“Ready or not, here I come!” NHL’s Russian outsider gang excelled against Chicago

“Ready or not, here I come!” NHL’s Russian outsider gang excelled against Chicago

Elena Kuznetsova November 23, 2023, 08:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.

Ivan Provorov, Egor Chinakhov, Kirill Marchenko and Dmitry Voronkov were involved in four of the team’s seven goals.

Columbus’ desperate black stripe stretched so much that it began to resemble infinity. Only one victory in the last 14 games, nine games in a row without winning, which was a repetition of the club’s anti-record. Johnny Gaudreau sat on the bench, Patrik Laine moved to the reserve and the club president spoke to the press.

“Naturally, at the moment we are not happy with our results. We listen to our fans and share their pain and disappointment. We know that emotions run high. “If we’re honest with each other, we’re all angry and disappointed,” Mike Priest said.

The end of the black streak came suddenly and with a bright flash. As they say, when he flew, then he flew. In the match against Chicago, the “uniforms” organized a game-concert for fans eager for joyful emotions: the famous cannon in the Nationwide Arena worked non-stop, 12 of 18 field players scored points, and six different hockey players scored goals . , including two Russians.

The play began with Boone Jenner pushing the puck from a negative angle between Petr Mrazek and the post. Then Marchenko showed a master class in attacking play: he dragged the puck into the zone, then quickly corrected his own loss, drew several opponents towards him, assessed the situation and sent a pass to the opposite board from a turn. The puck, after bouncing, flew just under the shot to Erik Gudbranson, who touched it against the crossbar.

Video rights belong to NHL Enterprises, LP. You can see it on the NHL website.

Then came another cool goal from Jenner on the power play: Even without looking at the goal, he fired a clumsy shot under the crossbar with no chance for Mrazek. Chicago responded with a goal from the fantastic Connor Bedard. The 18-year-old rookie, who is confidently aiming for the Calder Trophy, took his goal tally to 10, having played just 17 games in the league. In all of NHL history, only two players this age or younger have scored 10 goals faster. These were Patrik Laine with the Winnipeg Jets (in game 14) and Steve Yzerman with the Detroit Red Wings (in game 15). Bedard tied the results of Dale Hawerchuk (original Winnipeg Jets) and Ted Kennedy (Toronto Maple Leafs). They also scored their 10th goal in their 17th game.

In the second half, the Blue Jackets continued their scoring show and brought the score to a humiliating 7:1. Egor Chinakhov set up Cole Sillinger’s goal, then Zach Werenski found an empty-net pass (with some luck and a rebound) for Dmitry Voronkov, who scored his third NHL goal. “Ready or not, here I come. Voronkov is coming!” Colón happily responded to this goal on social media.

Video rights belong to NHL Enterprises, LP. You can see it on the NHL website.

Today, of course, there was something to rejoice about in Columbus. Marchenko broke a three-game goalless streak: he missed a power play by Boris Katchuk, but while the Canadian was distracted by the hit, he was the first to reach the goal, where he corrected the puck with his skate into the net. The entire Russian “Columbus” gang participated in the Chicago defeat, as Ivan Provorov also scored an assist here, participating in four of the team’s goals.

Video rights belong to NHL Enterprises, LP. You can see it on the NHL website.

Patrik Laine also scored, returning to the lineup after missing a game due to the coach’s decision. “I think this type of game can be carried over to the next games. We must understand how we create those chances, how we manage to score and go from there. It gives us confidence,” Jenner said.

Video rights belong to NHL Enterprises, LP. You can see it on the NHL website.

In the third period, Chicago made the most decent score, but, of course, could not catch up. Colón’s new anti-record is canceled and there is finally a reason for joy on the “uniforms” side. “There were so many good things today. We played well as a team and Elvis made key saves at key moments. Today everyone has contributed, everyone feels involved. The atmosphere is good, the boys are plowing. Even with what we’re going through, I liked how positive the team was before the game. It’s just one game, we know, but it’s a good game and a good base for us,” said coach Pascal Vincent.

In the third period, Chicago made the most decent score, but, of course, could not catch up. Colón’s new anti-record is canceled and there is finally a reason for joy on the “uniforms” side. “There were so many good things today. We played well as a team and Elvis made key saves at key moments. Today everyone has contributed, everyone feels involved. The atmosphere is good, the boys are plowing. Even with what we’re going through, I liked how positive the team was before the game. It’s just one game, we know, but it’s a good game and a good base for us,” said coach Pascal Vincent.