Leivo breaks records, Press returns in top form. Week 28 top imports
Leivo is a new record man in the league, while defensemen made a statement in both Eastern and Western Conference. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.
Canada
F, Salavat Yulaev, 3 G, 6 (4+2) points, +3
The Canadian forward had another strong week for the Ufa team, but more than everything, he set a new record with 49 goals in this year’s regular season, surpassing Sergei Mozyakin’s record set back in the 2016-2017 campaign. The record-breaking tally came in the 51st minute of Sunday’s game against Barys, marking Salavat Yulaev’s third goal in a 4:1 win over the Kazakhs. Moreover, Leivo scored goals in each game last week, with tallies in Yekaterinbug and Novosibirsk (where he also scored the game-winner). Leivo was awarded Forward of the week and the month honors and will play a key role in Salavat Yulaev’s postseason efforts that will start on Thursday against Sibir.
Sweden
D, Metallurg, 3 G, 4 (2+2) points, +4
Metallurg’s top defenseman Robin Press had a very strong finish of the season and will now enter the postseason on a five-game scoring streak. The Magnitogorsk blueliner scored goals in two consecutive games, against Admiral (5:4 SO) and Avtomobilist (2:3), respectively, adding an assist in each of the games against the Motormen and Vityaz earlier in the week (3:2 SO). For his efforts, Press was awarded Defenseman of the month honors for March. His 200-foot game will be key for Metallurg in the elimination stage.
US
D, Dinamo Minsk, 3 G, 5 (1+4) points, +6
Another player with a strong entry in the elimination stage is Jordan Gross, The Minsk d-man was honored as the KHL’s Best Defenseman for the second time in his career. Over the past week, he accumulated 5 points (1 goal and 4 assists) in three games, concluding the week with a plus-6 rating. Additionally, Gross demonstrated his defensive prowess by blocking five shots and making two pass interceptions. In the last regular-season game, which the Bison won against HC Sochi 6:2, Gross scored his seventh goal of the season and added a pair of helpers. Looking ahead, Dinamo Minsk is set to face HC CSKA in the first round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs, with Gross expected to play a prominent role.
Czechia
D, Admiral, 3 G, 3 (1+2) points, -2
Despite a setback in the last game of the regular season, which the Sailors lost 2:7 in Nizhnekamsk, it was a good week for Sulak, who had three points in two other games, including a goal and an assist in Wednesday’s loss to Metallurg in extra time (4:5 SO). However, despite Sulak’s production, Admiral struggled in the regular season’s tail and is now on a four-game losing streak. It’ll be interesting to see whether they’ll be able to give a good challenge to conference-leading Traktor as the series kicks off on Thursday. Sulak’s presence will be key for Admiral.
