Sikura’s streak and Renduic’s hat-trick. Week 13 top imports
Sikura helps Dynamo Moscow climb up to fourth place in the West, Rendulic nets his second career hat-trick, and Liska returns to the scoresheet. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.
Canada
F, Dynamo Moscow, 4 G, 7 (4+3) points, +4
In the most recent ten games of the current campaign before the pause, Sikura was on fire, scoring in nine of them, totaling nine goals and six assists. Four of these games were last week, with the Ontario native collecting four tallies and three helpers. Most noticeably, he potted a double in the Blue-and-Whites’ win in Togliatti (4:2), then had a hat-trick of assists in Dynamo Moscow’s high-scoring win over Sikura’s former team, Traktor, on Sunday (8:4). The Muscovites are currently the fourth seed in the Western Conference, and Sikura’s production has been a big part in the recent winning streak.
Croatia
F, Shanghai Dragons, 2 G, 4 (4+0) points, +2
Last week was remarkable for the Croatian forward, who netted his second KHL hat-trick when the Shanghai Dragons forced extra time in a home game against Torpedo, who took the match in OT. The Zagreb native had six shots on goal, lightning the lamp three times, in just sixteen minutes of time on ice. Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, Rendulic scored on even strength in the Shanghai Dragons’ win over Salavat Yulaev, with two shots on goal – he had 50% of realization throughout the week. The Croatian forward is currently the Dragons’ second scorer and top sniper, but the team has fallen off the postseason places – Rendulic’s goals will be needed to return back above the playoff line.
US
F, Avtomobilist, 2 G, 4 (2+2) points, even
The American forward showed excellent shape in the last few weeks heading into the break, scoring points in six of the last seven outings, with the Motormen collecting four wins. Last week, Boucher had a strong performance in the Urals derby against Metallurg, with one goal and two assists, which weren’t enough for Avtomobilist to claim the high-scoring affair (5:6). On Friday, the Motormen had their revenge, when they posted a strong 4:1 home win over Severstal, with Boucher netting his ninth of the season. The Motormen ended the first part of the regular season in fourth place in the East, and Boucher’s goals will be key in retaining such a high spot in the conference.
Slovakia
F, Severstal, 4 G, 2 (2+0) points, -1
After struggling to find the back of the net when he returned from his injury, Slovak forward Adam Liska returned on the scoresheet when he potted a double in Severstal’s 3:2 win in Togliatti – including the game-winning goal, the eighth in his KHL career and the second in the current campaign. A captain for Severstal in his seventh season in the team, Liska lost no time as he had two shots on goal in the night, and helped the Steelers retain their spot at the top of the Western Conference’s standings.
