New York Islanders Kulemin vs Czech Republic: Live Thread
New York Islanders forward Nikolai Kulemin and his Russian Teammates take on Team Czech Republic in the first World Cup of Hockey pre-tournament game.
The opening game for the NHLs new World Cup of Hockey features New York Islanders Nikolai Kulemin and Team Russia go up against Team Czech Republic in Moscow.
The exhibition match is a lead up to the actual tournament that’s scheduled to begin on September 17th in Toronto, Canada. But we finally get some competitive hockey, and it’s only September! How great is this?
Both teams will look to get off to a winning start, but most of the pressure falls to Russia who hosts the opening game in Moscow.
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Russian History
The last time Russia hosted “meaningful” international hockey it didn’t go so well for them, bowing out to Finland 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the Sochi Winter Olympics.
I said meaningful because let’s be honest, we all forgot that Russia won bronze at the World Championship hosted in Moscow & St. Petersburgh just this summer.
The Russian’s are going to want to flip that script, even if it’s just a pre-tournament game. A win is a win, and the Russians are going to want it bad.
So what about our lone representative in the proceedings? What fate await Nikolai Kulemin. According to theScore.com, Kulemin is slated for the fourth line with Artem Anisimov and Vladislav Namenstnikov.
Which seems pretty fair when you consider the Russian’s depth up-front. Can it really be justified that Kulemin should move up the roster? Doubt it. The depth chart on the right-wing is deep: Tarasenko, Panarin, and Kucherov.
Looking for a forum to discuss Nikolai Kulemin’s role in Team Russia? Or even just Team Russia tangle against Team Czech Republic? Get in on the comments section below and join the discussion!
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