Ukrainian National Team Without Khrystych?

We are glad, of course, that Khtystych has become the Bruins' true leader this season, but the playoffs are around the corner, and the Boston players have more and more chances to get there. However, this means the Ukrainian national team will be playing without Khrystych at the coming world championship in Norway. Moreover, the International Hockey Federation has banned Khrystych and Buffalo Sabers' Oleksiy Zhytnyk from playing for Ukraine's national team. The Ukrainian team management has turned to the IIHF for an explanation. However, the situation with Zhytnyk is clear even now: he was scheduled to play for the Russian national team. In an excruciating home match against San Jose (2:2), Khrystych assisted in scoring a goal. As a result of this match, he got a plus one ranking.

And on Sunday, the Bruins trounced Washington's Capitals in a road game (4:1), and are now four points ahead of the Florida Panthers in the struggle for the playoff series. But Khrystych kept silent in this game, which is not typical for him.

The semifinal matches of the East European Hockey League are drawing to a close. Our fans are most of all interested in Ukrainian Sokil (Falcon) and Berkut (Golden Eagle) teams. The two Kyiv clubs lack three matches to identify a finalist. Berkut won a sensational bullet victory in the first game. But the next day in the second game Sokil took revenge 4:2. The teams played a third game on Monday.

The match began with powerful attacks by coach Oleksandr Seukand's pupils. And as early as in the third minute, Viktor Honcharenko scored a goal for Sokil bringing the score to 1:0. This happy beginning calmed the Sokil players, who only managed to consolidate their success at the end of the second 20-minute period with a goal scored by Valentyn Oletsky. In the final period, the baby falcons completely washed out their rivals. At first Andriy Mazhuhin brought the score to 3:0, and then Oleksandr Markovsky gave the final touch - 4:0. A few seconds later, Andriy Nikolayev managed to score a consolation goal for Berkut, bringing the final score to 4:1 in Sokil's favor. The overall three-game score is 2:1 with Sokil in the lead.