With the KHL post-season approaching and the top three teams from each conference having clinched their playoff spots, the KHL writers at Last Word On Sports decided to collaborate for a playoff preview. Writers Aivis Kalnins and Cirno Avery present:
Ak Bars Kazan – KHL Playoff Preview
Coaching:
Zinetula Bilyaletdinov is an elite coach, whether it is on the international stage or with Ak Bars. He has emphasized defensive discipline with a focus on puck possession. Far ahead of many other coaches, it’s hard to fault his tenure with Ak Bars, where he has created an unique defensive style of play that is impressive to see in action.
Offense:
The most striking part about AK Bar’s offense is that none of their players have breached the top five in the league for points or goals. There’s no elite sniper that runs away and carries the team, nor a line that blows the league away in scoring. As such, they sit only 8th in goals for. That’s not to say Ak Bars doesn’t have its talents.
Justin Azevedo and Mikhail Varnakov are the keys to Ak Bar’s powerplay and holding up tougher minutes while being an offensive threat; but the real gem comes from Oscar Moller. He’s young, talented and leads the team in shots on goal by far. He’s provided strong secondary scoring for Ak Bars, and hopefully will have increased time on the powerplay.
Defense:
Bilyaletdinov’s defensive-orientated coaching shows heavily with AK Bar’s defensemen, only behind CSKA Moscow for goals allowed. They’re an all-around shot-suppression team with a defense that has a special weapon. Ilya Nikulin is second on the team in points, beating out nearly all but one of the forwards. He has seven powerplay goals, two game-winning goals and has the second-best shooting percentage on the team. The offensive blueliner orbiting around is not only one of the best defensive players on Ak Bars, but also offensively gifted.
Ak Bar’s top four are a deadly combination of shut-down defensemen, puck hogs, and when called for, great finishers. However, the one to watch comes a little lower. Veteran Vladimir Denisov might not be storming Ak Bars with points but he leads the team in hits and blocked shots, while playing heavy-duty ice time and the first unit of the penalty kill. He is one of the key defensive players that might not be lighting the lamp, but can cause trouble for your stars later down the line. Ak Bar’s defenseive core is tight, strong and for some teams, impenetrable.
Goaltending:
The problem with looking at AK Bar’s goaltending is the fact they don’t let many shots on, or goals into, the net. What we do know is that they are blessed with Anders Nilsson, a great puck-handling goaltender who has notched four assists and has never had a goals against average above 2.00 or a save percentage belows .920. Constantly one of the better goaltenders in the league, his puck-handling skills set him a little further up the chain than those with similar numbers.
Conclusion:
Ak Bars is a possession hungry, strong defensive team. They might not have a giant punch to throw offensively, but have little need to. They’re a team with elite coaching, good goaltending, and shot suppression through and through. Who to watch? The team, the system – a truly interesting team to watch.
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