Third period: Podkolzin tries to take over
Podkolzin started the third period for the Russians, just as the previous two. He didn’t see too much action from the jump, apart from some transitional play that proved meaningless.
The other Russians came out fierce in the final frame, as the rest of the team began to match Podkolzin’s intensity. They were far chippier and seemed to be more urgent in their forechecking.
Podkolzin’s second shift in the third came earlier than previous periods, which was a sign that head coach Igor Larionov would lean on his top player heavily to close out the game, which should come as no surprise.
Before the four-minute mark, Podkolzin made another patented entry into the zone, attempting a pass to an unsuspecting teammate.
This has been another reoccurring theme for the Russians; Podkolzin attempts to create offence, but cannot complete the play with his teammates who are either unable to connect on the pass, or not in a ready-position to collect the feed.
Despite a slightly improved effort from the Russians, the Canadians kept on pressing. Every time Canada controlled the puck, they threw dangerous pucks toward Askarov, with the Russians unable to provide an answer.
Near the seven-minute mark, Podkolzin made another awe-inspiring solo effort. He skated the puck from his own zone, down the left side, evading multiple defenders. He wheeled around the net and into the slot, wiring a puck onto goaltender Levi.
As Canadian defenseman Drysdale subsequently attempted to exit the zone, Podkolzin made another emphatic check at the neutral zone to disrupt Drysdale’s departure.
Near the halfway point of the period, Podkolzin’s physical play was on display again, getting into various puck skirmishes with Tomasino’s line. Podkolzin’s puck recovery lead to one offensive opportunity for the Russians.
At the 11:30 mark, Podkolzin’s shift consisted of several failed exits from both sides and mini puck battles.
As time began to dwindle, there was no change in strategy from the Russians. They continued rolling their lines, which, as expected, yielded very few dangerous chances.
Near the 14-minute mark, Podkolzin’s line caught themselves in another cycle of possession changes with the Canadians, consisting of multiple neutral zone clashes.
Tensions began to boil over as the period progressed, with the Russians beginning to lose their cool. Both teams took an unnecessary roughing penalty, leading to some four-on-four minutes for Podkolzin.
With the open space, he engaged in another one-on-one encounter with Drysdale on the wing.
Podkolzin was a spitfire on this shift. After his shot deflected wide, he got into another forechecking battle behind the net.
After picking the puck off of Byram, Podkolzin did his best to muscle off Canada’s Mercer, after ultimately losing possession of the puck.
Following a Russia ntimeout, Podkolzin was back on the ice to complete the four-on-four, as his team emptied their net.
With the clock running down, play began to run through Podkolzin more, as he found himself at the half-wall rather than at the net front.
Podkolzin got himself in the mix with time expiring, picking off pucks in the corners and cycling possession into open space, but his efforts were to no avail.
After Podkolzin’s final shift in the game concluded, the Canadians converted on the empty net, with Cozens adding to his tournament-leading goal and point totals.
The game ended with a final score of 5-0, with a shot count of 35-28 in favour of Canada.
Podkolzin’s third period was his best of the game, as he genuinely attempted to pull Russia back into the game all by himself. However, if there’s one team where you’re least likely to do so against, it’s Canada.
Podkolzin’s final stat line included a -1 with one shot on goal while leading Russian forwards with 18:03 TOI.
As expected, Podkolzin was selected as Russia’s player of the game.
The loss was genuinely overwhelming for Podkolzin, as he fought tears when he won the award.
Podkolzin was also chosen as one of Russia’s top-three players of the tournament. If you couldn’t tell already, he was a cut above the rest of his teammates.
Podkolzin’s sense of urgency throughout the contest is quite telling, as he kept his foot on the gas until the final whistle.
The Canucks prospect gave it his all throughout this entire tournament, and was Russia’s undisputed leader, as a captain should be. He advertised a calm demeanour and led by example in each of Russia’s games.
The next step for Podkolzin is a bronze medal bout against Finland, where the Russian captain will try to take home some hardware for his country.
Of course, you can’t read too much into one’s World Juniors performance, as the tournament’s relevance to a player’s career path is often meaningless.
However, what can be said about Podkolzin is that he presented elite hockey IQ, brute strength, and impressive intangible skills on one of hockey’s most prominent stages. He also showed a relentless drive while being a calming and respected leader.
So, if there’s one thing Canucks fans can take from Podkolzin’s performance, it’s that the kid has heart. Knowing this, there’s no doubt he will fit right in as a Canuck.