Ivan Demidov (finally) on the powerplay

Ivan Demidov and SKA were in action against HC Sochi.

For those who made the connection, we’re actually talking about Matvei Michkov’s former club. This is where the Flyers’ prospect – who will be left out tonight by John Tortorella – played his last season in the KHL, after being loaned out by SKA.

But we’re not interested in Michkov here. How was the game for the Habs’ prospects, you might ask?

The forward, who’s been having a good time lately, was more relaxed in his game today.

He finished the game with just one shot on goal, but was still used for almost 16 minutes (15:53) by his head coach.

Roman Rotenberg begins to understand that he can count on him if he needs a goal. At the end of the second period, Demidov was punished for holding… And when I saw this, I thought his game was over because Rotenberg often benches him after seeing him do something stupid on the ice.

But no: the SKA head coach needed to create a spark in the third when his club was behind, and he wasn’t afraid to use Demidov.

Ah, and the Habs prospect even got a chance to play on the powerplay:

ALERT Habs Prospect Ivan Demidov

Here are Ivan Demidov’s stats from today’s game: In the third period, he logged 6:58 with one shot on goal, including time on both the power play and a 6-on-5 situation.

He finished with 15:53 of total ice time, 2:13 on the power play,… pic.twitter.com/rwNQhN22dF

– HABS NATION (@CoachFrenchy10X) November 7, 2024

I wonder if Roman Rotenberg has a fever….

On a more serious note, seeing Demidov get the playing time he deserves is good news.

Let’s not forget that he only spent 8 minutes and 27 seconds on the ice in his last game… But now, Demidov has played more than 14 minutes in five of his last six games.

So much the better!

At least, that should please Kent Hughes and the Habs, who are supposed to visit him in Russia soon.

By the way… I get the impression that Roman Rotenberg knows that the Habs’ visit is coming up, and that maybe that’s why Demidov has been used so much lately, even though he logically deserves it.