An injury-depleted Avangard Omsk team lost their fourth straight game yesterday (and sixth in their last seven), falling 3-1 to Khimik Voskresensk. The loss dropped them six points behind Kharlamov Division-leading Yaroslavl Lokomotiv and into 10th place in the 24-team KHL. A visibly frustrated Jaromir Jagr was held pointless, and took two third period cross checking penalties. After the game, the dejected Czech spoke to Igor Kakurin of Championat.ru about what the team has been going through.

- As far as I understand, Jaromir, now is probably the most critical point of the season for Avangard. You’ve lost six of the last seven matches, but ahead is an entire seven home games in which it is possible to correct the situation…

- (Jagr looks with a sort of vacant stare, as if trying to figure out what he should say).

- What do you think about what’s happening with the team?

- (pause). Hmmm… (he speaks very slowly). I think… I see that this is absolutely a bad time for us. All of us. After Alexei [Cherepanov's] death we… We lost thirteen more players from the roster… Injured. It…

- Nobody could anticipate this. It could not be expected…

- Yes, I know that. Everyone knows. But… but when you lose thirteen players from the starting roster — it’s just not right. You can’t overcome that. But you know, there’s no one for you… no one to help us. No one, but yourself. We ourselves must get through it. Hope that the injured guys return, and we can… you know… we can get back to our game. [That] we can play better hockey.

- Right now you simply look shocked. You’re not yourself.

- It is quite difficult. It wouldn’t be easy for anyone. Nobody likes to lose. And I don’t like it. And for me this is very hard. But I can only have faith that we’ll get through all this, through these defeats, and that we’ll win.

- Watching you on the ice, the impression was that you play some moments alone — for yourself, and by yourself for everyone, for your team.

- That happens again and again (grinning nervously). I know that I have to continue to fight and believe that it will help everything get back on the right course. To have faith that we’ll recover. You see, when everything, absolutely everything, goes completely badly — you search, you try to find at least something good. You fight to find something. But what else can you do?

- During your entire career, did you ever encounter anything like what is happening to you now?

- I don’t know. Maybe… (pause). No, I don’t imagine I have. I don’t remember anything like this. Maybe, sometime long ago… I don’t know. But even if there was something like this, this is one of the hardest situations in my life. That is for sure.

- So what do you think about the upcoming series of home games. Coach Fleming just said at the press conference that he’s optimistic about them and expects the return of several of the injured players to the team right away…

- I hope for that very much. We need each one of them on the roster. Need them very much. I hope that it will be so.

- In the absence of so many of your players from the roster — what has happened with your teammate Pavel Rosa, who did not play today against Khimik?

- I don’t know. I simply don’t know.

- Rosa and one more Avangard forward, [Alexei] Kopeikin, played in Astana against Barys, but did not travel with the team to the match with Khimik, and have already turned up in Omsk. For what reason?

- Yes. Some sort of problems [have arisen], but I don’t know [what they are].

- As for all of these defeats…

- We don’t score goals, that is the problem. Through all of this — we have opportunities, but we do not score. We score one or two. But this is not enough to win games. Everyone understands, that to win it’s necessary to score at least four or five goals. But with one or two, it’s hard to win. But we can’t score more than one or two. That’s the problem, you know?… (pauses). I have to go now.

- Thank you. Good luck!

- (he nods, barely visibly, makes his way to the door which is opened and behind which is a crowd of Voskresensk boys, and in the distance is the bus with the team that awaits Jagr…)

Avangard head coach Wayne Fleming would not comment on the situation with Rosa or Kopeikin, but Rosa’s agent told Champtionat today that he’s under the impression his client’s contract with the Omsk club will be terminated, though neither he nor Rosa himself, who assured Championat that he’s completely healthy, have been provided any details as to why. The team did receive a boost when top center Anton Kuryanov returned, donning the captain’s “C” in place of Alexander Svitov, who’ll remain out for another six weeks following shoulder surgery.

Highlights from yesterday’s game are available from the KHL, or you can watch the entire match at Sportbox.

Ranger prospect Evgeni Grachev scored each of the Brampton Battalion’s four goals on Sunday as the Troops tied a club record by earning their 14th straight victory, 4-2 over the Ottawa 67’s.  Grachev’s four goals ties a mark reached by seven players in club history, a group which includes teammate Cody Hodgson, the 10th overall pick by the Vancouver Canucks in last June’s NHL Entry Draft, who attained the feat just 10 days earlier.  Grachev is the first import player to hit the mark for the Battalion.

A full game wrap is available from the Battalion web site, which also notes that Grachev will play in both OHL games in the ADT Canada Russia Challenge, Nov. 20th in Guelph and 24th in St. Catherines, contradicting what Russian team coach Sergei Nemchinov told Championat.ru last week.

UPDATE: In an interview for TV channel Sport on Sunday (as reported by Allhockey.ru) Nemchinov updated the roster status for the Canada Russia Challenge for the Russian players who are playing in North American this season: “The hockey players playing in the Canadian hockey league will still play with us: three players in the first three matches - they are [Dmitri] Kugryshev, [Sergei] Ostapchuk, [Dmitri] Kulikov, and maybe [Yuri] Cheremetiev.  [Andrei] Loktionov, Grachev, [Sergei] Korostin will play against the team from the Ontario junior league. If we can solve the problem of insurance then [Nikita] Filatov, [Maxim] Mayorov and [Viatcheslav] Voynov will join us.  So the roster shapes up well.”

It took six tries but the Hartford Wolf Pack finally earned their first road win of the season on Sunday against the Lake Erie Monsters, thanks in large part to a two goal, two assist performance by P.A. Parenteau. The final score was 5-3, with the Pack scoring 5 of the last 6 goals in the game after falling behind 2-0 in the first period.

For the second consecutive game the Pack played a sluggish opening period, allowing the Monsters to out-hit and out-skate them in earning a 15-9 shot advantage.  It looked like special teams might once again cost them two points, after they surrendered the first marker of the game to Lake Erie on the Monsters’ very first power play opportunity while failing to cash in on their own first three attempts.  Monster defenseman Ray Macias got the goal, his first of the season, by swatting a deflected cross-slot pass out of mid-air and into the net at 9:29 of the first.

Lake Erie got their second goal just under five minutes later when Pack goaltender Miika Wiikman, making his 4th consecutive start, kicked the rebound of Chris Stewart’s blast from the right circle on to the waiting stick of an uncovered Peder Skinner on the left side.  Skinner had no problem putting the puck into the open side of the net for his first of the season, in only his second AHL game.

But the Pack got one back with just 30 seconds to go in the period when they converted on a 4-on-4.  Greg Moore got his fourth of the season and third in three games by battling for the rebound of Bobby Sanguinetti’s point shot while being checked by a Lake Erie defenseman.  The goal proved to be the momentum-changer in the game.

Hartford returned from the locker room a different team and carried the play early in the second.  Their efforts finally paid off at 7:31 when Artem Anisimov rushed the puck up the right wing boards and poked a pass past a Monster defender to a breaking Brodie Dupont, who slid a low shot past Lake Erie goaltender Jason Bacashihua.

It looked like their strong play might be for naught when the Monsters re-took the lead on only their second shot of the period, a snap shot by Kyle Cumisky that deflected off a Pack defender and over Wiikman’s glove at 11:51.

But the Wolf Pack rallied to tie the game three minutes later when Michael Sauer’s wrist shot from the right point was deflected by Patrick Rissmiller right on to the stick of Parenteau, who was parked alone off the left post.  Parenteau had plenty of time to settle the puck, freeze Bacashihua, and pick his spot.

Then, with just 23 seconds remaining in the period, Sanguinetti slapped a rolling puck past Bacashihua from the center point, giving the Pack the 4-3 lead.  Hartford outshot the Monsters 13-3 in the period.

Lake Erie’s best opportunity of the third period came in the opening minute when they hit the crossbar while Dale Weise sat in the penalty box on a roughing call earned by jumping to Brian Fahey’s defense when Chris Durno hit him after the buzzer ended the second period.  The Monsters had few quality scoring chances, especially in the final five minutes of the game, when the Pack dominated puck possession and prevented the Monsters from pulling Bacashihua for the extra skater.  Lake Erie managed only 8 shots in the period to the Pack’s 15.

Parenteau put the icing on the cake with his second of the game at 11:51, one-timing a perfect cross-ice pass from Rissmiller past Bacashihua for Hartford’s second power play goal of the game.

A game recap and photo gallery are available at the Monster’s web site.

Notes:

• Parenteau has earned at least a point in each of his last six games (5g, 6a) and leads the team with 16 points (8g, 8a) in 14 games
• Moore has goals in three straight, and 4 in his last 5 games, after going 9 games without a goal to start the season
• With a goal and an assist today, Sanguinetti has 5 points (1g, 4a) in his last five games
• Anisimov’s two assists give him 7 points (1g, 6a) in his last 5 games and 13 points (2 mng, 11a) in 14 games on the season
• Lake Erie had lost 6 of their last 8 games and are 5-8-0-1 on the season, good for 5th in the North Division
• Today marked the first ever meeting between the two teams

Pack Scoring:
1. Moore (4) (Sanguinetti, Parenteau) 19:30
2. Dupont (3) (Anisimov) 7:31
2. Parenteau (7) (Rissmiller, Sauer) 14:54
2. Sanguinetti (2) (Parenteau, Anisimov) 19:37 (PP)
3. Parenteau (8) (Rissmiller, Potter) 11:51 (PP)

Lines:
Rissmiller - Moore - Parenteau
Dupont - Anisimov - Ford
Pyatt - Oullette - Owens
Soryal - Sugden - Weise

Potter - Sanguinetti
Denisov - Sauer
Graham - Fahey

Wiikman / Zaba

Three Stars:
1. Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau
2. Bobby Sanguinetti
3. Patrick Rissmiller

Photo: Brampton Battalion

Rangers prospect Evgeni Grachev will join Team Russia in Guelph, Ontario on November 20th as the Russian junior team faces a select team of Ontario Hockey League (OHL) stars as part of the ADT Canada Russia Challenge.  The annual tournament, in which the Russian junior squad faces all star teams comprised of players from the OHL, Western Hockey League (WHL) and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), serves as the final proving ground for players hoping to earn an invite to their country’s selection camp for the upcoming World Junior Championships, to be held this year in Ottawa beginning on December 26th.

According to Russian junior team head coach Sergei Nemchinov, the other Russians playing in North America this season who will join the Russian squad during the 6-game tournament include Nikita Filatov, Sergei Ostapchuk, Dmitri Kugryshev, Dmitri Kulikov, Andrei Loktionov, and possibly Sergei Korostin and Maxim Mayorov. All but Filatov and Mayorov are  playing in either the OHL or QMJHL this season.  Filatov and Mayorov, both part of the Columbus Blue Jackets system, are currently playing for Syracuse in the AHL.

“Ostapchuk and Kugryshev will participate in the first two games,” Nemchinov told Championat.ru.  “Kulikov will participate in the second game.  In the third - Grachev, Loktionov, Filatov and, most likely, Mayorov and Korostin.  In the fourth game - Loktionov, Filatov, Mayorov, and I don’t know about Korostin for the time being.  We don’t have a final answer on him.  And we’ll play the last two games with the roster that we bring from here.”  The roster Nemchinov will bring with him from Russia is available at the ADT Canada Russia Challenge web site.

Grachev, who plays for the Brampton Battalion in the OHL, has enjoyed a successful debut to his North American career so far this season, scoring at just under a point-a-game pace with 8 goals and 9 assists in 18 games.  He ranks third on his team in scoring and earlier this season put up a 10-game point scoring streak.  His team is currently in the midst of a 13-game winning streak that has vaulted them to the top of the standings in the OHL’s Central Division.

The Hartford Wolf Pack dropped their first ever game against the Grand Rapid Griffins on Friday by the final score of 3-2. Once again special teams and undisciplined play cost the Pack points, as they went 0-for-5 with the man advantage while surrendering two goals on seven Grand Rapids opportunities. With the loss, the Pack’s record dropped to 6-6-0-1, fourth in the AHL’s Atlantic Division.

Hartford struck first in the game, seconds short of the seven minute mark of the first period when P.A. Parenteau scored his team-leading 6th goal of the season off a snapshot from the slot after strong board work by Patrick Rissmiller and Artem Anisimov. The game was Rissmiller’s first for the Pack, after being sent to the club by the parent New York Rangers on a conditioning assignment on Wednesday.

A few more familiar faces joined the Pack lineup last night. Most notable among them was defenseman Michael Sauer, who returned after off-season reconstructive knee surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered in game two of the Pack’s first round playoff series with Portland last April. He was solid in his season debut, playing on the top defensive pairing with Corey Potter. Brian Fahey also made his return, having missed three games with a concussion that came as the result of an unpenalized elbow during the Wolf Pack’s Halloween match-up with Worcester. And rookie Dale Weise returned after missing one game with an undisclosed injury resulting from a collision with teammate Justin Soryal in a separate game against Worcester last Friday.

The Griffins had the better of scoring opportunities in the first, repeatedly beating Hartford defensemen one-on-one to break in on goaltender Miika Wiikman alone. A combination of sharp play by Wiikman and fortunate misplays and wide shots by Detroit’s farmhands allowed the Pack to retain the 1-0 lead until the final two minutes of the period, when a point shot pin-balled off at least one Pack defenseman before trickling past an unsuspecting Wiikman. When the buzzer sounded ending the period Grand Rapids held only a 10-8 lead in shots, but a wide edge in quality scoring opportunities.

But the Pack came out strong in the second and took the lead only a 1:05 into the period when Parenteau fed Greg Moore from behind the goal line to the left of the net. Moore made a nice move to cut across the crease and beat Griffins goaltender Jimmy Howard, a good friend and former teammate, on the far side.

The Pack were whistled for the first three penalties of the game, and the third one, an interference call on defenseman Ethen Graham, cost them when a screened blast from the top of the right circle by Darren Helm tipped off Wiikman’s glove and into the top corner of the net at 6:31. The two teams finished the period knotted at two, with the Griffins once again having the edge in shots, 13-9.

Despite earning four of the next six power play opportunities, the Pack were unable to re-take the lead, and would go on to finish the game 0-for-5 with the man advantage, dropping to 25th of the 29-team league on the power play. Their record on the PK is similarly dismal, having surrendered 2-in-7 in the game, and 16 goals in 86 attempts on the season, which ranks 22nd in the league.

Two of those power play opportunities for Grand Rapids started at 9:07 of the third period after Weise was whistled for goaltender interference and earned himself an extra two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct after disputing the referee’s decision too vehemently. Jakub Kindl scored the eventual game-winner midway through the second of the two minors to give the Griffins the 3-2 lead. The Pack got one more opportunity on the power play in the period, but it came with no results. Grand Rapids finished the period with a 7-5 edge in shots, for a final tally of 30-22.

Video highlights are available from AHL Live.  For the Grand Rapid’s view of the game, see MLive.com. The Hartford Courant offered no report on the game.

Notes:

• It was the first ever meeting of the two teams, and the first time the Griffins have ever faced and Atlantic Division foe.
• The Pack lead the league in penalty minutes per game with 29.4.
• Moore has goals in each of the past two games, and three in his last four

Pack Scoring:
1. Parenteau (6) (Rissmiller, Anisimov) 6:53
2. Moore (3) (Dupont, Parenteau) 1:05

Lines:
Rissmiller - Anisimov - Parenteau
Dupont - Moore - Weise
Owens - Pyatt - Ford
Soryal - Ouellette - Sugden

Potter - Sauer
Denisov - Sanguinetti
Graham - Fahey

Wiikman / Zaba

Three Stars:
1. Jakub Kindl
2. Darren Helm
3. Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau

In a press conference held earlier today the KHL announced that the results of the public prosecutor’s inquiry into the cause of Alexei Cherepanov’s death — which were originally scheduled to be released today — have been delayed so that additional medical personnel can study the case.

“The Office of the Public Prosecutor believes that further investigation into the death of Alexei Cherepanov is necessary,” KHL Vice President Vladimir Shalaev explained during the press conference. “They were not satisfied with the conclusion of the forensic examination. Representatives from other branches of medicine, who will analyze this case deeply and thoroughly, will be added to this group.”

“Because of this it is currently impossible to name the cause of Alexei Cherepanov’s death with certainty,” Shalaev continued. “However, it has already been established that fault was not found in either the first aid squad or the personnel of Avangard. They acted correctly and did everything they could. The absence of the ambulance and necessary equipment were not found to be a direct causal effect of Alexei’s death.”

Shalaev added that punishment handed out to those who were found to be responsible for the lack of appropriate medical equipment — namely the director of the Vityaz hockey club and the director of the arena in Chekhov, both of whom have been removed from their positions and banned from future work with the league — would not be rescinded. “That does not mean that disciplinary penalties will be removed from the people who admitted negligence,” he concluded.

The full results of the investigation are now expected to be released at the end of the month.

UPDATE: An expanded version of the KHL’s press release was put out later in the day, including an English version which was sent to various media outlets in North America.  See Yahoo! Sports for the AP’s write-up.  That release also included details of the medical examinations performed on the 67 KHL players who are 19-years old and younger.  Of note is Shalaev’s comment that “one or two young hockey players may have significant health concerns and may have to change their careers”, contradicting what a director at the center that performed the medical exams said earlier in the week.

Avangard Omsk lost to Novosibirsk Sibir on Thursday, an empty-netter capping off the scoring at 4-1. Jaromir Jagr was held scorless despite a strong performance.

Off the ice, Avangard president Konstantin Potapov contradicted comments made to ESPN by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, in which Daly claimed that multiple requests for parental authorization to release Alexei Cherepanov’s medical records had been “ignored”. According to Potapov, the first contact the club or the family had received on the matter came only on Monday. “The request addressed to the Cherepanov family only came to the club on Monday morning,” Potapov told Soviet Sport. “We tried as quickly as possible to prepare Alexei’s father’s response with consent for disclosure of the results of the medical examination, had it certified by a notary public and last night [Tuesday] sent the letter to the NHL. Before Monday, no documents were received from overseas!”

It’s hard to believe a month has passed since Cherepanov collapsed and died in the Moscow suburb of Chekhov. Harder still to believe that the KHL and NHL can’t put aside their differences long enough to work together efficiently — and without posturing and finger-pointing — on this one particular issue.

The report on the investigation into Cherepanov’s death was originally scheduled for Friday. There’s been no indication to suggest the delay in getting Cherepanov’s medical records from North America would change that.

During the recent break in the KHL schedule, all players age 19 and younger were required to report to the Roszdrava Medical-Rehabilitation Center in Moscow, where they underwent comprehensive medical examinations said to be similar to those a Russian cosmonaut would be subjected to. As reported in the North American press, after the first three days of testing, 5 out of the 49 players examined were found to have heart problems. But, the director of the sports rehabilitation department at the center, Vladimir Preobrazhensky, explained that none of the issues detected up to that point were expected to be prevent the players from continuing their careers.

“We have examined 49 people,” Preobrazhensky explained to Soviet Sport. “A catastrophic pathology was not detected in any of them. Five have problems with their heart, but they can be resolved. Some of the boys have to undergo treatment, some have to pass a deeper and more prolonged examination.” But Preobrazhensky emphasized that none of the issues were considered career-threatening. “I repeat, there were no abnormalities which would cause the hockey players to end their career.”

The full report on the results for all 67 players who were tested is also expected on Friday.

Jaromir Jagr’s agent, Jaroslav Zidek, has denied rumors in the Russian press that his client, distraught over the death of teammate Alexei Cherepanov, is considering breaking his contract with Avangard Omsk. “It’s a common groundless rumor,” Zidek told Izvestia on Sunday. “Jarda is not thinking about a departure from Russia and has not discussed this topic with the management of Avangard. Yes, Cherepanov’s death threw him into shock, after all, they were friends. But that is no grounds by which to tear up a contract.”

He went on to explain that Jagr’s recent return to the Czech Republic during the KHL’s scheduled break for the Karjala Cup, the first stage of the IIHF-sponsored Euro Hockey Tour, was pre-arranged with the team. “By agreement with the club he left for the Czech Republic during the time of the Karjala Cup, but he already returned to Omsk on Friday.”

Zidek also denied that Avangard is struggling financially and has been unable to pay his client’s salary, a rumor propagated by the Ottawa Citizen yesterday. “The information that Avangard is experiencing financial difficulties and withholds my client’s salary is also a lie. So far Jagr has received all promised money on time.”

Jagr and Avangard return to the ice tomorrow against rival Sibir Novosibirsk.  

Sport Express has published an interview with Nikolai Zherdev’s agent, former Soviet goaltender Alexander Tyzhnykh, who is in Camrose, Albert this week for the 2008 World Junior A Challenge.

Alexander Tyzhnykh: “I don’t rule out, that Zherdev will come to Russia”
11/07/2008
Alexander Shapiro from Camrose

His agent, the guardian of the forward through the entire stretch of his “adult” career, shared his opinion regarding the performance of Nikolai Zherdev this season.

- With what do you link the progress in Nikolai’s game?

- In my opinion, Kolya always played in roughly the same manner.  But for some reason many had a negative opinion about him.  They said he is too inconsistent.  His any fault or unsuccessful game would not go unnoticed.  Some problems are and were present, but believe me, they exist in everyone.  Zherdev always was and remains a team player.

- But it’s just this season that he looks more impressive than ever.

- I think that one can explain his progress by the change of teams.  Plus, on the whole he has matured — it is already his fourth season in the NHL.  In the time he’s spent in North America, Zherdev himself has changed a lot, including his preparation for the season.  Although it seems to me that last season with the Blue Jackets, around New Year, he played even better than now.  It’s simply that at that time, fewer [people] talked about him, because he was there in Columbus, which is impossible to call a hockey Mecca.  In contrast to now when on Broadway Kolya is constantly in demand by journalists.  In general I always told everyone that Zherdev is a very talented player, one of the best amongst the Russians in the NHL.  Recently you saw his masterpiece goal, which he drove in 8 seconds before the end of the game in Madison Square Garden.  Only he could do something like that.  His goal in Chicago also comes to mind, when Zherdev still played for Columbus.  Nikolai picked up the puck behind his own goal, beat all five opponents and scored on Khabibulin.

- How can one explain the fact that Zherdev was formerly never noted for a good plus-minus rating, but currently is the best in the NHL in that statistic?

- His current club is of a much higher class than Columbus.  This, of course, is not only to Nikolai’s merit  — the Rangers have begun the season well.  The New York club’s confident game in many respects was influenced by their departure for Europe and the matches with the Swiss club Bern and Magnitogorsk.  It gave the team a serious boost at the start of the regular season.

- Trades are always stressful for a player, but Zherdev got accustomed to his new place at once…

- Yes, though any trade is not easy, especially since Kolya had gotten accustomed to the living conditions in Columbus.  I’ll note, that in the last year he had begun to more or less express himself in English.  On the Blue Jackets, Hitchcock constantly demanded that his forwards give special attention to defense.  On the Rangers Zherdev often works in the back end, and one must say, does so well enough.  In general, the Broadway team plays more dynamic hockey, which is closer to Nikolai’s.  But in the meantime he is getting used to New York.  Playing here is complicated: fans can love you and hate you.  All this forces a hockey player to work with complete dedication.  To sum up what I’ve said, I think that the trade to New York has come out only to Zherdev’s advantage.

- At one time, Zherdev was helped in adapting to America by well-known former hockey player for Krylja Sovetov, Sergei Kharin.  Was that beneficial?

- Kharin was employed by our initiative.  We understood that in the beginning it was necessary for Nikolai to have a Russian-speaking person in the club.  When Sergei Fedorov was in Columbus, the necessity for Kharin disappeared, but we are grateful to him for the work he did.

- On his former club Zherdev worked with the well-known coach Hitchcock, now with Renney, and at the start of his career, with the inexperienced Gallant.  What can you say about each expert?

- Each of them has brought their own contributions to Nikolai’s development.  His first Russian trainer Ravil Iskhakov played a huge role in his destiny as well.  Gallant was a beginner, but in the past a pretty good goal scorer, therefore he gave a lot of attention to the attack.  Hitchcock — on work without the puck, to activities on defense. He was the first who trusted him to play shorthanded.  And Nikolai handled that excellently.  Renney is a very friendly person.  But right now its difficult to draw any serious conclusions about him because the season has only just begun.  When the team wins everyone and everything is fine.  But there will be unsuccessful games.  We’ll see what happens then.

- In a big city such as New York is it easier for a player to shine?

- It’s hard to say.  There hockey is very much loved and well understood.  At the same time it’s necessary to take into account the fact that in New York the press has an enormous impact on what is going on in the club.  If in Columbus after a game hockey players are approached by 2-3 representatives of the media, in New York there are thirty.  I think that it is most difficult to play in three cities — New York, Toronto and Montreal.  There is a good example with the great goalkeeper Patrick Roy.  In his last match for Montreal against Detroit he gave up ten goals.  After the next shot from the red line Roy caught the puck and received a loud applause from the fans. After that he left his goal, telling the coach and management that he will no longer play for the Canadiens.  And this was the legendary goalkeeper who won the Stanley Cup with Montreal!  Now, it’s true, all resentment is forgotten, and this season his sweater will be hung under the rafters of the Montreal arena.

- On what can Zherdev still improve?

- Recently I heard an interview with Renney where he said that Nikolai needs to be more focused on the goal, to shoot more often.

- What do they say and write about Zherdev’s game in New York?

- So far there have been positive reviews about him from the coaching staff and personnel.  In one of Zherdev’s last games he was recognized as the first star, he gave two assists and scored the winning goal.  Journalists are astonished by his play.  Nobody expected that Kolya would fit in with the team so quickly.  Renney has publicly stated that Zherdev is an excellent player and that he is happy to have such a skilled player on his team.

- In the last year of their active contract many hockey players show their best play.  Is it possible that the reason for his successful performance is that next summer he needs to sign a new contract?

- For now he’s not thinking about the new season.  His dream is to win the Stanley Cup.  That said, I do not rule out the possibility of his coming to Russia.

On Friday night against the Worcester Sharks Lauri Korpikoski scored his first goal of the season for the Hartford Wolf Pack. He followed that up on Saturday by scoring three more, including the overtime game winner with just 4.1 seconds remaining on the clock to lead the Pack to a 4-3 victory over the rival Springfield Falcons.

The game didn’t start well for the Pack, who were outshot 12-5 in the first period and gave their opponents four power play opportunities in the frame while earning only two of their own.  But timely penalty killing and strong play by goaltender Miika Wiikman allowed them to escape the period with the score still knotted at 0-0.

The Wolf Pack got a wake up call four minutes into the second period when defenseman Vladimir Denisov went after Springfield defender Bryan Young after Young delivered a crushing hit on P.A. Parenteau as he skated down the right wing boards with the puck.  Denisov delivered a few early blows, but ultimately the bout ended as a draw.  But his willingness to stand up for his teammate — yet again — was not unnoticed by his teammates and the entire squad picked up their intensity level afterwards.

The Pack were forced to kill off two more penalties before they got on the board at 12:14 with an outstanding individual effort by Greg Moore, who won an extended battle for the puck along the boards behind the net, skated out into the high slot, turned and fired a wrist shot past Springfield goaltender Devan Dubnyk.

But the Pack’s lead would be short-lived.  Off the resulting face off the Falcons pinned the Pack in the defensive zone and Gilbert Brule, all alone off the left post, was able to pick up the rebound of a Carl Corazzini shot and put the puck in the open side of the net, tying the score at one.

Korpikoski got his first of the game with just over two minutes remaining in the period when the rebound of a sharp angle shot by Jordon Owens, who returned after missing three games with an abdominal injury, came right to him in the slot for the easy put-away.  Owens’ initial shot came as the result of a another strong rush by Moore, who appears to be picking up his play after a slow start.

The goal allowed the Pack, who’ve struggled in the middle frame this season, to finish the second period with a 2-1 advantage on the scoreboard, after outshooting the Falcons by a margin of 12-10.

But the lead would only stand for 38 seconds in the third period.  Wiikman, who’s been the only reason the Pack have earned a number of their wins so far this season, gave Worcester the tying goal after he tripped over his own skates and fell down while playing the puck behind his net.  Springfield winger Liam Reddox was there to pick up the puck and circle around the front of the net for the easy goal.

The Wolf Pack showed good resiliency, scoring on a power play 1:11 later when Korpikoski blasted a one-time slap shot past Dubnyk from the right point.  But they gave it back at 9:04 of the period when, with Parenteau in the box for boarding, Moore fanned on a clearing attempt, allowing the Falcons to trap a tired penalty killing unit on the ice.  On his third such attempt Robbie Schremp finally found Brule with a cross-slot pass and Brule was able to put the puck in the open side of the net for his second of the game.

The two teams would play a fairly conservative second half of the third period, and finish regulation time locked at three.  In the extra frame the Pack showed a level of offensive intensity previously unseen in the game, outshooting Springfield by an 8-0 margin.  Parenteau, Artem Anisimov and Korpikoski all had good opportunities to end the game in overtime, but it wasn’t until 4.1 seconds remained that Korpikoski was able to beat Dubnyk with another blistering slapper from top of the right circle, sending the 6,472 in attendance home happy and putting the Pack back over the 500 mark with a 6-5-0-1 record.

Video highlights from the game are available from AHL Live.

Notes:

• Dale Weise missed the game after sustaining an undisclosed injury in a collision with teammate Justin Soryal during Friday’s game
• Dane Byers will undergo surgery on his ACL on Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the regular season
• Mike Sauer’s recovery from ACL surgery continues on schedule and he could be return in the next week or two.
• Korpikoski has 6 points in 4 games since being sent down to Hartford by the Rangers

Pack Scoring:
2. Moore (2) (Soryal, Owens) 12:14
2. Korpikoski (2) (Owens, Moore) 17:44
3. Korpikoski (3) (Potter, Sanguinetti) 1:49 (PP)
OT. Korpikoski (4) (Parenteau, Urquhart) 4:55

Lines:
Owens - Korpikoski - Moore
Dupont - Anisimov - Parenteau
Soryal - Pyatt - Ford
DiDiomete - Ouellette - Sugden

Potter - Urquhart
Denisov - Sanguinetti
Murray - Graham

Wiikman / Zaba

Three Stars:
1. Lauri Korpikoski
2. Miika Wiikman
3. Gilbert Brule