Racing Series: How Russian hockey players perform in the NHL

The last few weeks have been productive for Russian hockey players in the NHL. Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy celebrated his 300th win in the league, Valeri Nichushkin finally returned to Colorado's lineup, and Matvey Michkov got angry after being sent to the reserves and produced a few standout games. But the main focus is, of course, on Alexander Ovechkin. He has already scored 15 goals and leads the list of the best snipers of the regular season.

Best sniper

At 39 years old, any athlete is considered a veteran who is not expected to do much. Most are done with professional sports by that age, some move down a level and play for fun. But when it comes to Alexander Ovechkin, such patterns don't work. He's scored five goals in his last two Washington games against Vegas (5-2) and Utah (6-2), and now he's 26 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time record for NHL regular-season goals.

No one doubts that Ovechkin can do it: even if he suddenly slumps this season, there's next season. But now Washington's captain has moved to the top of the list of top snipers in the regular season (15 pucks), ahead of Florida's Sam Reinhart and Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl (13 each). And that's really cool: the last time Ovechkin led the sniper race was nearly three years ago, in January 2022.

The days when the Capitals' No. 8 won the Maurice Richard Trophy are behind us - the last time Ovechkin took home the league's top sniper award was four years ago. But right now, things are looking like Alexander could very well be in contention for the trophy. Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon have focused on scoring assists early in the season, while Auston Matthews, who has won the Rishard three times in the last four seasons, has missed Toronto's last six games.

Equally intriguing is when Ovechkin does overtake Gretzky. If Alexander maintains his current pace, the record-setting drop will take place this coming spring. "Washington" is on a terrific run, Ovechkin has found a great rapport with Dylan Strome and Alexei Protas, so nothing is impossible. Still, scoring 26 goals in 65 regular season games is a very difficult task.

A shot at the Calder Trophy?

Doubts about Michkov's future in the NHL were linked to the figure of Philadelphia's head coach. The demanding John Tortorella doesn't recognize authority, and the draft pick is no more than a formality for him. And if Matvey got a special status in the clubhouse, it was definitely not in the eyes of the coach. It's telling how Tortorella recently put the young talent on injured reserve for two games. The educational measures worked: since returning to the lineup, the Permian has scored points three games in a row, and has earned a total of 5 (2+3) points in the last stretch. Most importantly, the Flyers have three wins.

After 16 games, Michkov is second only to Travis Konecny in points for Philadelphia. The start of the season has been a success for Matvey. The NHL debutant is almost following the "point per game" schedule. Recall that the forward will only turn 20 years old in December. His young age doesn't prevent him from showing mature hockey, which, however, is sometimes overshadowed by childishness.

No one promised Michkov an easy life in Philadelphia. The pesky Tortorella, high expectations, a new league - the list of difficulties goes on and on. But according to the first month of the championship, Matvey is living up to his advances. With time, he should show even more mature play - and then the chances for the Calder will increase.

Long-awaited return

Valeri Nichushkin played his first game in the 2024/25 season. The 29-year-old Evellanche forward had been on the third phase of the NHL's hockey player assistance program since May 13, which involved a minimum six-month suspension with salary withholding. Most of that fell during the offseason and then extended into the first month of the new regular season. The forward returned to Denver in October, first working individually before being cleared for team workouts.

Nichushkin ended the season early because of personal problems two years in a row, after which Colorado fell out of the Stanley Cup. The 2022 champion twice fell into new stages of the NHL's hockey player assistance program in 2024. First, the forward cut short his personal best season and was absent from Jan. 10 to March 8, then he was out after a bright start to the playoffs in the second round. Back in the spring, there was discussion in North America that the Evellanche no longer trusted their player, but club bosses gave him a new chance.

Nichushkin returned to the lineup in Colorado's home game against Washington (2:5). In 19 and a half minutes on the ice, No. 13 had one shot and earned a minus-3 rating. In the winning game against Philadelphia (3-2), the Russian played just over 16 minutes and also failed to score a goal.

- I've been in Denver for the last month. Spending time with my teammates is awesome," Valeri Nichushkin told The Denver Post. - I've had a really tough time in my life, so I'm kind of enjoying it right now. The guys have been saying so many good words to me from day one to support me. It's a huge help. And of course, I want to say thank you [to the fans]. I meet so many people on the streets and in restaurants, and everyone is supporting me. It's been tough. A lot of work. A lot of stuff. I think I've made tremendous progress in terms of my mental health, and hopefully the breakdown never happens again.

This is the sixth season for Valeri in Colorado.