Russian coach: 'We do not think (Canada) is unbeatable'
The Russians believe their time will come.
That was the belief espoused by head coach Oleg Znarok following a 5-3 semifinal loss to Canada at the World Cup on Saturday, at least.
"We do not think that (Canada) is unbeatable, we think that the time will come for us to win," he told reporters after the game. "The average age on (our) team is one year younger, too, so we're waiting for our time."
While captain Alex Ovechkin and star center Evgeni Malkin are on the wrong side of 30, Znarok's right about his squad being built around a bevy of young talent up front, with Vladimir Tarasenko, Artemi Panarin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Nikita Kucherov all still under 25.
It's on defense where Russia needs to develop, as they iced a top six composed of players playing above their regular NHL roles. Promising prospects are on the way, but they may not be ready for the 2016 Olympics, should NHL players indeed participate.
As far as this latest defeat is concerned, the Russians held a 2-1 lead late in the second period, and may have had a chance had they carried it over to the final frame.
Ovechkin thought pivotal moment in the game came after Russia took 2-1 lead. It iced puck twice, then gave up tying goal.
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) September 25, 2016
For now, they're left wondering how Sidney Crosby and Co. got the better of them again, although it sounds fairly simple from Znarok's point of view.
"Just because they're professionals at hockey," he said when asked why Crosby's line - made up of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand - was so dominant.
That they are, and they looked pretty unbeatable in the process.
Until next time, then.