Ivan Demidov seems to have been motivated by the recent presence of Kent Hughes in Russia.
He scored in his last two matches, on December 19 and 21.
The young prospect hasn't had consistent quality playing time this season, but sometimes he plays good minutes, as he had the opportunity during the December 21 game.
He played almost 16 minutes in this 3-2 overtime victory.
On this Christmas Day, Demidov and SKA St. Petersburg faced the powerful CSKA Moscow.
And the hope of the Montreal Canadiens picked up where he left off and continues to impress CH management with a 3rd goal in as many games.
In addition, Demidov also collected an assist in this meeting.
Here is a brief summary of his last three matches, including today's.
All this for a nice total of 24 points in 37 matches.
Their Christmas duel was not at all relaxing for the SKA.
To be an intense match, it was quite one.
CSKA Moscow initially started the match on a high note with no less than… 5 unanswered goals in the first period.
During this first engagement, Roman Rotenberg changed goalkeepers twice.
Then, SKA quietly opened the machine, but too little too late, while Demidov's club finally lost 6-5.
On the other hand, Demidov's performance must certainly have given good reasons to play him more often.
1 goal and 1 assist, plus playing 15:34, it's worth its weight in gold.
Rotenberg even used it for 55 seconds on the power play during the match, in addition to using it on the first wave.
Below is his Christmas goal which gave SKA much hope, as the club came dangerously close to catching up with their opponents.
We can see the turnaround that Demidov created by using his body to separate his opponent from the puck and then go and complete Mikhail Grigorenko's pass.
Demidov is not just talented, he also knows how to use his body and is very intelligent, which leads him to create opportunities like this.
We know that Demidov is a magician with the puck, but seeing him involved in all facets must be very attractive for CH management.
Rotenberg must also have been satisfied with the young forward's performance and might be inclined to use him more on the power play.
In burst
– Father Lindholm.
– A bet that could pay off big.
– To read.
