“It’s going to be great and very emotional,” Russian defenceman Andrei Markov said of Saturday night’s game. Markov might be right that fans from Russia and all over Europe have come out in droves to support their teams at the World Cup. During Thursday’s game between Russia and Finland, chants of “Russ-yee-ah!” echoed throughout the Air Canada Centre. Russia, which has Ovechkin, Vladimir Tarasenko and Artemi Panarin, might be the only other country that can match Canada’s offensive firepower. More specifically, Bobrovsky is going to have to do as his coach expects and “block shots.”

Source: National Post September 23, 2016 20:22 UTC