Ivan Demidov riding with two former NHLers today

Montreal Canadiens 2024 fifth overall selection Ivan Demidov is in action today against Spartak.

The 19-year-old winger will play on the second line with two former NHL players. Mikhail Grigorenko, who was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres (2012, 1st round - 12th) and scored 76 points through 249 games. Sergei Plotnikov is the third piece of the second line - a veteran of 45 NHL games, who is a staple in the KHL.

Demidov and Plotnikov had some chemistry together before his injury. Plotnikov is somebody that Demidov leaned on as a mentor, so his return should be huge for Demidov. I expect the team points leader (47) will only benefit from playing with two veterans. 

Plotnikov, 34, had been out of the lineup for nine games, dealing with an injury. With Plotnikov back in the lineup and Demidov playing well, perhaps the veteran's return will boost Demidov’s ice time. 

Now for the game

Demidov’s off-puck routes impressed me early in this game. There was a sequence where he helped with the zone entry, dropped the puck to the defenseman, and then went to the front of the net. His stick was just inches away from deflecting a point shot. 

Statistically, it has been a quiet start to the game for Demidov, but he is settling into a new line formation. His one-on-one skill has been on display a little bit. But the focus is shooting the puck more, which they have, but Spartak seems a step ahead today. 

I noticed it again today, and Hockey News Hub echoed the same thought - SKA’s goaltending isn’t very confidence-inducing. I wouldn’t expect they will go far with their current tandem - Artemi Pleshkov and Yegor Zavragin. The duo averages almost three goals against per game. 

SKA heads to the dressing room after 20 minutes down 4-2. Demidov played 5:17 of ice time, including 2:25 on the man advantage. He registered zero shots on goal and a minus-two differential.

The second period will hopefully be better for Demidov, who has been sitting at 19 goals for some time. While the chances have been there, and he has been collecting assists, finding the twine would be huge for him - potentially breaking the dam.

I love the fact that Demidov projects to be a top-of-the-lineup star, and when he isn’t scoring, his positional awareness and competitiveness still shine. Demidov never looks like he isn’t invested in the game. He is talented but works his tail off to utilize all of his tools in every situation that benefits the team. 

These increased minutes provide Demidov with a more difficult matchup. Demidov misread his check and left a Spartak defender with a wide-open shooting lane. Spartak capitalized on a quick wrister. 

It felt like 10 seconds later, Andrey Pedan was weak on his stick trying to exit the zone.  He turned the puck over after a great stick lift, and Spartak added to their three-goal lead. SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg has stapled Demidov to the bench, a questionable decision for the team trailing 6-2.

We will see how it works.

After taking a four-minute penalty, SKA surrendered their seventh goal of the night before the first 15 seconds of the kill were off the clock. It has been a dreadful 36 minutes for Demidov’s side. 

He has played just 2:45 through the entirety of the second period. After being on the ice for another goal, his seat on the bench stayed warm. SKA had a five-minute penalty kill, and Demidov didn’t leave the bench once. 

Big third period ahead, and a chance for Demidov to redeem himself, if Rotenberg loosens the shackles. 

He did not loosen them much, Demidov saw a few shifts early, but the 7-2 deficit has prompted Rotenberg to lean on the veteran players. 

It’s abundantly clear from watching this team, that they aren’t going to do very much in the playoffs. They have Demidov and Alexander Nikishin, who look great and a few others. But their details in the neutral zone and cohesiveness are very poor - defensively they aren’t great, and the goaltending is weak. 

I see that Demidov is trying things, but I think much like Lane Hutson, he has slowed down a bit. I think the losing weighs heavily on confidence, and play slips a little. SKA has played poorly, which has impacted Demidov’s ice time in a bad way. 

SKA has failed to get to the middle of the ice and get any traffic in front of Spartak’s net. A poorly established forecheck has left far too many rebounds untouched by SKA. The shots are close but fail to paint a clear picture of what happened on the ice. 

Either way, SKA surrenders a 7-2 loss at the hands of Spartak, and Demidov is held off the scoresheet.