Canucks: Breaking down Vasili Podkolzin’s WJC game versus Canada

Second period: Podkolzin causes trouble for Canada’s defence

Podkolzin opened the period tearing through the neutral zone, powering through Drysdale and down the left-wing before firing a wide shot from the near boards past the Canadian net.

It was a complete solo effort and yet another illustration of Podkolzin’s physical capabilities.

Podkolzin looked particularly jumpy to start the period, as he pounced on every puck that entered his vicinity.

Podkolzin’s second shift saw the Russians hemmed into their own zone until Podkolzin orchestrated an exit, leading to a dangerous shot on net, and another sizzling attempt from the point.

Podkolzin’s play thus far showed exactly why facilitating play through Podkolzin was crucial for the Russians, as most players were sloppy on loose pucks and the forecheck.

The Russians’ mediocre play led to another brutal goal off a Braden Schneider point shot on Yaroslav Askarov’s glove side, which fell victim to several of Canada’s goals.

Around the six-minute mark of the period, Podkolzin made another drive into Canada’s zone. He skated through the neutral zone, speeding past Byram as he dumped the puck into the right corner. After moving in to retrieve the puck, he met Drysdale for another confrontation, which Podkolzin won.

Podkolzin’s retrieval led to a pass in front which leaked through to the point, which still awarded the Russians a shot on goal.

His battles with Drysdale were particularly interesting to see, as while other Russian players attempted to drive by the 2020 top-pick, Drysdale won possession with ease.

Drysdale is a positionally sound defender and uses his frame effectively to guard forwards from attacking the net. As Podkolzin consistently overpowered Drysdale, it was indeed another display that the Russian ranks among some of the best young hockey players.

At this point, it still looked like Podkolzin was the only player making an effort for the Russians. He became evidently more vocal, as most of Russia’s successful exits moved through him.

Quite frankly, when their top line wasn’t on the ice, Russia looked utterly unorganized. Players were getting in the way of each other, and there was no structure to their breakout. Canada completely outmatched them.

Near the eight-minute mark of the period, Podkolzin was featured on the penalty kill. He did well to separate the puck from his opponents, as he snuffed out Canada’s first attempt on the man-advantage.

Around the 13-minute mark, Podkolzin spent another shift in his own zone. He put pressure on Byram to dump in the puck deep. However, an unorganized Russian defence led to a dangerous McMichael shot in close.

Podkolzin obstructed a Philip Tomasino shot attempt in his next shift, making an excellent stick check as the Russians failed to divert Canadian pressure in the defensive zone.

Near the end of this shift, Podkolzin collided with Byram’s stick knob or glove along the boards, knocking him on to the ice.

While the game had not gone Russia’s way thus far, Podkolzin was a thorn in the side for the Canadian defence.

Podkolzin mixed it up with defensive stalwarts Byram, Drysdale, and Guhle numerous times at this point.

Again, it’s promising for Canucks fans to see Podkolzin contend with Canada’s top guns on the back end.

At 16:34, Russia received their first attempt on the man-advantage, after McMichael took a tripping call.

The first Russian unit had Canada scrambling, leading to a Mikhail Abramov goal after several shot attempts. Unfortunately, the goal was called back after a successful offside challenge from Canada.

After the goal was reversed, Podkolzin took the ice with Russia’s second unit outside of Canada’s zone. During a break in the game, Podkolzin assumed his leadership duties, trying to spark a fire in his teammates to end the period.

Podkolzin again moved the puck himself past Canada’s blueline. After entering the zone, he retrieved possession in the corner and moved the puck to the point.

He then resumed his post at the net-front on the powerplay, taking a Russian shot to the body, which ultimately led to a dangerous situation upfront.

At the end of the shift, Podkolzin took the butt end of Dawson Mercer’s stick to the throat, which obviously caused him some pain, but he looked to be okay by the end of the frame.

Just as Russia began to build some momentum, the game flipped back in Canada’s favour. The referees awarded Cozens a penalty shot.

While he hadn’t played great up to this point, Askarov made a few impressive stops, with the penalty shot being one of them. Askarov made a beautiful toe save on Cozens’ backhand attempt.

The Russians did end the period looking better than they did throughout most of the game, possibly due to what looked like an emphatic speech from their captain.

The running shot total finished at 25-19 for Canada, giving Russia the slight edge in the second, thanks to their flurry of offence to end the period.

With 40-minutes of the game completed, the match was all but won for Canada. They diffused every attempt the Russians had made, which there weren’t many of.

It became more apparent that the Russian team lives and dies by Podkolzin. He looked to be the only player that could successfully break through the Canadian defence, or even complete a pass at times for that matter.