Debut for Gemel, return for Lazushin

24 December 2023

Spartak Moscow 5 Kunlun Red Star 2

There was a big debut in today’s game. Not Kovalchuk, obviously – he was playing for the other team. No, today the Dragons got a first look at Gemel Smith, a recent acquisition from Dinamo Minsk. Smith, 29, is playing his first season in Europe and he made 15 appearances for Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team at the start of the season, scoring 5 (4+1) points in that time.

Previously, the Toronto native helped Team Canada to a Hlinka Cup win in 2011/12 and went on to make 91 appearances through six seasons in the NHL, where he represented the likes of Dallas, Boston, Tampa Bay and Detroit. Although Canadian-born, Smith also represents the less familiar hockey nation of Jamaica, birthplace of both his parents.

For his KRS debut, Gemel joined captain Brandon Yip and another ex-Dinamo Minsk man, Tyler Graovac, on our second line. We also welcomed back Alexander Lazushin, out injured for so long but now available once more and serving as Jeremy Smith’s understudy today.

Spartak, meanwhile, was looking to return to the top of the KHL standings and made a big fuss about Kovalchuk’s return to his first club after a 20-year gap. However, the on-ice performance from today’s opponent was led by Nikolai Goldobin. He’s been a revelation in Red-and-White and continued his prolific form with a goal and an assist in the first period. That moves him to 57 points this season, beating the club record previously held by Branko Radivojevic and Alexander Khokhlachyov. Late in the opening frame, a power play goal from Andrei Loktionov sent us down 0-3 at the intermission.

For all that, there were some good things to note in Red Star’s play. In particular, we saw some rock-solid penalty killing early in the frame. In the second period, that traded up to bring a short-handed goal. Some chap called Kovalchuk got caught dithering around with the puck, Jake Chelios made the poke check and Jack Rodewald skated clear to beat Dmitry Nikolayev and pull a goal back in the 38^th minute.

More was to come in the third, with the Foo brothers combining for a second goal for the Dragons. Colin Campbell sent Parker into the Spartak zone on a two-on-one rush. Parker slipped the puck inside for Spencer, and the finish was ruthless. That made it 2-4 with 13 minutes to play, and raised hopes of a fightback – hopes all the more real given Spartak’s notoriously porous defense this season.

However, on this occasion, it was not to be. Viktors Ignatjevs replaced Jeremy Smith with a sixth skater as the play went into the final two minutes. However, the extra man didn’t help, Spartak won possession and Kovalchuk potted a crowd-pleasing empty-netter to finish the scoring.

The Dragons are back in action on Dec. 26, and back on home ice in Mytishchi. Lokomotiv is the visitor, the puck drops at 1930 Moscow Time.