Best players of March

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the Regular Season’s seventh month in four categories.

In February, the League’s teams played 88 games, with 628 players (51 goalies, 206 defensemen, and 371 forwards) taking part in the action. The scoring was at 5.15 goals per game.

- Best goalie for the first time in his career was Artemy Pleshkov (SKA), who posted four wins in five March games. The St. Petersburg goalie faced 130 shots, or 26 per night, posting a saves percentage of 96.92% and a goals-against average of 0.8. Isayev posted shutouts in SKA’s wins against Barys (7:0) and Severstal (5:0).

- Best defenseman for the first time in his career was Libor Sulak (Admiral), who scored 7 (3+4) points in nine March games, with a plus-7 differential. The Vladivostok defenseman potted the game-winning goal in the Admiral’s win over Salavat Yulaev on March 1 (4:2). Sulak also delivered eight hits, blocked twelve shots, made two pass interceptions and had two takeaways.

- Best forward for the first time in his career was Daniel Sprong (Avtomobilist), who scored 13 (7+6) points in seven March games, with a plus-5 differential. The Yekaterinburg forward netted the game-winning goal in the Avtomobilist’s win over Lokomotiv on March 11 (4:3). Sprong also delivered eight hits, blocked one shot, made two pass interceptions, and had two takeaways.

- Best rookie for the second time in his career was 21-years-old forward Matvei Polyakov (SKA), who scored 5 (3+2) points in eight March games, with a plus-3 differential. The St. Petersburg forward also delivered seven hits, blocked three shots, made one pass interception and had five takeaways.