Not in the way that basketball player Allen Iverson did in his infamous rant in response to being fined for missing practice years back, but simply because he feels that practice can't simulate game conditions - and while the Norwegian Team probably takes his remarks as disrespectful, in the end, he is correct.
Kovalchuk and his Russian teammates put a hurting on Norway in a qualification playoff match that the former New Jersey Devils' - who retired from the NHL this past summer - felt was much better than just practicing for an Olympic quarterfinals matchup with Finland, a matchup that they earned with a 4-0 blowout of their Norwegian counterparts on Tuesday.
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| Kovalchuk in loss to USA (Jean Levac/Postmedia news) |
"I think we didn't give them much and that's a good sign,” said Kovalchuk, who has apparently overcome a painful looking ankle injury against Slovakia to score Russia's second goal against Norway. "We have less than 24 hours to prepare for the next game. We have to take the time to prepare the best we can."
They will have to be at the top of their game against Finland, a defense-based squad with a imposing blue line pairings and superb goaltending - a scenario that doesn't bode well for the Russians if they can't generate some offense, particularly on the power play where they are a combined 2 for 16.
"They're a good team." Kovalchuk said of the Finnish team. "They've got a good goalie and we have to find a way to beat him if we want a chance to win, I think we play better and better with each game. Even with Slovakia I think we played well and created a lot of chances."
The line of Alexander Radulov, Detroit Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk and Kovalchuk have provided most of the offensive output in these games, but even the captain for the Russians seemed perplexed as to what to do about the power play, stating simply:
Asked Pavel Datsyuk what's wrong with the power play. He gave a big sigh and said, "We need shoot more." Then nothing.
— Jason Brough (@JasonPHT) February 18, 2014
Radulov came under strict scrutiny after the Russians lost to the Americans in the epic shootout in the preliminaries, but came back with two goals against the Finns, drawing Kovalchuk to comment.
“Radulov doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone,” said Kovalchuk “He is usually very energetic, he moves a lot and creates opportunities. He is a good player.”, a thought echoed by coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, who after the game with the Americans furiously blurted out that Radulov "Should be scratched, among other things" for drawing crucial penalties in the loss.
“He was dynamic and he was effective and he got better throughout the game," Bilyaletdinov admitted following the win over Finland, prompting the following tweet from TSN reporter Bruce Arthur:
Alex Radulov is forgiven, until the next time he is Alex Radulov
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) February 18, 2014
Perhaps the soap opera that is the Russian team is not so much just one player, but that they are so concerned with defending their home ice that they're afraid to loosen up and just play the way that their enormously talented players are capable?
Whatever the case, if they play like they have been for the tournament against Finland, their home ice advantage will melt into the ice sheet, because they will have been eliminated from their own games.
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