The learning curve. Avangard Omsk 5 Kunlun Red Star 1

5 November 2018

Amid the helter-skelter schedule of the KHL season, it’s rare to get an opportunity to take a step back and review the team’s progress. However, a combination of the upcoming Karjala Cup Eurotour games and a quirk of the fixture list means Kunlun now has just one game – at Sibir on November 14 – before it’s next home stand starts on November 21. That’s an almost unprecedented luxury at this level; a chance to regroup before going onto the practice rink and working on ways to step up our game.

For head coach Jussi Tapola, it’s a big opportunity – and there’s plenty to ponder from the latest game.

“The scoreboard says 5-1 and there is no excuse,” he said. “Our opponent was better than us and the score fully reflects that. We have to learn from teams like Avangard, from the best teams in this league.

“We need to learn how to score, how to get more shots from the blue line, how to get pucks to the net, how not to concede and how to help our goalie in his work.”

The reality was that this game was one too many at the end of a long road trip. Both the distances involved and the quality of the opposition – our last five games have included visits to Western Conference leaders CSKA and SKA, as well as this game at the Chernyshev Division’s top dog – piled up the pressure for our team. Despite the boost of a win at Vityaz, the play has been uneven and dogged with inconsistency. Impressive one shift, mediocre in the next. Coach Tapola and his colleagues will be looking forward to getting a solid stint in practice to start building on the promising features of the first part of our campaign.

And there are positives, despite horrendous ill-luck with injuries and some difficult results. First, and obviously, there are memorable wins over Ak Bars and CSKA. These are genuinely big moments for our team as we start to prove that there is nobody in this league whom we must fear when we play to our strengths. And it’s not just one-off moments. Taylor Beck’s form – his goal at Avangard moves him to 19 (9+10) points in 25 games – speaks of a forward delivering on his potential. Ville Lajunen and Marc-Andre Gragnani are contributing well from the blue line, despite the strain of covering for so many injured D-men; with 27 points between them, they’re offering a vital boost to our scoring. Then there’s Wojtek Wolski, still settling in to the club but already with three points from four games. These are just some of the building blocks that can take us into the midwinter action with reasons for hope.

Now, it’s time to grow once more. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our season.