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best))))) (Photo credit: dynamo.ru)
With the the National Hockey League and the Players Association making no further movement towards ending the lockout, Nicklas Backstrom officially made his move to the KHL today. Backstrom and Dynamo Moscow agreed in principle to a one-year deal, that will be severed only if the NHL lockout ends.
This is really happening, you guys. Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin are now reunited. Backstrom was spotted by Sovetsky sport’s Pavel Lysenkov this afternoon taking a photo with Alex Ovechkin at Dynamo Moscow’s practice facility in Novogorsk. They couldn’t look happier, but Nicky’s contract status is still a bit murky.
Photo credit: Pavel Lysenkov
Photo credit: Bruce Bennett
Swedish site Sveriges Television is reporting that Nick Backstrom has signed with Alex Ovechkin‘s KHL team, Dynamo Moscow, for the remainder of the lockout. Details are sketchy, and who knows how long the lockout will last, but it seems like the band is getting back together. Kinda/sorta.
According to SVT (and via the inscrutable magic of Google Translate) Backstrom said, “I want to play hockey and this will be a fun challenge.” Backstrom also says Ovechkin convinced him to sign.
This is great news for the two BFFs, but let’s hope CBA negotiations this week result in an even bigger reunion soon.
“Shush! Cheering for me is beneath you.”
Caps prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov has been among the KHL’s leading scorers all season, and in Traktor Chelyabinsk’s 4-2 victory over Atlant Moscow on Saturday the 20-year-old scored one of his most beautiful goals yet.
Kuznetsov gains possession of the puck at center ice in the second period, then uses his speed to curl around Atlant players and beat goaltender Nikita Davydov stick-side. To celebrate his sixth goal and 15th point of the year, Kuznetsov puts one finger to his mouth to encourage his hometown crowd to be quiet. [Editor's note: Bring back the push-ups, Kuzya.]
Video of the goal — which kind of reminds me of this Ovechkin tally — is below. You have to see this.
“I bowl strike!!” (GIF created by welshhockeyfan)
Ovechkin skates up ice.
Coming into Sunday’s away game with Slovan Bratislava, Alex Ovechkin had six points in six KHL games. Despite playing in five fewer matches than everyone else, Ovechkin was gaining ground on the league’s point leaders (82nd overall).
In Dynamo Moscow’s 3-2 victory Sunday, Ovi tied his Dynamo teammates Denis Kokarev and Dominik Granak for the team lead in points, tallying a goal, an assist, and three shots on goal in 16:22 of ice time against Slovan. The defending champions have now won 6 out of their last 7 games with the Capitals captain in their line-up.
Now let’s see that goal.
Note the extras from GoldenEye at top right. (Photo credit: dynamo.ru)
Monday was supposed to mark Alex Ovechkin‘s first meeting with 2012 first overall pick Nail Yakupov. When Dynamo Moscow hosted Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, Yakupov instead had to endure an international fiasco last week and was held out of the line-up by Coach Vladimir Golubovich despite being reinstated over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the Russian machine had his best game yet in a blue and white jersey, notching his second goal of the KHL season and tallying an assist in Dynamo’s 5-1 mollywhopping of Neftekhimik. Ovi had 5 shots in a season-low 14:44 ice time.
Video ahoy!
“I must break head you.”
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin didn’t score in Dynamo Moscow’s 4-3 shootout win over Salavat Yulaev on Saturday, but he did have eight shots on goal in 22:09 on ice. Twice he shot for Dynamo in the skills competition and twice he came up empty. But that’s okay. The coolest part of today’s game was what actually happened before it, as the Russian language television channel TNV captured Ovi and his Dynamo teammates performing a pre-game ritual with which we Capitals fans should be pretty darn familiar.
Ovechkin, in his constricting (see below) bright, red Capitals shorts, kicked around the soccer ball outside of the locker rooms in Kazan with his Dynamo teammates, who were all in their dark blue team-issued sweats.
Photo credit: khl.ru
Coming into Wednesday’s game against Ak Bars Kazan, Caps captain Alex Ovechkin had already made an impact on Dynamo Moscow’s offense. While he hasn’t tallied an Ovechtrick or gone on a Goal Explosion® yet, Ovi has scored a point in both games he’s played, skated more minutes than any other Dynamo forward, and averaged 9 shots per outing. That’s pretty darn good for a guy who hasn’t had a training camp.
On Wednesday, Ovechkin continued that hot start, notching a secondary assist on a powerplay goal by Konstantin Volkov and scoring in the shootout during Dynamo’s 3-2 (SO) comeback win over Ak Bars. He had 3 shots in 21:36 of ice time.
Highlights are below the jump.
Photo credit: Salavat Yulaev
After starting the 2012-13 season on fire with goals in his first four games, Caps top prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov cooled off a bit. By that we mean that he had one lonely point in the two games following the streak. On Monday, Kuznetsov had his biggest game yet as Traktor Cheylabinsk took on Salavat Yulaev at Ufa Arena. In 14:59 TOI, Kuznetsov scored a shorthanded goal and collected two assists. It was Kuznetsov’s first three-point game since January 28th of last season.
Highlights of Traktor’s 4-1 drubbing of Salavat, including Kuznetsov’s goal that broke his stunningly-long two-game goalless streak, are under the jump.
“I deed it!! I finally score!!” (Photo credit: Dynamo Moscow)
Thursday night at Small Sports Arena in Luzhniki, Moscow, Alex Ovechkin returned to the Russian team that put him on the world’s stage as a teenager. And his performance did not disappoint.
In Moscow Dynamo’s 7-2 win over Dinamo Minsk, Ovechkin had seven shots, two big hits, and recorded his first ever KHL point, a powerplay assist, in 17:38 of ice time.
Highlights of the game are below the jump.
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