Ridin' High in April, Shot Down in May

It's been an interesting pro hockey career for David Rundblad, to say the least, as he was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2009. He never played for them, as he would be traded to the Ottawa Senators before the season ended for the first round pick in 2010 that became Vladimir Tarasenko. Before making his debut with the Senators in 2011, he played in Sweden, where it looked like he would fulfill his full potential. His time in Ottawa was short-lived, as in his first NHL season, he was traded to Phoenix for Kyle Turris. Most of his time there was spent with the AHL affiliate before he was traded in 2014 to Chicago, where he would log the most NHL time in the 2014-15 season, as he was a replacement for Michal Roszival while he was injured. That season also marked a high point, as he would go on to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup as a member of that Blackhawks team. This season, he played in Switzerland, and beginning next season, he will take his game to Saint Petersburg, Russia, as he signed with SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL.

Catching Up

It's been some time since I last put something on this blog, and predictably, there's items that should be addressed, so let's get to it.

• First, the picture you see is Wayne Gretzky in Simpsons form, as he will be lending his voice and likeness to a December 11 episode of the Simpsons. Where I really give the animators props is the fact that they even got the right side of the sweater being tucked in, a long-time Gretzky trademark in his playing days.
• Connor McDavid scored his first NHL hat-trick in Saturday's 5-2 win over Dallas that also saw the Oilers get off the losing streak. While it took McDavid a little longer to get his hat-trick compared to Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine, there is the matter of him missing half the season last year.
• Evander Kane is still a Buffalo Sabre. The long-rumored Kane to Vancouver deal fell through, according to sources, when the Canucks balked at the Sabres' asking price. It was thought that the Sabres were going to try and recoup some of what they lost, value-wise, in the deal they made with Winnipeg to get Kane.
• Dylan Strome got returned to Erie from Arizona. The move came a day after the Otters named Kyle Pettit the captain for this season, a role Strome held last season. It will be interesting to see what happens with Strome and the Otters and whether the Otters decide to move Strome, as the Otters are actually doing well and they may be looking to try and sustain their current run of success for a little while longer. Hamilton may be an option, since Dylan's younger brother Matthew currently plays there.
• It's the Trans-Canada Highway bottleneck in the East Division of the WHL, as Regina leads the way with Swift Current, Moose Jaw, and Brandon all just behind them, and Saskatoon and Prince Albert are bringing up the rear. Prince Albert likely conceded the season, as they traded Brendan Guhle to Prince George for three players and draft picks.
• SKA recently had a 15-game winning streak snapped against Avtomobilist.

The hockey season is still young, and there is still more to happen. For now, I get to rest a little.

Magic Man to Russia

It has been known since the end of the Detroit Red Wings' season that Pavel Datsyuk was leaving the NHL to play one more season in Russia. Now, we know where in Russia Datsyuk will play, as today, it was made official that he will suit up for SKA Saint Petersburg for the 2016-17 KHL season.

As translated from the HC SKA site (as best as it can from Russian via Google Translate), the deal is for two years and as you can see in the pictures of the immediate aftermath of the signing, he will wear his familiar number 13. No other details have been revealed, but the team as currently constituted will consist of Mikko Koskinen in goal, ex-NHL stars Slava Voynov and Ilya Kovalchuk, and other former players with brief NHL stints such as Sergei Shirokov, Steve Moses, and Sergei Plotnikov that Datsyuk will be joining. After a 2015-16 season of turmoil that followed an improbable run to the club's first major championship the previous season, SKA is eager to put the troubles behind them. From the failed Andrei Nazarov experiment behind the bench to interim head coach Sergei Zubov butting heads with Kovalchuk, it was an interesting season that saw them ultimately make the Conference Finals, only to be swept by the same CSKA team that they upset the previous playoff season by winning all four games after being down 3-0 in the series. Oleg Znarok is going to be the new head coach, and given the team's notorious short leash plus the relatively unknown record of Znarok, it will be interesting to see what the team does.

69 Years Later...

Since their formation in 1946, SKA Saint Petersburg (under their original name SKA Leningrad) has never won a major championship domestically.  That has officially changed thanks to their Gagarin Cup Finals series win over a very good Ak Bars Kazan team in five games.  Getting to this point wasn't easy, as they had beat Torpedo in the first round, and from there, to overcome their arch nemesis Dynamo Moscow in the Conference semi-finals, as well as a 3-0 series deficit to CSKA in the Conference Finals to make it here.  Evgeny Dadonov set a KHL record for most goals in the playoffs and Ilya Kovalchuk was named playoff MVP, something that he handed off to Dadonov in a show of team unity.  It was a long season and an even longer wait, but the city of Saint Petersburg finally has a championship and the second largest city in Russia is out of Moscow's shadow for this moment.

KHL Season Almost Here

The KHL season is less than a month away, and there are a few changes to the league's structure.  Metallurg Magnitigorsk will begin the season as the defending Gagarian Cup champions, and three teams will be joining the league while replacing three teams that suspended operations for the season.

Donbass Donetsk is suspending operations due to civil unrest in the Ukraine while Lev Praha and Spartak Moscow are both sitting out due to financial issues.  Replacing the three teams will be Jokerit Helsinki, making them the first Finnish squad to be in the KHL, HC Sochi, who is looking to capitalize on the momentum that the Winter Olympics created for the town, and Lada Togliatti, who was in the KHL from 2008 through 2010, when arena issues forced them to drop into a lower league.

SKA Saint Petersburg is also going into the season with a major change, this one behind the bench, as a disappointing end to a season with high expectations led them to tab Vyacheslav Bykov as the new head coach.  Expectations will forever be high with the team that has never won a championship in their history, which dates back to 1946.

The SKA Report: The Last Weekly

Starting in the new year, the SKA Report will no longer be a weekly report, as there will be a cadre of hockey related events that need attention (i.e. outdoor games and the Olympics).  It will become a monthly report for the remainder of the regular season, at which point, it will turn to the KHL playoffs.

That out of the way, SKA was looking to get back on the winning track after losing three in a row heading into the most recent break.  Wednesday, SKA was in Cherepovets to take on Severstal, and both teams exchanged goals in the first period, with Teemu Laakso scoring for Severstal and Alexander Kucheryavenko for SKA.  Igor Makarov scored in the second period for SKA, and that would be all they needed, as Alexander Salak made the lead stand up and SKA emerged victorious 2-1 to end a three game losing streak.  Saturday was a trip to Ufa to take on Salavat Yulaev, and things didn't quite go as planned.  A scoreless first period gave way to Salavat scoring twice in the second period on goals from Igor Mirnov and Alexei Kaigorodov.  Dmitry Kalinin would cut the lead to one late in the third period, but the rally fell short, as SKA fell 2-1.

SKA begins the new year on the road, as they take on Admiral Vladivostok on Friday and Amur on Sunday.

The SKA Report: The Long Vacation

Going into the holiday break, SKA was looking to break a recent two game slide with a game against Metallurg Magnitgorsk on December 11.  Unfortunately Metallurg had other plans.  The game started out scoreless after one period, but a Chris Lee goal in the second period changed that and Metallurg was up 1-0 after two periods.  SKA could not solve Vasily Koshechkin, as SKA went scoreless for the second time in the now three game losing streak, as Tim Brent would add an insurance goal to send SKA to a 2-0 loss and searching for answers during the break.

SKA returns from break this Wednesday with a road game at Severstal and will wrap up the week with a home game against Salavat Yulaev.

The SKA Report: Holiday Blues

This past week wasn't particularly kind to SKA, as they could only muster four out of a possible 12 points on the road trip against division foes.  The trip started out well enough on Monday, as they went to Prague to take on Lev Praha.  Artemy Panarin opened the scoring for SKA, as the goal put them up 1-0 after one period.  However, things turned rough in the second period, as Lev scored three goals from Justin Azevedo, Michal Birner (on a penalty shot), and Michal Repik.  SKA would get a goal in the period on a Vadim Shipachyov shot to briefly tie the game at two, but the Repik goal would see SKA trail by one after two periods.  A Viktor Tikhonov goal early in the third period would be all the scoring in the period, and overtime was needed.  That was not enough, and the game went into a shootout, where Ilya Kovalchuk scored the deciding goal to give Alexander Salak and SKA a 4-3 victory in a shootout to give SKA two points in the standings.

On Wednesday, SKA traveled to Bratislava, Slovakia to take on a Slovan team that hasn't had a great deal of luck this season.  Both teams exchanged goals in the first and second periods, with Panarin and Andrej Stastny scoring in the first period and Mario Bliznak and Igor Makarov scoring in the second.  This game also needed overtime and a shootout, with SKA coming out victorious 3-2 on a winner from Roman Cervenka.  Ilya Ezhov was solid in the win.

Friday, SKA went to Moscow to take on rival CSKA, and things were not quite as well as the first meeting earlier in the season, as SKA was kept off the score sheet.  Alexei Morozov scored in the first period and Alexander Radulov scored in the third, and that was all CSKA needed, as SKA could not solve Ilya Proskuryakov in a 2-0 defeat.  Salak was solid in goal for SKA and deserved better.

Sunday was a game in Riga against Dinamo Riga, and it was an offensive show.  Marcel Hossa scored the lone goal in the first period to give Dinamo Riga a 1-0 lead after one period.  Riga would put up three more goals in the second period before SKA's offense began to come to life.  Juris Upitis, Georgijs Pujacs, and Miks Indrasis would score for Dinamo Riga, but SKA countered with goals from Evgeny Ketov and Anton Burdasov to make it 4-2 after two periods.  SKA would get to within one on a Dmitry Kalinin goal, but that would be as close as they would get, as Mat Robinson would put the game out of reach.  A Kovalchuk goal would close the gap by one again, but an Indrasis goal on an empty net was all the scoring, as Dinamo Riga pulled out a 6-4 win.

SKA has one game this week before break, as they welcome Metallurg Magnitorsk on Wednesday.

The SKA Report: The Calm Before the Storm

Before SKA hits the road this coming week, they had a game on Friday against Atlant at home.  The result was one that SKA wanted and needed in getting that momentum heading into a tough four game road trip through the division rivals, as SKA jumped to a 3-0 lead after one period on goals from Alexei Semenov, Evgeny Ketov, and Maxim Chudinov.  Ilya Kovalchuk padded the lead in the second period, and except for a Roman Rukavishnikov goal late in the third period, SKA prevented Atlant from getting anything past Alexander Salak as SKA cruised to a 4-1 win and in the process, has some momentum going into next week.

SKA hits the road this week and they will have a chance to pad their lead in the Bobrov Division, as they take on Lev Praha on Monday, Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday, CSKA on Friday, and Dinamo Riga on Sunday.

The SKA Report: Winning Ugly

This past week wasn't the best of times for the SKA offense, but they still got away with three wins in the four games.  Monday was the team's chance to avenge a loss to Lokomotiv a few days earlier, and much like the previous meeting, SKA struggled to get its offense moving.  Dmitry Kalinin got the scoring started for the good guys, but that would be all they get for the game.  Ilya Gorokhov would tie the game to make it 1-1 after the first period.  It remained that way until the closing minutes of the third period, when Sergei Plotinkov scored the game winner to give Lokomotiv its second win in as many games against SKA.  Alexander Salak was the hard luck loser in the game.  Wednesday, SKA welcomed Severstal, and much like the Lokomotiv game, the offense was hard to come by.  However, SKA was on the right side of the close game, as they would get goals from Roman Cervenka and Evgeny Ketov sandwiching a Severstal goal from Anatoly Nikontsev, making it a 2-1 win for Salak and SKA.  Friday, they welcomed Traktor and like the previous meeting, SKA shut down Traktor.  Evgeny Skachkov, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Maxim Chudinov scored in the first period, and Salak made it stand up, as SKA shut out Traktor again, this time being a 3-0 score.  Sunday, Neftekhimik came to town to exact some revenge, but it was not to be, as Ketov opened the scoring for SKA in the first period.  Nikolai Belov tied things in the second period, but Chudinov netted the game winner to make Ilya Ezhov and SKA a 2-1 winner.

This coming week will be a light time for SKA, as they welcome Atlant on Friday before hitting the road next week.

The SKA Report: Kicking Off the Rust

SKA started the first game after break in Yaroslavl on Thursday and a matchup with Lokomotiv.  Their offense didn't get the memo, as they failed to score a goal in the game.  For most of the game, it was their defense that carried the game, and certainly, Alexander Salak deserved a better result than he did, as SKA held Lokomotiv off the board for two periods.  Emil Galimov broke the tie early in the third period and Sergei Plotinkov added an empty net goal to hand SKA a loss to start the second stanza.  Saturday, the offense showed up enough to get past Atlant 2-1.  Alexander Kucheryavenko made it 1-0 SKA after one period, but Alexander Kadeikin would score the equalizer in the second period.  Viktor Tikhonov would score early in the third period, and Salak would make it stand up, giving SKA three points in the standings.

SKA is home for the week, and they get their first chance at revenge on Monday as Lokomitv comes into town.  Severstal arrives for a Wednesday game, Traktor will be looking for revenge on Friday, and Neftekhimik will look to gain some momentum on Sunday.

The SKA Report: Back to Work

The break is over in the KHL, as four teams took the ice today.  SKA will wait until tomorrow to take the ice and attempt to pad the six point lead in the Western Conference.  This week, they travel to Yaroslavl to take on Lokomotiv on Thursday and will see a familiar face in Evgeny Artyukhin on Saturday, as they face his new team Atlant.  SKA will be home the following week for games every other day beginning Monday.

Before the season, it was all about Ilya Kovalchuk, and certainly, the contract numbers with SKA rival those of his New Jersey Devils numbers.  However, he isn't the only player producing, as the pick up of former league leading scorer Roman Cervenka has been an equally good signing, and combined with Viktor Tikhonov having a breakthrough year, SKA is a team to watch.  Of course, you need goaltending, and Alexander Salak has been just as valuable of a signing as Kovalchuk, providing a 1-2 punch in net with Ilya Ezhov.  Improvements are needed, as they are with every team, and certainly, it begins with consistency, something that hasn't always been there with SKA.  Some of it is key players such as Kovalchuk and Kevin Dallman missing time due to injuries, and some of it is secondary scoring, with Tony Martensson and Patrick Thoresen being the primary threats there.  It's nice of them to score, but they are so much better when the trio of Kovalchuk, Cervenka, and Tikhonov are all at their best.  Defensively, they play better than the sum of their parts, and that begins with Dmitry Kalinin and +/- leader Maxim Chudinov.  Dallman will be an offensive threat from the blue line once he gets healthy, and that should take some pressure off of the forwards to produce.

Assessing SKA: the First Break

With the KHL on break until the 13th and SKA not playing until the following day, this week is a perfect time to see where the team is at this point in the season.  Currently, they lead the Western Conference by six points over rival Dynamo Moscow and hold an 11 point lead over Dinamo Riga in the Bobrov Division.  Obviously, it begins in goal, where the trio of Alexander Salak, Ilya Ezhov, and Dmitry Shikin have each posted a GAA under 2.00.  That's a good sign that SKA is comfortable playing anyone in goal, as each has shown confidence when given the call, particularly when Salak, the starter, needs a rest every now and then.  Defensively, you would like to see more points from the blue line, but a large part of that group's issues lie in the fact that Kevin Dallman has missed considerable time to injury.  However, the group as a whole has done well, and nowhere is that more evident than the +/- number of Maxim Chudinov, who ranks among the league leaders in that category (23).  Roman Cervenka leads the team in scoring, with Ilya Kovalchuk just behind him, though he has played fewer games due to injury.  Kovlachuk makes everything go on offense, but having a former league leader in scoring (Cervenka) and the team leader in goals (Viktor Tikhonov) makes this group very dangerous.  Artemy Panarin has emerged recently as a solid secondary scoring threat while Patrick Thoresen has continued to score, though at lower levels because of the talent ahead of him.  Alexander Kucheryavenko and Panarin lead the forwards in the +/- category.  The special teams are doing well, as SKA ranks fourth on the power play and are sixth on the penalty kill.

SKA will come out of break on the 14th to play at Lokomotiv and will travel to Mytischi to play Atlant on the 16th before coming home for a match against Lokomotiv on the 18th.

The SKA Report: Heading into Break

In the last week of games before they take a week and a half break, SKA remained on a winning streak and are atop the Western Conference.  Monday, SKA hosted rival CSKA and prior to the game, the captains of each team participated in the Olympic Torch relay on the ice, since the Winter Olympics are in Sochi, Russia.  For much of the game, it was SKA that had the Olympic effort, as they skated out to a 2-0 lead after one period on goals from Ilya Kovalchuk and Viktor Tikhonov.  Vadim Shipachyov and Alexei Ponikarovsky would put SKA up 4-0 in the second period before CSKA would get on the board thanks to Maxim Goncharov.  However, SKA would close out the second period with a goal from Artemy Panarin.  CSKA would score in the third period on an Aleksey Morozov goal, but it was not nearly enough, as Alexander Salak and company took the game 5-2.  Wednesday, SKA hosted Lev Praha, and nothing happened in the first two periods.  That changed in a hurry, as SKA would score five unanswered goals, with Tikhonov, Andrei Sigaryov, Roman Cervenka, Shipachyov, and Igor Makarov all scoring, and Kovalchuk assisting on three of the goals, giving Salak a shutout in the 5-0 victory.  Friday, the worst team in the conference Slovan Bratislava came calling, and for one period, things were even as Panarin and Tomas Netik traded goals for their respective clubs.  SKA began to pull away in the second period, as Shipachyov and Panarin scored to make it 3-1 after two periods.  Ponikarovsky and Milan Bartovic traded goals in the third period, and the game would end 4-2 for SKA, giving Salak a win in all three games.

SKA does not play again until the 14th, when they travel to Yaroslavl and play Lokomotiv.

The SKA Report: Playing West

SKA is coming off a good week in which they amassed five points in two games.  On Tuesday, they finished up a road trip with a game at Neftekhimik.  Viktor Tikhonov opened the scoring to make it 1-0 after one, but a Yegor Milovzorov goal would tie things up early in the second period.  Patrick Thoresen would put SKA up one to close out the second period, and a Roman Cervenka goal would be insurance that they need to end the road trip with three points and a 3-1 win.  On Saturday, SKA returned home to play division rival Dinamo Riga.  SKA jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Ilya Kovalchuk and Tony Martensson, but a Andris Dzerins goal would leave SKA up only one after one period.  Miks Indrasis would score the next two goals to put Riga up one midway through the third, but Tikhonov would force overtime, and while that wasn't enough time, the shootout was SKA's friend, as Tikhonov would score the only goal to give SKA the win.  Dmitry Shikin was the winning goalie in both contests.

SKA finishes out this home stand with games at division rivals, with CSKA on Monday, Lev Praha on Wednesday, and Slovan Bratislava on Friday.

The SKA Report: Strong Beginning, Not So Good End

SKA was on the road this week, as they went through more of the Eastern Conference.  On Wednesday, they paid a visit to last year's Gagarian Cup finalist Traktor, who were without Evgeny Kuznestov.  You can bet they missed his presence, as SKA proved to be rude guests, with goals from Viktor Tikhonov, Vadim Shipachyov, Evgeny Skachkov, Patrick Thoresen, Igor Makarov, Andrei Sigaryov, and Tony Martensson, making it seven different players to have scored en route to a 7-0 romp that also saw Ilya Ezhov get a shutout.  Friday meant a game at Magnitorosk and a date with Metallurg Magnitorosk.  Makarov and Danis Zaripov exchanged goals to make it an even game after one period.  However, it was all SKA, as Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Kucerhyavenko, and Maxim Chudinov scored to allow Ezhov and SKA to leave Magnitorosk with three points and a 4-1 win.  Sunday, SKA traveled to Ufa and met up with Salavat Yulaev.  Unfortunately, things didn't quite go as planned, as former SKA player Kiril Koltsov kicked off the scoring for Salavat Yulaev.  Thoresen tied it, but Yegor Dubrovsky would score to make it a 2-1 lead for the home team after one period.  A scoreless second period gave way to a Nikita Filatov goal for Salavat Yulaev.  Alexei Ponikarovsky pulled SKA within one, but that would be as close as they get, as Alexander Pankov would add an insurance goal and hand Ezhov and SKA a 4-2 loss.

SKA concludes the road trip on Tuesday at Neftekhimik before coming home for a game against Dinamo Riga on Saturday.

The SKA Report: Home for the Week

This week, SKA was home for four games, and the results weren't all positive.  Monday, SKA jumped out to a 3-0 lead against Amur, thanks to goals by Artemy Panarin, Dmirty Kalinin, and Vadim Shipachyov.  However, Amur came back to force overtime on goals by Vyatcheslav Livotchenko, Mikhail Klimchuk, and Jan Mursak.  SKA would win in overtime on a Viktor Tikhonov goal to allow SKA to escape with two points and give Ilya Ezhov the win.  Wednesday, they welcomed Sibir Novobsibirsk and it was a struggle to score for both teams, as Tony Martensson scored the lone SKA goal in the first period and Ivan Lekomtsev would tie things up for Sibir.  The game would go to a shootout, where Dmitry Kugryshev would score the winner and hand Alexander Salak and SKA a loss.

Metallurg Novokuznetsk was the opponent on Friday, and this time around, things were never in doubt for SKA, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two on goals by Alexei Semenov, Kevin Dallman, and Martensson.  Ansel Galimov scored for Metallurg Novokuznetsk, but a Kalinin goal made the final score 4-1 and made a winner of Ezhov.  Sunday, SKA hosted the expansion Admiral Vladivostok and Admiral proved to be too much this game.  Evgeny Grachyov and Artyom Ternavsky pushed Admiral out ahead 2-0, but Tikhonov would pull SKA within one at the end of one.  However, Evner Lisin would score for Admrial, and that would be all the scoring in the game, as Admiral won 3-1, with Salak taking the loss.

SKA hits the road again this week, with games on Wednesday at last year's Gagarian Cup finalists in Traktor Chelyabinsk, a Friday game against Metallurg Magnitorsk, and on Sunday at Salavat Yulaev.

The SKA Report: Time to Put on the Big Boy Pants

With word that Ilya Kovalchuk is going to miss a month after getting injured during the game Sunday at Vityaz, SKA faces a stretch where they will need everyone else to step up.  Things did not get off to a good start Tuesday at Nizhny Novgorod, as Torpedo took it to SKA from the word "go."  Daniil Zharkov and Jarkko Immonen put Torpedo up 2-0 after one period, with Immonen adding what would be the game-winner to begin the second period.  Yury Alexandrov would pull SKA within two, but Torpedo put the game away with goals by Immonen (for the hat trick) and Mikhail Grigoryev, rendering a Artemy Panarin goal late in the period moot, as Torpedo won 5-2.  Alexander Salak took the loss in arguably his worst game since joining SKA prior to the season.

Salak would get redemption, as SKA took on Ak Bars in Kazan, Russia today.  A scoreless first period gave way to the two teams exchanging goals, with Evgeny Skachkov scoring for SKA and Artyom Lukoyanov evening things for Ak Bars.  SKA would take over in the third period, with Dmitry Yudin and Alexei Ponikarovsky scoring, giving SKA a much needed win to close out the road trip.

SKA comes home next week for games on Monday against Amur, Sibir Novosibirsk on Wednesday, Metallurg Novokuznetsk on Friday, and a Sunday game against expansion Admiral Vladivostok.

More Things Missed...

A few more updates from around the leagues that somehow slipped through the cracks yesterday:

• Jonathan Drouin will spend at least one more year in Halifax after he was sent down by the Tampa Bay Lightning prior to the close of training camp.  The move gives a struggling Halifax their leading scorer from last season and Zach Fucale, two players that will be expected to shoulder the load with Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Frk, and Konrad Abeltshauser all no longer on the team.  MacKinnon could be back if the Avalanche do decide to send him down, but don't bet on it.
• The Buffalo Sabres named their captains, and no, that is not a typo.  Home games will see Thomas Vanek wear the C while Steve Ott dons the C for away games.  This isn't the first time Buffalo has gone with this arrangement, as Chris Drury and Daniel Briere did it in 2007, the last time Buffalo won a playoff series.  This move is an indicator that the Sabres are willing to keep Vanek around for at least this year and should he be traded, it means the Sabres won't have to go far for a captain, as Ott has been a community fixture since he arrived last season.
• Tampa Bay named a new captain, and it is Martin St. Louis.  In 12 years with the Lightning, St. Louis has been the face of the franchise, and though his career is winding down, he can still contribute, as evidenced by his Art Ross Trophy last season.  He has been a leader in his time with the Lightning, and now, he has the C to prove it.
• In KHL news, Ilya Kovalchuk will miss a month after colliding with teammate Alexei Ponikarovsky during the win at Vityaz last Sunday.  More on that in the SKA report coming soon, as their last game of the week is tomorrow at Ak Bars.
• In a development that has surprised few, the Saskatoon Blades are the worst team in the WHL right now, as they are the only winless team as of this writing.  It was known that half of the lineup wasn't coming back, and with the likes of Lukas Sutter contributing for Red Deer, Dalton Thrower appointed captain of the Vancouver Giants, and new ownership, the Blades are headed for a long winter.

The SKA Report: Taking Moscow

SKA's week began with a road game in Croatia against Medvescak, and unlike the home opener, the result was a little different.  The first period opened with Ilya Kovalchuk scoring to give SKA the lead, but Mathieu Carle tied the game.  Ryan Vesce gave Medvescak the lead with a goal in the second period and Matt Murley upped the lead to two to open the third period.  Late goals by Roman Cervenka and Kovalchuk forced the game into overtime, giving SKA at least a point in the standings.  However, they would not get any more, as Vesce had the deciding goal in the shootout to hang a loss on Alexander Salak.  Friday saw SKA travel to Moscow and their bitter rivals Dynamo Moscow, who have knocked out SKA in each of the last two playoff meetings.  Evgeny Skachkov and Maxim Chudinov put SKA up 2-0 before Leo Komarov pulled Dynamo within one to close the period.  Komarov would tie the game in the second period before SKA took over in the third period.  Artemy Panarin would score back-to-back goals, and Anton Malyshev and Patrick Thoresen would add on to give SKA and Salak a 6-2 victory in Moscow.  Sunday, SKA stayed in the Moscow region to take on Vityaz.  A scoreless first period gave way to both teams exchanging goals, Tony Martensson for SKA and Anton Korolyov for Vityaz.  Yury Koshkarov would open the third period with a goal for Vityaz, but Kovalchuk's goal halfway through the period would force overtime.  Nothing was settled there, so a shootout was needed, where Kovalchuk scored the winner, putting SKA over the top 3-2 and made a winner of Ilya Ezhov.

SKA travels east to Nizhny Novgorod to face Torpedo and will conclude the week on Thursday with a tilt in Kazan against Ak Bars.  Roman Cervenka is tied for the league lead in points and Kovalchuk is tied for second in the league in goals, with Viktor Tikhonov one spot behind.  Salak is third in GAA.