Washington Capitals top prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov opened the 2012-13 season with style on Thursday, scoring an empty-net goal in Traktor Chelyabinsk’s 2-0 victory over KHL rival Metallurg Magnitogorsk. But that wasn’t all. Since Kuzya can’t do anything without a tinge of controversy, he decided to celebrate his goal by dropping down in Metallurg’s offensive zone and doing push-ups. For a man who has in the past both canoed and swam down the length of the ice after scoring, this seems a bit reserved for him.

Below the jump, check out the video.

Kuznetsov’s goal is scored 20 seconds in and the push-ups are at the 35 second mark.

Former Thrasher Michael Garnett also posted a shutout and Deron Quint, known for his time with six different NHL franchises, scored the game-winner for Traktor. After a four-day break, Traktor Chelyabinsk will play again on Monday against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.

GIF by cadetsandkings.tumblr.com.

Capitals prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov scored his ninth goal of the season and nabbed a pretty assist in Traktor’s 3-2 win today over Vladimir Tarasenko and Sibir Novosibirsk.

Before the game, all eyes were on 19-year-old superstars Kuznetsov and Tarasenko, who played together on last year’s gold medal winning World Junior Championship team. Considered two of Russia’s finest young talents, they both played on Russia’s National Team already, were drafted in the first round of the 2010 NHL entry draft, and are among the KHL’s league leaders in goals.

Andrey Osadchenko, whom you may know in North America for the vlog he does with Steve Dangle called Joining the Rush, wrote a piece on Allhockey.ru about the meaning of today’s game.

Despite the fact that they have already played on different club teams, we’re used to thinking of them as of a single unit, the personification of Russia’s hockey future. Not the immediate future – a distant future. It has been made clear they’ll be great players, but when? Knock-knock, wake up citizens – the future is now!

[...]

Of course, Tarasenko and Kuznetsov won’t play each other for the first time, they’re not rookies in the KHL. But today they’ll hit the ice not as “young and promising”, not as “our bright tomorrow”. Today, they are the stars of the show.

Video of Kuznetsov’s goal and assist. At the end, Evgeny is also shown embracing Vladimir Tarasenko after the game with fellow 2011 WJC teammember Anton Burdasov.

Today Kuznetsov’s star shone brighter than Tarasenko’s. With eight minutes to go in the third and the game tied 1-1, Kuzya patiently held onto the puck and found defenseman Deron Quint for an easy powerplay goal. If you look closely at the video, you’ll notice Kuznetsov curls and drags the puck for several seconds– freezing both the penalty killers and the goalie– before setting up Quint for a lay-up. Unbelievable!

This goal, however, wasn’t enough as Sibir tied the game at two with less than three minutes to go. Kuznetsov needed only 13 seconds to take the lead back for Traktor as he was hooked down to the ice on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. Kuzya easily scored and Traktor went on to win 3-2.

His ninth goal of the year today puts Kuznetsov only one tally behind Roman Cervenka in the KHL scorers race and ties him ironically enough with Tarasenko for second place. Also, the goal was his fourth game-winner of the season and gave him the lead in this category.

One final interesting note, this was Kuznetsov’s first game of the year in which he played more than 18 minutes and scored (he played 19:25 tonight). Earlier, all eight of his markers came in games where he played less than that.

A few days ago, both Tarasenko and Kuznetsov were named to the Russian National extended roster team for the Karjala Cup, one of four tournaments in the EuroHockeyTour which features the Russian, Czech, Finnish, and Swedish National teams.

Finally, if you visit the KHL’s website, you’ll notice a banner in which they are promoting Traktor and Amur Khabarovsk’s game on Thursday (8AM EST). Featured on it? None other than Kuznetsov and Amur’s Jakub Petruzalek.

Additional reporting by Ian Oland.

After Traktor’s 4-3 victory over Barys Tuesday, Head Coach Valery Belousov revealed to the media that Evgeny Kuznetsov played sick. Belousov didn’t specify what type of bug Kuznetsov came down with, but with regulars Deron Quint and Raymond Giroux sitting out due to food poisoning, it was pretty easy to connect the dots.

Nonetheless, the young Caps prospect gutted it out and actually managed to score his fifth goal of the year, his most electrifying — and lucky — tally of the season. Let’s review. First, Kuzya delivers an open-ice body check forcing a turnover. Next, as another Barys player tries to defend him, Kuznetsov goes forehand, backhand, and then throws the biscuit between his legs. As this unfolds, the defender tries to clear the puck and accidentally knocks it past his helpless net minder. Game over. To celebrate, Evgeny leaps face-first into the boards to the crowd’s delight.

Kuzentsov’s third period tally puts him in the KHL’s top five in goals (5) and also gives him the league lead in game-winners (3). That’s pretty good for a 19-year-old who sat out most of the offseason due to shoulder surgery and had his minutes limited in the beginning of the season.

With Fedor Fedin concentrating full-time on Prospect Watch, RMNB needed a new translator. After a few months of searching, RMNB is finally happy to introduce Igor Kleyner. Igor is a native of St Petersburg, Russia, who transplanted himself to the Washington D.C. area around the same time Peter Bondra came to town in the early nineties. He currently works at Nasa and designs electronics for their spacecraft. Yes, another member of the team that can now beat Peter at Words with Friends.

In Igor’s first translation, he has chosen to share with us a long, revealing interview with Caps 2010 First Round Pick Evgeny Kuznetsov, which was first published by Sports.ru this past Monday and authored by another Igor, Igor Zhukov. The story is entitled “A Hero of our Time,” which apparently is a reference to a novel all Russian Middle Schoolers are forced to read. (These are the details we love knowing.) Anyways, check out Igor’s first translation below!

Traktor-centric, the Sports.ru blog dedicated to the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk, recently spoke with the top forward of the team, Evgeny Kuznetsov, whose nine goals this season make him the team’s second leading goal scorer. Fantastic North American defenseman Deron Quint, leads the Black-and-Whites with 13.

Our conversation occurred just before Zhenya’s departure for Russia’s WJC camp and it touched on a variety of subjects: Traktor’s recent string of bad luck, what it’s like to be coached by Valery Belousov, Evgeny’s post-game showmanship, and the upcoming U-20 World Junior Championships tournament in the United States.

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Igor Zhukov – The club’s business is left behind. The World Championship is now ahead of you. Nevertheless, is it possible to analyze Traktor’s trajectory in the standings so far this season?

Evgeny Kuznetsov – We are definitely not where we should be. It seems like we aren’t playing badly at all, but we are constantly coming up just a little bit short. Bad luck.

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IZ – Are you happy with your game and scoring? It appears you aren’t doing bad at all. Not every 18 year old manages to score 9 goals in the KHL.

EK – I don’t want to separate myself from the team. If I am doing well – but there is no result for the team – who needs that? I am working the same way I always have. I just happened to score a few more goals than last year, and am having a bit better luck. This is, after all, already my second season playing among adults.

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IZ – What is your best goal this season?

EK – Probably the first one. The one I scored in Magnitka. You remember the first one for a long time. And, we beat Metallurg at their arena for the first time in 16 years. So, that would be the one.

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IZ – You know, everybody says that your game is becoming more and more mature, and that you have progressed a lot this year. Do you feel that way?

EK – Yes, of course, I feel this. Most importantly, I’ve gained confidence. Also, Belousov trusts me. It’s very important. When you score the team benefits and you feel good and you become more confident. You feel much better.

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IZ – Traktor is forced to play catch-up against the competition. Obviously, this is more difficult than to maintain an advantage.

EK – Honestly, I don’t really think about that. No particular psychology here. At least, not for me. We have a goal – to win every game, get the points.

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IZ – For the first time in Traktor’s recent history, a new head coach was appointed during the season: Valery Belousov. How difficult are such changes for the players, since you need to adapt to the new coach’s methods and demands?

EK – It is not a problem for me at all. You simply have to accept the change and work in the new system. This is my first experience working with Belousov, and I am very happy to have him as a coach.

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IZ – How interesting is it to work with Belousov?

EK – Very interesting! Our training sessions are always changing, except for the game day skate-around. The coach explains everything in very simple and detailed terms. The most important thing is to understand what is asked of you and execute. If everybody follows the coach’s instructions, the team will be winning.

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IZ – Belousov is known for his powerful psychology. Have you had any individual conversations with him?

EK – Not just myself, he talks one-on-one with many guys. He speaks very calmly and confidently. It’s always a pleasure to talk to such a person.

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IZ – During the first couple of weeks Valery Konstantinovich [Ed note: Belousov] tested his team a lot – high player turnover, lots of experimenting with line combinations. But then the lines settled. You are now always playing on the line with Andrei Popov and Anton Glinkin. Do you feel more comfortable playing with the same partners, or is it not that important?

EK – Of course, when you play with the same partners – you get used to each other, understand each other better. But the lineup is determined by the head coach. He knows who fits better with whom.

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IZ – Are the “young guns” the best Traktor line?

EK – ::laughs:: That is not for me to decide. We try our best in every game, every moment to show our talents to the max.

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IZ – How do you explain the jump in your goal scoring lately? Did it have anything to do with the upcoming World Junior Championship?

EK – From the very beginning of the season, I really wanted to make the WJC team, so I tried to prepare myself to peak in time for the New Year. But I have to admit, in some cases it was just sheer luck – a few pucks just found their way into the goal by accident.

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IZ – So far you are not doing very well in the shootouts…

EK – I never score in shootouts! In practice I always score, never a problem. But in a game situation… I don’t know, maybe I am jinxed, just like Jagr. He doesn’t even participate in shootouts, because he never scores in them.

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IZ – You are one of a few Traktor players who put on a show after the game. Why do you do that?

EK – The fans come to the game, and I want them to go home happy. By the way, I am not the only one who does it. We have done it with Petr Vampola a couple of times. It’s not an unusual practice in many European countries, especially the Czech Republic and Sweden. It’s no big deal. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it.

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IZ – Do you always improvise, or prepare something in advance?

EK – Nothing in advance. It’s always improvisation. After the final horn, we quickly agree on our act, and then we go ahead and implement it. For example, the last time Petr and I performed a canoe racing number ::smiles::.

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IZ – Your contract with Traktor is good for another year and a half. Of course, everybody in Chelyabinsk would like for you to play here, but obviously, sooner or later you will leave to pursue your dream and play in the NHL. How do you envision your last game for Traktor?

EK – ::laughs:: Well, I think it’s too early to talk about it.

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IZ – Earlier this year, Zenit St. Petersburg was honoring their player who was leaving, Radek Sirl. So, he spent a half of the game among the hardcore fans, on the platform from which the chants are lead. [Ed note: Imagine Ted building a special platform at VC for Goat.] Can you imagine a similar role for yourself – surrounded by your fans?

EK – When it is time for me to play that last game for Traktor, I will know in advance. If the fans want me in the stands among them – I will be there. But I would rather spend that game on the ice, wearing Traktor colors, and winning the game.

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IZ – With the World Junior Championships coming up, how is your mood?

EK – Positive, of course. The main thing is to quickly become a team, for all of the new guys, including myself. The faster we do that, the better luck we’ll have. There is only one goal: to be first.

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IZ – Will you feel more comfortable if Traktor teammate Anton Burdasov also goes to WJC?

EK – Of course, it’s always nice when you are not the only one from Chelyabinsk on the national team. We are good friends too.

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IZ – Valery Bragin referred to your first round group at WJC as “the group of death”. What do you think about your opponents?

EK – It’s just a first round group. You just need to go out there and play, and not think too much, no matter if it’s Canada against you, Sweden, or somebody else. It’s just like playing for Traktor: it doesn’t matter if you are playing against Magnitogorsk, Kazan, or Novokuznetsk. You have to go out there fully-focused, and prove that you are the best. At my age, every game is worth its weight in gold. And for me personally, since I was drafted by the Capitals, every game I play I need to prove that I want to go there and am ready to play for them.

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IZ - In the US, there will be representatives from the Capitals watching you. Will that be a motivating factor, or create an additional psychological burden of responsibility?

EK – I don’t ever pay attention to anybody. Even if my parents, my girlfriend, or my friends are in the stands. During the game, I don’t focus on anything except for the ice rink and I am fully into the game. When it’s over, I can acknowledge those who came to support me.

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IZ – Are you familiar with coach Bragin?

EK – Not until I was picked for the team. I talked to him on the phone once.

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IZ – What does he see your role on the team being?

EK – Valery Nikolaevich [Bragin] wants to play me in the middle. I like playing center. I play on the wing for the club though. Just because you need experience to play as a center.

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IZ – Who are going to be your linemates?

EK – I don’t know. Everybody who makes the team is a good player.

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IZ – Russia is opening the tournament against Canada. I can’t think of a better opening game. Will the atmosphere surrounding this affect your concentration?

EK – I think it is good that we are facing Canadians right away, and then the Swedes. We’ll be in it right away, we’ll have to prove our worth in the very first couple of games.

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IZ – The team looked very good in the Subway Series. Don’t you think it improves the outlook?

EK – Of course. We all feel more confident in ourselves. A lot of us now have experience prevailing over Canadians. Let them be slightly shaky in anticipation of our meeting. Because they can not learn to play our style of hockey, while we can learn to play theirs. We can accept and understand their hockey and play with them. And succeed. [Ed note: Wow, trash talk.]

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IZ – This is your fourth World Championship. You played in two U18 tournaments and one U20. So far, you have only managed to collect a silver medal for the U18 team in 2009. Are you determined to win the gold this time?

EK – Of course we would like to be in first place. There is no alternative – you’re either number one, or you have lost the tournament. But I don’t want to talk about that right now. All three tournaments I went to, we always talked about winning, and we never did. We need to learn to be calm. Less talk, and more action.