On Friday, May 6, at 16:15 Moscow time, the main hockey event of the season for Russian fans starts - the home world championship. The World Cup will take place only next season. Therefore, all the eyes of hockey fans are focused on Moscow and St. Petersburg. Oleg Znarok's team will play the matches of the first stage of the world forum in the capital, having tested Sweden, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Latvia, Norway, Denmark and Kazakhstan.

Twice Russia hosted the Ice World Cup - in 2000 and 2007. The first time the dream team failed miserably, and the second time they won bronze medals. Now there are all the prerequisites for Oleg Znark's wards, following the Swedes, to debunk the myth about the curse of the home world championship.

Ice Hockey World Cup 2016. Schedule of all matches with the participation of the Russian national team

Group stage

the 6th of May
Czech Republic - Russia. 20:15
May 8
Kazakhstan - Russia. 12:15
9th May
Latvia - Russia. 16:15
12 May
Russia - Denmark. 20:15
May 14
Russia - Switzerland. 16:15
16th of May
Russia - Norway. 16:15
May 17
Russia - Sweden. 20:15

The play-off matches will take place on May 19 (quarter-finals), 21 (semi-finals) and 22 May (finals), respectively.

Who is on the right

The main question that arises before every world championship is whether Russia will be able to gather the best of the best into the national team. There are no special problems with those guys who play in the KHL. In the overwhelming majority, they not only agree to come to the national team, but also do not hide the fact that this is a great honor for them. The exception to the rule this spring was only Alexander Radulov, who skipped the first days of the planned training camp, spending them on negotiations with NHL clubs. It would seem that the player has no desire, why captivate him? Is there no one to replace?

It suddenly turned out that at the moment the strongest right winger is the former CSKA player. And in the first link with Sergey Mozyakin and Pavel Datsyuk, the coaching staff sees him. This position is also played by Nikita Kucherov and Vladimir Tarasenko, who can make our team the most powerful in the tournament, but their teams are currently leading their series in the second round of the Stanley Cup. The absence of Nail Yakupov in the extended application is also not encouraging - for the second time in a row he retires due to injury just before the start of the World Cup. This experienced hockey player plays just right.

Will Ovechkin come

But Washington lost in the fourth match of the series with Pittsburgh. Three Russians play for the "capital" at once - Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov, and reserve places are kept for them. But Evgeni Malkin, even if the Penguins are defeated (which looks unlikely with a 3-1 score in the series), will not go to the national team from the Capitals. Injured Artem Anisimov - another center forward playing in the NHL. He had a superb season with Chicago amid fantastic chemistry with Artemi Panarin. Unfortunately, he will not be able to compete at the World Championships.

For a long time it was believed that in Russian hockey there were few players acting in the position of a center forward, but the progress of Kuznetsov, Vadim Shipachev, the arrival of Datsyuk, Alexander Burmistrov and Sergey Kalinin to the national team, who gained invaluable overseas experience, even with some reserve close this problematic place. Do not cause concern and the guys playing in the attack on the left. Panarin restores ties with Dadonov and Shipachev - with them he won the Gagarin Cup-2015. Mozyakin is the KHL's top scorer and is in excellent physical and psychological condition. In company with Datsyuk, he represents an incredibly formidable force. And the potential arrival of Ovechkin fills this mess with such oil, from which the coach of any of our future rivals will become ill.

Bob and Sorokin: at the gates of the national team - concrete

Although Semyon Varlamov also did not get into the preliminary application due to an injury (not the first one already in the season, problems with the groin tortured the guard of the Colorado goal), there are no fears for the goalkeeper line. Sergey Bobrovsky spent the end of the NHL championship, as well as the preparatory period in the national team, at the highest level. He is the absolute number one. 20-year-old Ilya Sorokin has shown truly phenomenal progress over the past two seasons, becoming the first number of CSKA and the format of the team that played at the Eurotour stages. In general, Rashid Davydov, who deals with the goalkeeping issue, should not have a headache. Igor Shesterkin, who ended up third in this company, has already noted that he will not be upset if he fails to play. Everyone understands that the first couple we have is in perfect order.

Photo: Dmitry Korotaev / Kommersant

Fusion of youth and experience

The average age of the defenders, whose names were announced by the coaching staff the day before, is 26 years. By and large, Dmitry Orlov, who is not particularly brilliant in the Stanley Cup playoffs (averaging 13 minutes per game, 5th among defensemen,), will not become a key player in defensive formations. At the moment, the defense line looks like this: Denisov - Zaitsev, Emelin - Voinov, Chudinov - Belov. There is also Alexei Marchenko and the likely Orlov. Dmitry, by the way, may start up in a new environment. In the meantime, the national team has “army” pairs, assembled according to the club principle. Quite a good option: the defenders spent the season together, they are well versed on the European site, they feel each other. It was not difficult for Denisov and Zaitsev to join the Znark scheme, which required movement and pressure. In CSKA, there have been no problems with this for a long time. Well, because of Emelin and Voinov, who had rich North American experience, who played together in one of the matches against the Finns, there was no need to grab hold of validol.

prospects

Objectively, the group of the Russian national team was frankly lucky. The best Swedes playing in the NHL, for various reasons, refused to travel to the national team. A big loss, mindful of the triumph of "tre krunur" in Stockholm, is the absence of the Sedin brothers. There are no stars of the first magnitude from across the ocean at the disposal of Per Morts. With all due respect to Denmark, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Norway and Switzerland, Znarka's wards should come out in first place. And here it is in cold calculation. Canada, USA, Finland, who are likely to take the first three places in group B, are extremely undesirable opponents in the quarterfinals.

Canada and Finland can equally be considered our main competitors. They have enough strengths. The Finns demonstrated this not so long ago by beating the Russians twice in the Eurotour. Kari Jalonen gathered a squad aimed at the attack. For once, we have a chance to see at a major international tournament not a viscous and viscous team from Suomi, but a perky and young one, playing sharp-attacking hockey and acting reliably on defense.

The Americans traditionally carry an experimental line-up, flavored with players from the student league and the AHL. On the one hand, it's a cat in a poke. On the other hand, we are already used to the fact that they don’t call anyone under the Stars and Stripes banners, getting into the top 4 for John Hines is a necessary minimum.

Killer Canada

All the characteristics of the Finnish team should be multiplied by three to understand what kind of attack the head coach of the Maple Leaves, Bill Peters, brought to Russia. The composition of Canadians is impressive. Talented youngsters who are already at the forefront of their clubs are spiced up by elite masters Matt Duchain and Corrie Perry. Brad Marchand, who has earned a reputation as one of the NHL's main provocateurs, will bring a special peppercorn to the team's game. He is able to create a scoring chance out of nothing, and in the next shift to catch an opponent with an extremely rough power hold and send him to the hospital. Well, Connor McDavid, Max Domi, Mark Stone, Mark Scheifli and the same Sam Reinhart will become elite players in the near future. The attention of all fans, specialists and journalists is already riveted to McDavid. He is destined for a great future. He is truly a unique player.

But with all the brilliance of the attack (here it is also necessary to mention Derek Brassard and Ryan O'Reilly), the defense line is bewildering, and at the gate they are not the best. Calvin Picard during the season, of course, received flattering reviews from Patrick Roy and in the future should win back the place of the first number of the Colorado from Varlamov. However, now he and Talbot do not look like the strongest tandem in the tournament. On defense, there are only two players who appear in their teams in the first pair - Ryan Murray and Morgan Riley. But this is Columbus and Toronto. However, all the layouts for the playoffs are a matter of a very distant future.

For now, Russian fans will have to follow the development of the team's game, expect news from across the ocean and believe that our team will win the home world championship on the third attempt.

“Passion for Ovechkin” is a traditional theme that precedes all world championships without exception. No matter how the situation develops, one cannot recall the case when Alexander the Great refused to go to the national team. He is ready now, no questions asked. Another thing is that the national team seems to need it less than ever, suggests AiF.ru.

Three vacancies

The Russian national team will play its first match at the World Cup on May 5 against the main competitor in the group stage, as expected: the Swedish team. To participate in the tournament, you can declare 25 hockey players: 3 goalkeepers and 22 field players. On the eve of the start of the tournament, the coaching staff of the national team announced that 19 field players will take part in the first matches: 7 defenders and 12 forwards. Three places remain free. It is clear that in anticipation of overseas results.

The fight for the Stanley Cup, the main prize of the NHL season, is continued by 8 teams, and 9 Russians play in 5 of them: Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov("Washington"), Evgeni Malkin(Pittsburgh) Pavel Buchnevich("Rangers") Ivan Barbashev, Vladimir Tarasenko, Nail Yakupov("Saint Louis") Anton Slepyshev("Edmonton").

Curse of Washington

The Washington Capitals are the best team of the 2016/17 NHL regular season, the owner of the so-called President's Cup, which in the hierarchy of NHL prizes means virtually nothing. Alexander Ovechkin is the leader, the best player of the Washington Capitals, one of the main stars of the league and at the same time one of its main losers. In the sense that he only dreams of the Stanley Cup, but it doesn’t come into his hands. It seemed like he deserved it. But...

Since 1974, when the "capitals" settled in the NHL, they only once managed to get to the decisive matches for the Stanley Cup. In the 1997/98 season finale, Washington was opposed by Detroit, and nothing good will be remembered about this series in the capital of the States with all their desire: hopeless 0:4. Alexander Ovechkin was then 12 years old, and 7 years remained before his appearance in the NHL.

The Ovechkin era, which has been going on for 12 years, has not affected this eternal curse in any way: as soon as it comes to playoff matches, Washington seems to be let out of air. The first-second round of knock-out matches is the barrier that the team overcomes in good years and which it cannot cope with in bad years. Over the years, Ovi has won a myriad of personal prizes, but there is still no championship ring in his collection.

Positions in reserve

It is very likely that he will not appear this season either: “Washington” is inferior in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference to “Pittsburgh” with a score of 1:3. On the night of May 6-7 (the "backup options" in case the Capitals win in the fifth match - May 9 and 11), the series may end.

Fans of the Russian national team could only rejoice at this circumstance if it were not for the leak of information from circles close to the national team: none of the three free vacancies that the coaching staff Oleg Znarka holds for NHLers, not intended for Ovechkin. At least, a place in the line-up for him, as in previous years, is not guaranteed. Shock and Awe. Why?

There is an alternative

With all the greatness of Ovechkin, it is far from a fact that he looks better today than his competitors on the left flank of the attack, if we consider the first three links of the national team. Sergey Mozyakin, Artemy Panarin and Nikita Gusev- Candidates from among the "iron". They are in optimal shape (they managed to both rest after the club season and regain their condition while in the national team), the level of mutual understanding with partners is close to the maximum, their emotional state is normal.

There are no visible reasons to destroy simulated ties: in all three parameters, Ovechkin definitely loses the competition. The level of individual skill and experience is leveled by fatigue, which cannot be eliminated so quickly, and psychological emptiness (in case his “Washington” once again flies out of the grid).

Send Ovechkin to the fourth link? Such a decision will not suit anyone, including the striker himself. This option is not even considered in theory.

As an illustration, the words of Artemy Panarin, who, on the eve of his departure for the World Championship, explained very well here: “After the departure, the disappointment is too great, some kind of devastation sets in, and I don’t want to think about any hockey. It’s good that I had ten days of rest to recover.”

Competitors at the ready

Be that as it may, overseas events will have a direct impact on the formation of the national team: in any case, the coaching staff will make a decision on the composition, and it will not be easy. Most likely, along with the departure of “Washington” from the Stanley Cup, as soon as it does happen, defender Dmitry Orlov will take one of the free vacancies now. In defense, Oleg Znarok's team has significantly more problems than in attack, and the level of competition, if we break it down into all links, is lower.

Another candidate for elimination from the draw of the main NHL prize is St. Louis, which can delegate another attack line player, Vladimir Tarasenko, to the World Championship. Tarasenko has at least two advantages over Ovechkin: he is much younger (25 years old), and he is right-flanked. And exactly the same parameters are met by Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ovechkin's partner in Washington. On the right, there is no such competition as on the left edge. In fact, there are no irreplaceable ones. Here is such a nuance, which you will not immediately pay attention to. Until, as they say, does not press.

You need to understand that composition decisions are the holy of holies of the coaching profession. Talking about possible options from the outside, without taking into account the many nuances and comprehensive information that coaches have, you always run the risk of missing the mark. But how to remain silent if the question concerns such a magnitude as Alexander Ovechkin, and such a grandiose event as the Ice Hockey World Championship?

The match between the national teams of Russia and Denmark is from this opera. The beginning of the meeting, and the entire first period as a whole, turned out to be quite calm. The Russians, as expected, played the first number, and the Danes defended, and they did it successfully. Had a good moment Dadonova, but his shot from close range Sørensen beat off with a trap.

The second dvadtsatiminutka began with a lethal situation at the Danish gates. Andronov shot at Telegina, who had only to correctly adapt to the puck and deliver an accurate shot, but Ivan failed to do either one or the other. Wards Oleg Znarka pressed, and, in the end, their efforts were crowned with success. At the 35th minute Kiselevich received a pass from Panarina, threw from an average distance and opened the scoring. And here the Russians broke through. Literally fifteen seconds after the first goal, Plotnikov, being all alone at the gates of Sorensen, received a pass, outplayed the goalkeeper and sent the puck into the net. And a minute later, Gusev took advantage of the rebound from the goalkeeper and drove the projectile under the crossbar.

In the third period, nothing has changed significantly. The Russian team won with a score of 3:0 and topped the table of group A.

Znarok: he called Ovechkin to the national team even with an injury

The head coach of the Russian national team Oleg Znarok spoke about the victory over the Danes and explained why Alexander Ovechkin would not come to the 2017 World Cup.

Ovechkin will not come to the World Cup, Kuznetsov and Orlov will strengthen the national team

The captain of the Washington Capitals will not play in the 2017 World Hockey Championship for the Russian team. This was reported to the "Championship" in the press service of the national team.

Team Alexandra Ovechkina, Evgenia Kuznetsova And Dmitry Orlov The Washington Capitals lost 2-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins at home in the Eastern Conference semifinal series decider and lost 3-4 in the series.

Ovechkin will not be able to help the national team at the World Cup due to a lower body injury. The headquarters of the national team contacted three Russian players of "Washington", and they all agreed. However, Ovechkin, in an interview with coaches, said that he always came to the national team at the first call and is ready to do it now, but does not want to let the team down, as he finished the playoffs on painkillers.

Two other Russians from Washington, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov, will soon join the national team.

“It’s a pity for Sasha, but Kuznetsov and Orlov are a serious reinforcement for the national team”

Kucherov feels sorry for Ovechkin, Tretiak hopes for the health of Orlov and Kuznetsov, Panarin is happy for Vasilevsky, and Dadonov has not forgotten English.

norwegian gambit

The match between the teams of the Czech Republic and Norway turned out to be much more stubborn. Both teams failed to open an account in 60 minutes of regular time. As expected, the Czechs were much closer to this, throwing their opponents three times, but a real wall grew in their goal in the face of Lars Haugena. The former goalkeeper of Dynamo Minsk rescued his partners in the most incredible situations, and for a long time the Czech forwards did not understand how to break through the goalkeeper who had caught courage.

The first and only one who succeeded was the striker of Magnitogorsk Metallurg Jan Kovar. At the beginning of overtime, the Czechs fled to the counterattack 2 to 1. Yerzhabek led Pastrnak to a rendezvous with Haugen. The Boston forward failed to beat the goalkeeper, but managed to pick up the puck and give it to the oncoming Kovarzh. From the first time, he also failed to break through the goalkeeper, but Jan played on the rebound, and the puck literally crawled into the Norwegian gate. Thus, the Czech Republic won and came third in their group.

The French almost created a sensation again

In the main match of the day in the Paris group, the hosts of the tournament - the French team - hosted the Canadian team. And here are the wards Dave Henderson, who have already presented one sensation in the championship, having defeated the Finns, almost surprised the hockey community for the second time. The account, quite expectedly, was opened by the founders of hockey - did it Ryan O'Reilly. That's just further events began to develop not at all according to their plan. In the middle of the starting game segment Olivier Dame Malka leveled the position, and in the debut of the second period Damien Fleury and completely brought the Fifth Republic team forward. The French have successfully played too much.

The former goalkeeper of Dynamo Minsk rescued his partners in the most incredible situations, and for a long time the Czech forwards did not understand how to break through the goalkeeper who had caught courage.

The sensational score held almost until the second break, while Claude Giroud from transmission Chris Lee did not compare. At the beginning of the third period Mark-Eduard Vlasich, who recently arrived at the location of the Canadian team, upset for the third time Floriana Hardy. With this score, the game ended. Canada topped group B, but the French are only two points away from fourth place, which means that they still compete for the playoffs.

The implementation of the majority let Latvia down in the match with the Swedes

The national team of Latvia has managed to render worthy resistance to Swedes. Landeskog in the 10th minute he opened the scoring, and for a long time he kept in this form. Moreover, the Latvians had enough chances to equalize it. Team Bob Hartley twice had the advantage of 5 to 3, but could not realize it. At the beginning of the third period, the Swedish national team played in the minority for almost ten minutes, but Latvia had obvious problems with the extra play. Punished them Lindholm, who successfully played on finishing moves and put an end to the match. 2-0 - Sweden beat Latvia and thanks to this victory they moved up to the playoff zone, finishing fourth in group A.

Wards of Dave Henderson, who have already presented one sensation in the championship, defeating the Finns, hardly surprised the hockey community for the second time.

Henrik Lundqvist will strengthen the Swedish national team

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will take part in the 2017 Ice Hockey World Championship. This was reported on the official website of the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation.

The Rangers were eliminated from the Stanley Cup after being defeated by the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Swedes, after three matches of the world championship, have four points in their assets and occupy fifth place in group A.

Lundqvist last competed at the World Championships in 2008. He is the 2006 Olympic champion and 2014 Olympic silver medalist.

The Ice Hockey World Championship starts this week. We present our rating of goalkeeper lines for the national teams participating in the 2017 World Cup.

Draisaitl will play for the German national team, McDavid will not come to the World Cup

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl will play for Germany at the 2017 Ice Hockey World Championship. It is reported by Yahoo Sports.

The German striker played 82 matches in the regular season, in which he scored 77 (29 + 48) points, becoming the eighth scorer in the league. In 13 playoff games, he scored 16 (6 + 10) points and reached the semifinals of the Western Conference with his team, where he lost to the Anaheim Ducks in seven games.

Another leader of "Edmonton" Connor McDavid will not help Team Canada on .

Also, New York Rangers quarterback Brady Shay and striker Kevin Hayes play for the USA team.

Missed only two world championships. I took three bronzes, two silvers and three golds there, but almost every award had the shadow of some Crosby or Lundquist on it. Scary, because there is no player left in the world who would deserve to compete for the Stanley Cup more than Ovechkin. Not even to win, but to begin with, to step to where his phone will be outside the network coverage area for the Russian team.

This moment has come. At 32, Ovechkin passed Pittsburgh in the playoffs for the first time and will play in the conference finals. We won’t be surprised if Washington loses there to Tampa, but who cares now? A new page in history has been written, and Ovechkin will never be the same again. Now he knows that he can beat Crosby, he knows that Washington can not only survive in overtime at 0-2 in the series with Columbus, but go so far that the Stanley Cup looms behind lightning bolts. And the next such moment will not have to wait 12 years.

The Russian national team kept places in the application for the Washington players, but also ended up in a winning position. She just doesn't know it yet. It only seems that Ovechkin and Co. would help our team in Denmark, in fact, it is high time for the Russian team to look into the future, to see the team without Ovechkin and Malkin. Realize what the real value of Pyeongchang's gold is, especially since our rival in the Olympic finals, the German team, has almost lost the chance of qualifying from the group.

In the current composition, the Russian national team was supposed to go to the Eurotours, but before the Olympics we took the same people there, we didn’t really check the nearest reserve, and once this moment had to come. Injuries, illnesses and failures of Enkhaelians collapsed in one moment.

It became scary even at the last stages of the Euro Tour, when the team won one match out of six. And now it won't get any easier. Forget about 20:0 in three starting matches. The Belarusian national team came to the tournament to fire the head coach, while France and Austria, in the “two matches in two days” format, were not initially going to kill themselves in the game with the Russians. We will beat the Czechs, Swedes and fight for medals with Tryamkin, Buchnevich and Mamin, and add Bereglazov and one of the Soshnikov-Byvaltsev pair.

And the best thing is that we will face Ekman-Larsson, Klingberg, Rakell, I really want the Czechs to be strengthened by Krejci and Pastrnak for the game with Russia, and then there was a quarterfinal against Aho, McDavid or Kane. It’s great not because someone wants the Russian team to fail, no, it’s just that our youth (if it can still be called such by hockey standards) have long deserved the opportunity to show themselves in such matches. How Ovechkin, Kuznetsov or Panarin look in them, we know very well and will not see anything new, but now we will look at Grigorenko, Nesterov, Kaprizov and we will understand what lies ahead for us.

Everyone got what they deserved. Ovechkin - the fight for the Stanley Cup, the national team - fresh blood at the World Cup. A unique case for our hockey.

Ovechkin will not come to the 2018 Ice Hockey World Championship. Are you happy?

The only pity is that this whole snowball is not running after Oleg Znark, but putting pressure on Ilya Vorobyov. To be left without medals with such a line-up is not a disaster. But not with us. Until the last moment, we waited in the NHL saviors in the national team, and in case of failure, Vorobyov will be appointed the main culprit, and someone will definitely remember that with Znark we were always on medals and won the Olympics.

Patience and good luck, Ilya Petrovich. It's hard without Ovechkin, but can we do it?

The World Cup has already started, and the teams are in no hurry to fully fill out their applications. We tell you what NHL players are still waiting for in Denmark.

Sweden national team

Who is needed Cast: Victor Hedman, Matthias Ekholm, Niklas Beckström, Philip Forsberg

The head coach of the Swedish national team, Rikard Grönborg, said back in March that he was ready to wait for reinforcements from the NHL until the end of the second round. Among the possible candidates, he singled out Viktor Hedman and Niklas Beckström.

Hedman - Nominated for the second time in a row for the Norris Trophy - a prize for the best defenseman in the NHL. He's having another outstanding season with 63 points in the regular season, second-most in the league by a defenseman. In the playoffs, Hedman regularly distributes passes, and his Tampa Bay is one step away from the conference finals.

Ekholm is in the second pair of Nashville and has already scored eight points in 10 playoff games, while he does not play in the majority. The 27-year-old defender has had three World Championships and a World Cup in his career. If the Predators don't get past Winnipeg, the team will be happy for him.

Backstrom was one of the creators of last year's gold for the Swedes, he is without a doubt one of the best centers in the NHL. Despite the fact that the “Washington” broke his long-term bundle with Ovechkin, Beckström scored 71 points, and in the playoffs is the leading scorer of his team.

Forsberg repeated his personal performance record (64 points), in the playoffs he also tears and flies - he already has five goals and seven assists. If Nashville is eliminated, it will not be the first time for them to come to the World Cup after the playoffs.

Who are they waiting for Cast: Matthias Ekholm, Niklas Beckström, Philip Forsberg

In the case of Sweden, expectations do not differ much from reality, except that Hedman Grönborg runs the risk of not waiting. In general, the Swedes willingly go to the national team, it will not be surprising if the team will be replenished with a few more big stars.

Czech national team

Who is needed Cast: Michal Kempny, Jakub Jerzabek, David Pastrnak, David Krejci, Tomas Gertl

The Czechs have yet to play the first match in the tournament, but for now their application looks like the smallest one - only 19 people, including two goalkeepers. The main reinforcement is needed in the line of attack.

Pastrnak scored a crazy 20 points in 11 playoff games, but that doesn't help Boston in the second round. The Bears are one step away from relegation, which means that in the near future they can delegate several cool players to the World Cup at once. Last year, Pastrnak became the top scorer of the Czechs in the world championship.

32-year-old Krejci is an infrequent guest of the world championships, the last time he played at this tournament in 2012. This season, his performance has dropped, but 44 points in the regular season and nine in the playoffs is still a good result. A strong center is vital for the Czechs, and it will be a great success if David agrees to help the team.

Gertl, like his compatriots from Boston, may be released for the national team by the end of the week. For San Jose this year, he scored a solid 46 points, and in the playoffs he leads the team's scoring list (six goals).

The Czech defense line is half made up of young and inexperienced hockey players, so it is in dire need of reinforcement. Only two Czech defenders continue to play in the NHL playoffs, and both are in Washington. Kempny is well known to Russian fans from playing for Avangard, and now he comes out in the first pair of Capitals. Yerzhabek played only two matches in the playoffs, but he has experience playing at the world championships.

Team Canada

Who is needed Cast: Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Brad Marchand

Canadians in the first match could not win a fundamental confrontation with the United States, losing on shootouts. The main burden fell on Aaron Ekblad, who played more than 28 minutes. There are six defenders in the application now - this is not enough.

Vlasic came to the national team last year after the first round of the playoffs, if the Canadian coaching staff can persuade him or Burns to help the team this year, it will be a great success. Of course, for this, San Jose must not go through Vegas, but the denouement of this series is already close.

In theory, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand could come from Boston, but there are big doubts that they will want to fly to Europe. Bergeron last played at the World Cup in 2006, Marchand - in 2016, when Boston did not make the playoffs.

Who are they waiting for Cast: Brenden Dillon, Joel Edmundson, Jake DeBrusk

Dillon only once played for the national team - at the 2013 World Cup, when he was not yet a full-fledged player in the San Jose base. Now he has grown stronger and shows good statistics, coming out in the third link (four assists in the playoffs and "+4" with an average playing time of less than 18 minutes).

Defender Joel Edmundson is in Herning with the team - he has not yet been announced due to injury, but the coaching staff expects him to recover soon.

Canadians can also look to 21-year-old striker Jake DeBrusk, who is in his rookie season in the NHL. In the regular season, he scored 43 points for Boston, in 11 playoff games - eight more. DeBrusk has not played for either the junior or youth national team of Canada, and he certainly will not refuse to play for his country.

Finnish national team

Who is needed Cast: Tuuka Rask, Olli Mäyättä, Patrick Laine

The Finnish team has a problem with goalkeepers - both Syateri and Husso have played mainly in the AHL this season. If Rusk suddenly arrives after Boston's elimination, it will be a real miracle - he has never played in the world championships before.

The only Finnish defenseman left in the NHL playoffs is Pittsburgh's Määttä. In the regular season, he scored 29 points, and in the playoffs he plays less productively, but more usefully - his "+9" is the second indicator in the team.

2016 World Cup MVP Laine would be a welcome addition to any team. The score in the Winnipeg series - Nashville is equal, 2-2, but even if the Jets fly out, it is far from certain that Patrick will agree to play in Denmark. Last year, he already refused, citing fatigue.

Who are they waiting for People: Joonas Donskoy, Olli Mäyatta, Yoel Army

Donskoy and his "San Jose" is close to the end of the season. The 26-year-old striker is not the team's main star, but has had another solid championship with 32 points plus four in eight playoff games.

The army was injured and played only six cup games, but went into the fourth game of "Winnipeg" with "Nashville". It is not known how serious his injury is, but until Winnipeg has completed the season, we will not know the details.

A game of cat and mouse with logic. What is wrong with the choice of goalkeepers of the Russian national team

Emil Garipov is ignored, Ilya Sorokin is out of the application, and 35-year-old Vasily Koshechkin is number one. Something is wrong with goalkeepers for the World Cup.

Russian team

First of all, the concern is the goalkeeper issue. So far, Vasily Koshechkin is number one, but reinforcements in the form of Vasilevsky would be most welcome. Yes, only Andrei and his “Tampa” are rushing to the finals of the East, and you can’t count on him.

The Washington trio are always welcome players on the national team. For them, they keep a place in the application until the last, and they are ready to fly to the national team at the first call. This World Cup is no exception. Let Ilya Vorobyov say that he is counting on those players that he has now, but if the Capitals fail with Pittsburgh, it is worth waiting for news about the imminent arrival of all the Washingtonians.

If Washington makes it to the East Finals, the call should go to . Why, would he want to go to the World Cup after several grueling years that included games until mid-June and two Stanley Cups?

Who are they waiting for: , Evgeny Kuznetsov

Perhaps only Vasilevsky is not expected. The rest are waiting and watching the highlights of the Washington - Pittsburgh series. The score in this confrontation is still equal, and the fifth match will take place on the night of May 6.

Goal feast from across the ocean. Magic hockey from McDavid and Kane!

The attraction of unheard-of generosity is about them. And no power play.

Team USA

Who is needed People: Tory Krug, John Carlson

In the application of the Americans, there was room for two field players. With the attack, the United States is all right, and a tough defender would not hurt. John Carlson could be such a leader. Washington's leading defenseman scored 68 points in the regular season, 10 points in the playoffs and is currently the best American defenseman in the NHL. But he is unlikely to come to the national team, before he was not interested in world championships.

Krug is having his best season in the NHL and continues to churn out points in the playoffs. Its only disadvantage is the utility indicator (“-5”). In 2015, the Boston defender helped the Americans win bronze and was one of the leaders of the team.

Who are they waiting for Story by: Charlie McAvoy

The world champion among juniors and youth, 20-year-old McAvoy immediately became one of the pillars of the Boston defense. It is not only reliable in its own

gate, but also actively helps in the attack. McAvoy made his debut for the senior national team at the 2017 World Cup and performed well.

Switzerland national team

Who is needed Cast: Roman Josi, Kevin Fiala, Timo Maier

Do not be surprised, but theoretically the Swiss can seriously strengthen after the end of the second round of the NHL. Yosi is the captain of Nashville, who is one of the top five scorers on the team. You can count on him in any situation, but Roman will most likely not reach Denmark. He averages over 25 minutes per game and will probably want to rest if Nashville doesn't get past Winnipeg.

Fiala, 21, has made his breakthrough this year, scoring nearly 50 points for Nashville, but doesn't always qualify for the playoffs. Nevertheless, this young striker would definitely come in handy for the national team.

Mayer is also 21 years old, and he is playing well this year, and even increased productivity in the playoffs. The national team will count on him if San Jose completes the campaign for the Stanley Cup.

Who are they waiting for Cast: Timo Meier, Kevin Fiala, Yannick Weber

In addition to two forwards, the Swiss can invite another Nashville defender - Weber. He gets little playing time in the NHL, and on the national team he can become one of the leading defensemen, the person who will be counted on in the most important situations.