Russian highlight reel:

In tonight’s Russian highlight reel, we take a look at Vancouver’s two Russians, Shaquille Derisraka and Egor Kucherov, both of whom had great physical games today.

In the true spirit of Team Russia, the two combined for 5 big hits, four of which caused the targets to lose the puck.

For Derisraka, this is nothing new - the junior senddown is currently third in the league in hits, with 84. For Kucherov, however, this game comes as a bit of a happy surprise, as the young rookie has only 18 hits through 27. His play shines more in his defensive mentality than in throwing around his body, as he also has 25 shot blocks so far this season on Vancouver’s second defensive line. Let’s watch these kids work their magic tonight, showcasing the type of bruising, physical hockey they teach in their motherland.

Russian hit of the night:

Quote:13:59 of 2nd period - Hippo Passamus is hit by Shaquille Derisraka and loses puck.

Derisraka, absolutely leveling 290 lb Hippo Passamus to get the puck back for Vancouver. Just beautiful, really.


Unfortunately, their big play tonight, including a 50% FO% for Derisraka and a shot block for Kucherov, was not enough to help carry their team, as Vancouver would fall 2-1 to Detroit in this game.