Ilya Kovalchuk: 'Radulov doesn't need to prove anything to anyone'

Forward Alex Radulov scored two goals and added an assist in Russia's 4-0 win over Norway on Tuesday, helping his team advance to a quarterfinal match against Finland. 

It was another chapter in an up-and-down experience for Radulov in Sochi, but linemate Ilya Kovalchuk was quick to point out that he is seen as an important part of Russia's Olympic campaign.

"Radulov doesn't need to prove anything to anyone", Kovalchuk said, via Dmitry Chesnokov of Yahoo Sports. "He is usually very energetic, he moves a lot and creates opportunities. He is a good player."

Head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, who appeared to be quite displeased with Radulov earlier in the tournament, added this after the game: “[Radulov] played really well today. He played with a desire and, most importantly, he was effective. I can’t say anything bad about him. Only the good.”

And so another page in the Radulov story has been written, summed up perfectly here by Bruce Arthur of the National Post: