2019 World Championship. Russia - Italy - 10:0

In the fourth match of the 2019 IIHF World Championship, the senior Russian national team thrashed Italy 10:0.

Coming into the game, Russia were overwhelming favourites to coast to the three points, and brilliant first period markers from Nikita Zaitsev, Dinar Khafizullin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alexander Ovechkin set the players well on their way to a comfortable victory.

Just 18 seconds into the second frame, Evgeny Kuznetsov grabbed his second when steaming clean through past the static Italian defence, before Ilya Kovalchuk whipped a cunning wrister home, Evgeny Dadonov scored at point blank range and Mikhail Grigorenko netted shorthanded from Alexander Barabanov's fantastic pass.

During the third frame, Nikita Kucherov and Evgeny Dadonov struck gold, bringing Russia to double figures. Goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 15 shots he faced to tally a shutout.

Russia will next take to the ice on Saturday against Latvia.

Match protocol:

Russia - Italy - 10:0 (4:0, 4:0, 2:0)

Goals:

1:0 Zaitsev (Gusev, Kucherov), 00.31
2:0 Khafizullin (Gusev, Kucherov), 08.30
3:0 Kuznetsov (Barabanov), 13.15
4:0 Ovechkin (Kuznetsov), 16.14
5:0 Kuznetsov (Ovechkin, Orlov), 20.18
6:0 Kovalchuk (Kuznetsov), 26.03
7:0 Dadonov (Kucherov, Gusev), 33.41
8:0 Grigorenko (Barabanov), 36.25
9:0 Kucherov (Khafizullin, Zaitsev), 44.52
10:0 Dadonov (Kovalchuk), 45.27

Goalkeepers: Vasilevskiy - Bernard/De Flippo

Shots on target: 40 - 15

Faceoffs: 32 - 17

Penalty minutes: 4 - 8

15.05.2019.