Evgeny Kuznetsov was automatic in NHL shootouts due to his signature slo-mo move.
Over the summer, the 32-year-old center moved back to the KHL and early on, he’s still having the same wild success, scoring in three preseason shootouts for SKA Saint Petersburg.
Goal 1
Kuznetsov’s first strike came in an intra-squad scrimmage, scoring the shootout winner low blocker for Team White.
Goal 2
Kuznetsov went blocker side again in another intra-squad scrimmage, this time coming in from the left wing to win the shootout for Team Blue.
Goal 3
Kuznetsov’s third goal was his first in the preseason against a non-teammate as he out-waited an HC Sochi netminder and finished low blocker again.
In the past, the talented centerman explained that he stares directly into the goaltender’s eyes when approaching the goal and always looks to shoot under the goaltender’s blocker.
“You try to wait for the exact moment when he twitches first,” Kuznetsov said last year. “If he doesn’t twitch, then you move the puck further. His patience is running out – and then you need to see when the right leg moves forward.”
So far, Kuznetsov has had a smooth transition with SKA during the preseason, dressing as the team’s captain and racking up a bunch of points. Per sports.ru, in his last game, SKA’s first non-intrasquad scrimmage, Kuznetsov skated on the team’s third line against HC Sochi with wingers Vladimir Alistrov and Marat Khairullin.
SKA won 3-2 in overtime with Kuznetsov receiving the secondary assist on Borna Rendulic’s game-winning goal. The St. Petersburg-based squad will kick off their regular season on September 5 against Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
