Tags

On Sunday, the Russian team confidently beat the opening team of the current World Cup - the Danish team - with a score of 6:1. Pavel Datsyuk scored a hat-trick.

Of course, the Danish national team this year is not at all the same as the one we saw three years ago at the championship in Moscow - let us remember that then the hosts defeated the opponent 9:1 without any problems. The Danes have already created a number of sensations in Germany, successively beating the Finns, Americans and defeating the Slovaks, while looking like a real Team, with a well-organized game and a “coaching hand”. But still, he called himself a milk mushroom - climb into the back; the favorites in the form of the Russian team, with their ambitions and composition loudly declaring their desire to become the strongest on the planet for the third time in a row, were simply obliged to prevail.

In connection with the arrival of Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar, the composition of the Russians has undergone further changes. Forwards Sergei Mozyakin and Maxim Sushinsky went to the reserves, so 8 defenders and 12 forwards were announced for the match, that is, four full fives.

Vasily Koshechkin took his place in goal, as promised by the coaching staff.

It is difficult to say what had a greater influence on the rather sluggish start of the meeting on the part of the reigning world champions - either the insufficient amount of time to recover (let us remember that less than a day before this game, the Russian national team had a rather difficult meeting with the Germans), or the desire to play stricter defense at the expense of the attack. One way or another, our hockey players didn’t give up right off the bat, but decided to systematically pick up the keys to the Danish gate.

However, the superiority of the Russians was not slow to show – in the fifteenth minute, Pavel Datsyuk opened the scoring for the tournament. Malkin and Kovalchuk, spinning the carousel in the opposing zone, drove the defenders in different directions, freeing up space for Datsyuk to throw a shot. Pavel sends the projectile directly into the goalkeeper's dead zone.

And already at the end of the first period, the advantage of the Russian team in the minority was increased by Ovechkin. Alexander made such a powerful click that the referee did not notice how the puck entered the goal, and the goal was counted only after a video review.

After the break, Bykov's team immediately tried to put pressure on their opponents, but, unfortunately, they conceded themselves. The Danes managed a good power play and Christensen corrected his defender’s shot from the “penny”. As usually happens at this tournament with our hockey players, we almost missed out again, but in the fight at the gate Koshechkin was helped to survive by his partners.

Having fought back, the Russians again took the initiative into their own hands. Ovechkin had a great chance to make a double, who took the puck from his blue line and ran to rendezvous with the goalkeeper, but the goalkeeper came to the goalkeeper's aid.

But the difference in the first twenty minutes was nevertheless restored - Malkin scored in his first match at the tournament. Being at the opponent's goal, he brilliantly handles Kovalchuk's pass - he turns, shifts the puck under a comfortable hand, and sends the rubber disc right under the crossbar.

The defeat was completed in the third period. First, Datsyuk succeeded in a feint that had failed the day before against the Germans - at the opponent’s goal, Pavel, “crawling out” of the corner at speed, took down the goalkeeper and, with outstretched arms, brought the puck into the goal.

Then, in an attempt to save Andersen's possession from a goal, the Danish defender presses the puck with his hand to the ice and the referee rightly called a shootout. Datsyuk, with a simple feint, seated the goalkeeper on the fifth point, directs the puck on horseback and completes a hat-trick,

The result is summed up by Nikolai Kulemin, who shot the goalkeeper after Afinogenov's pass from behind the goal.

The Russian team secures first place in the group ahead of schedule. On May 18 at 22:15 Moscow time, the Russians will play the final match of the qualifying stage with the Finnish team.

Let us note that, theoretically, the Canadian national team could become our hockey players’ opponent in the quarterfinals.

Denmark – Russia 1:6 (0:2, 1:1, 0:3)

Goals: Christensen – Datsyuk (3), Ovechkin, Malkin, Kulemin.

Goalkeepers: Andersen – Koshechkin.