As NHL Stays Away, Russians Eye Olympic Opportunity

Even without the stars from their homeland, who are currently dominating the NHL, Russian players are confident on the eve of their opener Wednesday against Slovakia at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics

Gangneung, South Korea, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Feb, 2018 ) :Even without the stars from their homeland, who are currently dominating the NHL, Russian players are confident on the eve of their opener Wednesday against Slovakia at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

For the first time since 1994, elite NHL stars are not at the Olympics. NHL owners decided not to shut down the season, over money and injury issues. The Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League halted its campaign and the Olympic Athletes from Russia -- banned from using their flag and anthem after the Sochi doping scandal -- will include 15 players from KHL leader SKA St.

Petersburg, and eight more from second-best CSKA Moscow. "There are guys who have played with each other for a long time," the OAR's Vladislav Gavrikov said. "Lines probably play better because of this.

For us, pretty much every player can play with any other player." That familiarity and top young talent being eyed by the NHL makes the Russian squad a favourite in an up-for-grabs tournament. And that's without NHL stars Alex Ovechkin, a Washington winger who leads the NHL with 33 goals, winger Nikita Kucherov, who paces the NHL in total points with 30 goals and 41 assists, and his Tampa Bay team-mate Andrei Vasilevskiy, who leads goaltenders with 33 wins.

Ilya Kovalchuk, a 34-year-old left winger who played 11 NHL seasons, makes his fifth Olympic appearance on a team trying to produce the first Olympic gold for Russian talent since the 1992 Unified Team. "It's bad that the NHL guys are not here. I think everybody wants them to be here. The Olympics, all the best players should play here because it's a big event," Kovalchuck said.