It didn’t take long for Evgeny Kuznetsov to light the lamp for his new team.
The former Capitals forward scored in the second period of Sibir Novosibirsk’s season opener against Ak Bars on Saturday. Kuzy’s tally, assisted by Egor Korshkov and Ivan Mishchenko, gave Sibir a 3-1 lead 15:17 into the stanza.
After Sibir established possession in the offensive zone, Korshkov collected the puck behind the net and fed Kuznetsov at the near post, where the 2018 Stanley Cup champion one-timed the puck past Ak Bars goaltender Maxim Arefyev.
Kuznetsov celebrated his first Sibir goal by doing his trademark bird celebration.
Not only was the tally Kuzy’s first with the Novosibirsk club, but it was also his 100th career goal in the regular season and playoffs combined, coming in his 338th game in the league.
“I think it’s more for my family. A goal is more important to my kids than it is to me,” Kuznetsov told Sports.ru, as translated by Google Translate. “I’m probably one of the few hockey players who doesn’t care about personal stats at all. I liked it more that Nikula (Stepan Nikulin) scored. It’s important to him.
“And it’s important to me that my wingers are always hungry, and thanks to me, always well-fed. And I’ve always prepared with that mindset. I’ll probably finish my career this way. The main thing is that my teammates are happy.”
Sibir ultimately couldn’t hold on to their two-goal lead. Ak Bars scored twice in 38 seconds to begin the third period, tying the game 3-3, and eventually won 4-3 in the shootout. Kuznetsov was not one of Sibir’s first two shooters.
Afterward, Sibir coach Yaroslav Lyuzenkov revealed that Kuznetsov had contracted rotavirus before the team traveled to Kazan. Kuznetsov also broke a skate blade during the first period and finished the game using blades belonging to another player. While Kuznetsov was not injured, Lyuzenkov acknowledged that his conditioning still isn’t where they want it to be, and that the illness is also affecting him.
Per Lyuzenkov’s post-game press conference, as reported by Championat:
Sibir coach Yaroslav Lyuzenkov: Was Evgeny Kuznetsov limping? No, he doesn’t have any injury, maybe he was hit by a puck at some point. He broke a blade in the first period and ended up playing between the blades of another player, so maybe that played a role. Before overtime, I wanted to consult with him about who would be best to play him with.
Kuznetsov is a master who adapts quickly; he’s completely part of the team, a team player, but we know he can be more productive. His performance isn’t up to par yet; he caught rotavirus before his departure, and that’s also having an impact.
Shootouts? If he didn’t make it now, then he’ll make it next time. These guys were chosen, that was the order.
Kuznetsov got to the 100 goal mark after scoring 78 times for Traktor Chelyabinsk, 13 for SKA Saint Petersburg, 1 for Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 7 for Salavat Yulaev 7, and his tally today for Sibir.
Evgeny Kuznetsov’s 100 career KHL goals
| Team | Regular Season | Playoffs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traktor Chelyabinsk | 65 | 13 | 78 |
| SKA Saint Petersburg | 12 | 1 | 13 |
| Metallurg Magnitogorsk | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Salavat Yulaev | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Sibir Novosibirsk | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 85 | 15 | 100 |
