found the net on Feb. 22, 2024 while playing for Avangard.
Sunday’s play also brought an end to Neftekhimik’s six-game losing streak. A 4-2 win at home to Lada lifted the Wolves to ninth place in the Eastern Conference, albeit seven points adrift of Sibir.
All-Star jerseys
The week began with another update ahead of next month’s Fonbet All-Star Game in Novosibirsk. The four game jerseys for the four divisions were unveiled, with the designs linked by a ‘Frost and Sun’ motif inspired by Pushkin’s poetry and the Siberian winter. Team Bobrov will play in dark blue, Team Tarasov in white, Team Kharlamov in black and Team Chernyshev in sky blue.
