GDT: KAZ vs. POL May 20, 2024

[Summer Rose]

Who: Kazakhstan vs. Poland

What: IIHF World Championship Group B

Where: Ostravar Arena, Ostrava, Czech Republic

When: 20:20 CEDT (14:20 EDT)

Why: Poland I believe needs a regulation win to avoid relegation.

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[Eye of Ra]

Cheering for Poland

 

[Summer Rose]

Cheering for Poland

Kazakhstan for me.

 

[legionista]

Yes, need a win in regulation. Anything less is no bueno.

 

[ozo]

Kazakhstan can't afford to lose this one. It would not be as heartbreaking as U18 relegation was, but the potential witch hunt after the tournament might do a lot of damage. Or maybe on contrary, it would fix things long term, nobody really knows.

 

[PanniniClaus]

AL was looking for that pass... great look. Some good fortune too

 

[legionista]

Finally a powerplay goal

 

[ozo]

Poland fans are a great addition to the tournament, I can't deny that.

 

[Zaar]

Oh dear. This shouldn't happen. Way too easy.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Wajda - crossed over and Michaelis saw that.. done.

 

[SoundAndFury]

The difference in class has to show somehow, at times at least.

 

[ozo]

@Eye of Ra Kazakhstan need your "KHL is second best league in the world" peptalk :

 

[SoundAndFury]

This truly looks like a VHL game thus far. Albeit with more scoring.

 

[HockeyinLV]

@Eye of Ra Kazakhstan need your "KHL is second best league in the world" peptalk :

KHL is really is hindrance to any nation that has a team there. Good thing were no longer in that Russian oligarch dumpster fire.

 

[ozo]

This truly looks like a VHL game thus far. Albeit with more scoring.

Not sure you saw my comment to Eye of Ra in SWE-KAZ game thread, but this is pretty much my take on Kazakhstan roster overall. You can't assemble a serious national team from the worst team of any of the top leagues in Europe. In this particular case, Kazakhstan really is a good VHL roster at this point besides 2 players.

 

[HockeyinLV]

This truly looks like a VHL game thus far. Albeit with more scoring.

Im rooting for Poland just to see the dumbass KHL fans mald. Might work as wake up call to Kazakhs themselves.

 

[Zaar]

This truly looks like a VHL game thus far. Albeit with more scoring.

This looks like a game that was to be expected from two relegation candidates. Close fights, very little flow.

 

[ozo]

KHL is really is hindrance to any nation that has a team there. Good thing were no longer in that Russian oligarch dumpster fire.

Unless you qualify this statement, it means nothing. KHL itself doesn't make national teams worse.

 

[legionista]

Barys are the whipping boys of the KHL, not a some big flex playing there. I think they also have two or three players in other KHL teams.

 

[HockeyinLV]

Unless you qualify this statement, it means nothing. KHL itself doesn't make national teams worse.

KHL artificially traps small nations best youngsters and senior in their system. Instead of devoloping somewhere in Europe or North America. We are a prime example of that. We wasted how many years in that dump and what did we have to show for it in terms of new talent?

 

[ozo]

KHL artificially traps small nations best youngsters and senior in their system. Instead of devoloping somewhere in Europe or North America. We are a prime example of that. We wasted how many years in that dump and what did we have to show for it in terms of new talent?

Artificially? Players sign for a better wage at their free will, I won't even mention the bad apples still playing in the league. In general I agree, I rather take the very same player being first liner in, say, Czech league than the same player used in checking role in KHL. But who is the player who didn't develop in KHL but was sure thing if he went say CHL route? Rihards Bukarts is doing just as good as anyone from his "era" as far as national team is concerned. I'm not pro KHL system, but the counterpoints have to be more meaningful.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Is it me or Boiko line is out there an awful lot?

 

[ozo]

Is it me or Boiko line is out there an awful lot?

Boiko has been the most noticeable player on the ice besides Starchenko and Mikhailis (well maybe Shutov too).

 

[legionista]

Cagey contest has OT written all over it so far

 

[HockeyinLV]

Artificially? Players sign for a better wage at their free will, I won't even mention the bad apples still playing in the league. In general I agree, I rather take the very same player being first liner in, say, Czech league than the same player used in checking role in KHL. But who is the player who didn't develop in KHL but was sure thing if he went say CHL route? Rihards Bukarts is doing just as good as anyone from his "era" as far as national team is concerned. I'm not pro KHL system, but the counterpoints have to be more meaningful.

That free will is created by Gazprom rubles, you know this. The league is a artificial creation in its essence.
Its difficult to say which individual player would have developed differently, but our junior players sure do seem to be of much higher caliber when developing in, say, Sweden for example. That even trickles down in the fact that both u-18 and u-20 teams have been playing way better than back in KHL days.