Ivan Demidov still in search of goal No. 20

Ivan Demidov and SKA St. Petersburg face HC Sochi, in their fourth to last game of the season.

Demidov sits at 49 points, including 19 goals and 30 assists through 62 games, and is still searching for his elusive 20th goal of the season. He was one goal shy of the U20 record until recently, because Carolina Hurricanes 2024 50th overall selection Nikita Artamonov has scored 22 goals. The 19-year-old, also has three games remaining to up his total.

But, while Demidov hasn't scored a goal in a little while, he is the type of player who can strike fast. I wouldn't count him out of the conversation for the record. Though he may stay stuck on 19 or possibly hit 20, he has the game-breaking ability to score a hat trick.

In each game he has shown flashes, but his coach is less lenient with the 19-year-old, because he wants the team to be competitive. Roman Rotenberg leans on his veteran players, in place of Demidov. This has impacted his minutes, and caused them to constantly fluctuate on a game by game basis.

With consistent ice time throughout the season, I think we would be talking about him approaching 25 goals, and 65-70 points. Demidov is incredibly creative, and has the cunning to pull off highly skilled plays. But it is awfully difficult to do a whole lot from the left bench.

Demidov will be in search of his 50th point and 20th goal of the campaign on Friday morning against HC Sochi. He will be doing so from the fourth line.

Let them know that they made a mistake, Ivan; the fourth line isn't where you belong. You know it, and shouldn't have to prove it. But, alas, here we are.

Demidov, and SKA versus fellow Habs prospect, goaltender Yevgeni Volokhin - Sochi's starter for the game today.

Onto Demidov's performance

Demidov didn't play a high amount of minutes in the first period, but he was his regular self - creating offense on the flip of a dime.

While playing fourth line minutes, Roman Rotenberg rewarded Demidov for drawing a penalty. No. 91 put the two Sochi defender's in a blender, and almost went in all alone on their goaltender. But he got hooked, before he could put the finishing touches on a potential highlight-reel goal.

Demidov has been held off the scoresheet since January 28th, when he scored his 19th goal of the season. Which, at the time, was one shy of trying Kiril Kaprizov for the U-20 goalscoring record in the KHL. Nikita Artamonov has the record (22) right now, but Demidov hopes to give him a run for his money down the stretch.

Sochi isn't a very strong team, as indicated by the shot total through 10 minutes of play - 6-0 in SKA's favour. If Demidov was hoping to have a season-best performance, Sochi gives him a great option. Though he didn't record a point on the power play tally by Sergei Tolchinsky, he drew the penalty.

SKA drew another penalty in the final three minutes of the period, and Demidov was back on the ice. Demidov played the left flank on the blueline for the top power play unit. A spot reserved for Lane Hutson in Montreal. Demidov had a few good looks, even pulling off a nice curl and drag shot, to pull a defender out of position and change the angle on his release.

He came up empty, but the confidence instilled from his coach giving him time on the top power play is apparent. Demidov's elusiveness-vision combination is the driver of his brilliance - he looks off defenders, and exploits the smallest of holes in the defence with his precision passing.

It's been on display much less frequently of late, but Demidov has a fantastic release - and the ability to load up on either leg, and challenge goaltenders with a powerful shot. His one-touch, snapshot and wrist shot are all fantastic. I don't expect that he will score many slapshot goals, but if he decides to, it's because he is confident that it is worth his while.

Demidov is a workhorse, and has a passion that runs deep - he is the best offensive player, as a 19-year-old on a KHL squad loaded with veterans. But he doesn't take anything for granted. The Canadiens 2024 fifth-overall pick spends plenty of time in SKA's shooting room.

End of the first period, and Demidov looked dangerous - you could feel that his confidence was up, and he appears energized. I'm not sure if there was a conversation, or what, but he looks fantastic. There is some communication between Demidov and Canadiens management, and I'm sure they have sent some sort of message.

If not, then this is a great sign of Demidov's maturity and awareness. He has been dangerous lately, but I think that his point total could be higher, based on the positive plays that he creates. Demidov is cerebral with the puck -- attacking with pace and purpose -- the smallest holes are snuffed out and he strikes with no hesitation.

But he hasn't scored a goal in 15 games and counting, which is a sign that something was holding him back. Minutes or deployment have played a large factor in his fortunes. But he looks dangerous through 20 minutes of action today.

Second Period

With SKA back on the power play early, Demidov is back out there, and trying his best to give SKA a three-goal lead. I noticed an adjustment to where he is posted on the power play. Demidov was seen playing off the right half-wall, a spot that I think suits him quite well - I want to see him shoot the puck more.

He hasn't played a ton through 40 minutes, but he has taken the chances he has afforded, and created plenty of chances.

Third Period

Demidov is up to 10:07 of ice time today, and there are just under 13 minutes to go in the game. He has two shots on net and zero hits.

It was a very quiet period for Demidov, and I wish I could write something other than that, and especially more than that. But General Rotenberg has stapled the 19-year-old to SKA's bench.

Demidov finished the game with 11:25 ice time, and two shots.