Voronkov decided to stay in America
Yes, the match at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus turned out to be enchanting. The opponent is also Boston, the best club in the Atlantic division. Well, the Blue Jackets are in second-to-last place in the East and may not be dreaming of the playoffs just yet.
Already in the first period, the cannon exploded – there is such a tradition when a goal is scored in a Columbus home match. It was the Russian giant Dmitry Voronkov who broke into the “patch” and, after several attempts, finally put the puck in the goal. The Bruins’ defenders can be understood: they are trying to stop a two-meter guy whose weight exceeds a hundredweight and who is also mobile and moves at breakneck speed.
Voronkov has already scored 10 points (4 goals + 6 assists) in 17 matches this season. It was reported that Dmitry was so homesick that he decided to return from Columbus to Ak Bars. even interviewed the Russian representative of the 23-year-old hockey player, and Alexander Chernykh told us that Voronkov’s desire was greatly exaggerated. Yes, the blues have set in, but they are not sitting on their suitcases.
And after the match, the player’s American agent, JP Berry, in place of the laconic Voronkov, declared that his client had “changed his desires to leave for Russia 180 degrees”: “He decided to stay after having discussed with Blue Jackets players and staff. “Everyone supported him, and even his friends and family advised him to stay.”
In fact, Voronkov’s NHL prospects are promising. And it would be strange to ruin such a career as soon as it takes off. It is quite possible that Dmitry will eventually become our Russian Eric Lindros – a dinosaur on skates who scores goals and no one can stop him.
Provorov ended up in Columbus
The second goal against Boston was scored by 26-year-old Ivan Provorov after the break. While Voronkov blocked the goalie’s view, the Blue Jackets defenseman fired a magnificent wrist shot.
Provorov also has his own story. His career also suffered a setback as his years in Philadelphia led to stagnation. Last season, Vanya scored 27 points (6+21) in 82 matches with a score of -17. It was clear that Provorov had no special prospects there, it was a very weak team. Additionally, there was a scandal when the Russian defender refused to go out to warm up in a rainbow jersey.
Ivan went to Columbus and restarted his career there. Now, he already has 14 points (2+12) in 23 matches with an advantage of “-3”. The statistics have doubled. He himself occupies third place among the club’s top scorers, behind Zach Werenski (1+14=15) and Boone Jenner (11+5=16). In general, everything is fine with our player now.
“We showed a good game as a team,” Provorov said. — We were quick, we acted strongly. We know how to play and today we made good decisions on the ice, playing to our strengths. »
And then he added: “Maybe we didn’t spend the first five minutes the way we wanted. But then we played them fast. We were physically ready for it and were able to play our game against Boston.
Chinakhov scored like a Russian Rocket
Columbus’ third goal late in the period was scored by Egor Chinakhov, for whom it was his second goal of the season. When Boston launched a massive attack, Chinakhov intercepted the puck and ran away from three opponents at once, beating the goalkeeper at high speed. This goal is reminiscent of the way Russian forward Pavel Bure, nicknamed the Russian Rocket, treated competitors on the ice.
Chinakhov, 22, is playing in Columbus for the third season. His best result so far is 14 points (7+7) in 62 games in the 2021/22 season. On the one hand, Egor has long been a promising prospect. He rushed to leave Avangard after the championship season in 2021 and was not immediately ready for the NHL. On the other hand, Chinakhov was constantly hampered by injuries.
But his spectacular goal, which became the match winner, showed us: Chinakhov has potential. The paradox is that Egor has an excellent wrist shot, but in 12 matches this season, he has only shot on target 16 times, scoring 4 points (2+2). Chinakhov needs to shoot more, using his advantage, and then the goals will come.
Marchenko returned to his level
The third period began with Kirill Marchenko hitting the Boston goal while Columbus was on the power play. The 23-year-old forward expertly finished when the puck bounced towards him.
Marchenko is also going through difficult days. He was a revelation for Columbus last season, scoring 21 goals in 59 games and adding four assists. His shot conversion (16.0%) looked very solid and Kirill proved to be a born marksman.
But in this championship, Marchenko’s goals did not come immediately. At one point, the Columbus head coach even benched him. But Kirill returned, and now his 13 points (7+6) in 21 matches give hope that the Russian will have a strong and brilliant season.
When Marchenko was told that for the first time in the history of the NHL, four Russian hockey players had scored for a team in a single game, he reacted as follows: “It’s very cool, a good memory for us, for all Russian guys. It gives us confidence and makes the game more fun. It’s important to us. We had a great victory today. »
Even the Russian Five didn’t do this!
Interestingly, we even got to see five goals from different Russians. After all, in the middle of the third period, Justin Danforth, who played in the KHL and was in a very good position with Vityaz, scored. And this club is headed by general director Igor Varitsky, Marchenko’s father-in-law.
If Vityaz had supported the modern trend in the KHL, according to which foreigners are issued Russian passports, and Danforth had been naturalized, then Columbus’s Russian record would have seemed absolutely incredible.
But this achievement is also astonishing. Throughout history, 265 Russian field players have played in the NHL, from Alexander Ovechkin to Mikhail Kravets, as well as 23 Russian goaltenders.
Nearly three hundred. In some NHL teams, entire Russian diasporas were created at the same time. And in the 90s, the Russian Five played for Detroit, where Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Vyacheslav Fetisov and Vladimir Konstantinov shone.
But this has never happened before in an NHL game where four Russians from one club scored at the same time.
And it is symbolic at a time when the NHL decided in February 2025 to organize an international tournament without the participation of Russia. Our Columbus players showed by organizing a Russian festival in Ohio what strength Russian hockey players represent in the coolest league in the world. Of course, if the goal is to hold a serious ranking tournament, the Russian team cannot be ignored.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
