Only 6:46 on the ice: Ivan Demidov continues to be punished by his coach

Guess what happened today in Ivan Demidov’s game.

No, he didn’t score… And he didn’t blacken the score sheet either.

If you said he was punished again by his coach, that’s the right answer. Yes, again…

And yet, after the first period, everything was normal.

Demidov still spent a total of 4 minutes and 35 seconds on the ice in the first period.

That’s not exceptional, but it’s not atrocious either.

But here’s the problem: from the start of the second period to the end of the game, Demidov spent… Three times on the ice. Two in the second, and one in the third.

The result: 6:46 of playing time (eight shifts) against Bogdan Konyushkov’s (Torpedo) team, which isn’t necessarily considered a powerhouse in the KHL.

Roman Rotenberg decided to bencher Demidov after seeing his line award a goal early in the second period:

ALERT DEMIDOV BENCHED AGAIN….

UNBELIEVABLE… Rotenberg has benched Demidov once again. Early in the second period, Torpedo scored a goal with the fourth line on the ice due to poor defensive coverage by their defensemen. Demidov, who was backchecking, had no involvement in… pic.twitter.com/XWs2bnq05o

– HABS NATION (@CoachFrenchy10X) November 21, 2024

At this point, it’s getting a little confusing.

After all, Demidov can spend two weeks playing more than 13 minutes a game, and it’s usually in those moments that he’s able to produce offensively… But he can also spend a full week as one of his coach’s least-used forwards.

It just doesn’t make sense. Imagine if Martin St-Louis had that strategy with one of his youngsters…

The Canadiens’ prospect must find a way to get back into his head coach’s good graces, because he hasn’t been able to play more than 10 minutes in a game since November 11.

It’s also worth noting that the youngster is in a slump: he’s collected one point in his last eight KHL games.

I wonder if this also plays a role in Rotenberg’s decisions…

Overtime

– He seems to be doing well.

Carey Price on IG:

“What blessing it’s been to spend a fall with family and friends from BC, Alberta & Quebec.” pic.twitter.com/SG9lCbvdtd

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 21, 2024

– Askarov gets the start for the Sharks.

Askarov gets the start for the Sharks tonight against the Blues.

– David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) November 21, 2024

– Read:

So he won’t surpass Shohei Ohtani’s pact value. https://t.co/362YNdjYaD

– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) November 21, 2024

This content was created with the help of AI.