So I’m going to make this a weekly post because it’s easier to do this way and sometimes it makes me mad about how I even have to consider tracking game scores from leagues with teams named after insurance companies. Let’s get into it.
Pavel Datsyuk
CSKA Moscow (KHL)
Since Tuesday, Datsyuk’s CSKA Moscow squad has played only once, on Thursday against Spartak Moscow. Datsyuk scored both of CSKA’s goals in the 2-1 overtime victory. The first was a Datsyukian special where he steals the puck from the defense and snaps it by the goalie after making a subtle-but-nifty move. Pavs is fitting in very well with his KHL squad, putting up six points in his five games with two goals and four assists. Datsyuk is at a +3 rating, is winning 59% of his faceoffs, and playing almost 21 minutes per night. Despite playing in only 5/13 games, Pavel is third on his team in scoring.
Games this Week: CSKA plays twice this week, on Monday and Saturday. Monday’s game is at 7:45 Moscow time against SKA Saint Petersburg (Ilya Kovalchuk’s team). On Saturday, Datsyuk & company will take on Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (gesundheit) and Nail Yakupov at 5:00 MSK
Bonus factoid: SKA Saint Petersburg’s roster includes Dmitri Kalinin. For those unfamiliar with the lore, Kalinin is the player that Hakan Andersson was scouting in Moscow when he noticed a small, but exciting Russian Forward who went on to be drafted 171st overall by the Wings in 1998. Kalinin went on to a good NHL career spanning 539 games. The other guy went on being Pavel Datsyuk.
Valtteri Filppula
Jokerit Helsinki (SM-Liiga)
The Helsinki Jokers featuring the Flying Flips have had a bit of a busy week since we last updated. Jokerit played Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. First, they took out HIFK 4-2. Val scored the game’s first goal and then added an empty-netter to salt it for Jokerit. Then on Friday, they took out Tappara 5-3. Filppula added another goal and an assist in this match with a Teemu Pulkkinen assist thrown in for good measure. Yesterday, he did the same thing in an overtime win over Lukko. Overall, Fil has nine points in seven games with four of them being goals. He also boasts a +6 rating and plays about 24 minutes a night.
Games this Week: Jokerit plays Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Wednesday, they meet the Aces. Friday and Saturday is a home-and-home series against the Pelicans with Antti Niemi.
Jakub Kindl
HC Pardubice (Extraliga)
Kindl’s squad has won two straight games since we last Czeched on them. Kindl sat out Friday’s 3-1 victory over Vitkovice with what appears to be the same groin injury that kept him out of Tuesday’s game. He was back for the 6-2 stomping of Liberec, but managed to get a -1 rating on the day. Kindl has played six games for Pardubice and has been on the ice for one goal going the right way. The six goals into his own net have him at a -5 rating. I’ve seen bits and pieces of his games. Kindl isn’t playing badly, but he’s not particularly standing out.
Games this Week: On Tuesday, Pardubice gets a rematch with Vitkovice, then play Comet Brno on Friday and Sparta Prague on Sunday
Damien Brunner
EV Zug (Swiss National League A)
EV Train (Zug) played on Friday and Saturday, winning 3-1 against SC Bern first thanks to Brunner’s second period game-winner and then winning 3-2 in a shootout against Fribourg-Gotteron the next day. Brunner was kept off the scoreboard on Saturday, but still leads the team in points with 11 in his 9 games (tied with Linus Omark, who has the same stats line of 4G 7A, but in two more games). Brunner also has never met a shot on goal he didn’t like, averaging nearly 5 per match.
Games this Week: Zug plays Monday against HC Davos (Joe Thornton & Rick Nash’s team), followed by games on Friday against HC Lugano (Luca Sbisa, Glen Metropolit), and Saturday against Rapperswil-Jona (Jason Spezza and David Aebischer).
Jan Mursak
Olimpija Ljubljana (Eishockey Liga, Slovenia)
Trying to dig up the data on Mursak’s games in Slovenia is a bit difficult. Provided Google Translate hasn’t let me down, Mursak has played 4 games with his Slovenian team, racking up 10 assists in two wins, a loss, and a shootout loss.
Games this Week: Olimpija plays on Friday and Sunday this week. Hopefully Mursak can find the net in one of these two games.
Tomas Tatar
SHK 37 Piestany (Slovak Extraliga)
Tatar scored 5G and 5A in his 8 games with Piestany, which included a two-goal and one-assist night on Sunday. He’s set to rejoin the Grand Rapids Griffins before their Friday season opener against the Milwaukee Admirals. Based on his Tweet from Friday that he had played his last home game with his Slovak league team, I’m guessing he’s heading back to Grand Rapids before Piestany plays their Tuesday home game.
