Without the NHL, hockey fans are having to turn elsewhere to get their fix.
If you're a Blue Jackets fan, I'd recommend getting into the KHL. Today, two of the Blue Jackets' top prospects, Kirill Marchenko and Daniil Tarasov, squared off against one another in an entertaining battle.
Marchenko, who is just 20, is a winger for SKA St. Petersburg. The Blue Jackets' second-round pick in the 2018 draft is killing it in the KHL this season, having tallied eight goals and 16 points in 24 games.
On the other side, Daniil Tarasov was in net for Salavat Yulaev Ufa. The Russian netminder was the Blue Jackets' third-round pick in 2017, and he's played four games in the KHL this season. He currently sports a 3-1 record, 2.45 GAA, and .917 save percentage. With stops like the one he made on Starkov today, it's not hard to see why he's one of the Blue Jackets' top prospects.
Danil Tarasov says, "Not today."
— Here's Your Replay (@HeresYourReplay) November 28, 2020
Great stop on Starkov pic.twitter.com/EcRZVamZHM
Marchenko wouldn't be outdone, however. With the game tied at two apiece after overtime, the teams headed to a shootout, where the Russian winger bested his fellow countrymate and Blue Jackets draft pick Tarasov, finding the top corner to give SKA the win.
Kirill Marchenko - Shootout winner #CBJ
— Here's Your Replay (@HeresYourReplay) November 28, 2020
3-2 SKA pic.twitter.com/nf7m0mYFqo
Other Blue Jackets prospects currently in the KHL include Yegor Chinakhov (2020 1st round) and Dmitri Voronkov (2019 4th round). With the Russian pipeline they've developed, the future is bright for the Blue Jackets.
