CSKA’s fever
Result of the day
CSKA - Severstal 1-2 SO
The Army Men are blowing hot and cold this season. Sergey Nemchinov's side had their best start of their new era, but by mid-November have already dropped to 8th place in the Conference.
Apparently, their fuse has blown. In pre-season, journalists remarked that the team had severely weakened, and this was probably the motivation behind such a stunning start. The players wanted to prove the doubters wrong, show that they are not a spent force, but are really capable of winning.
Yes, they showed us, but you should not start a marathon with a sprint.
Is something changing at CSKA? They are training harder, especially concentrating on stamina, and it looks like the have no power left for the games. Maybe Nemchinov is making a mistake, or will they hit such a peak of form in January or February that they will claim a place in the first eight? And after the Olympics anything is possible.
First Goals
Two players notched their first goals of this year’s KHL Championship. Anton Nosov, of Vityaz, who excelled in only his fourth game, scoring not once but twice, and Atlant defender Mikko Luoma, although he needed twenty games before opening his account.
Sharp-shooters
Severstal, from Cherepovets, are one of six clubs yet to lose a shoot-out, and proudly lead the League with five victories. Interesting to note that while they have used seven different players in the shoot-outs, only Oleg Gubin has a 100% record, converting 3 out of 3.
First loss for Barulin
CSKA netminder Konstantin Barulin suffered his first shoot-out loss of the season, having been successful in his previous three - and for two of these he was specially sent on at the end of overtime. His opposite number Sergey Mylnikov, in contrast, was taking part in his first, and emerged victorious.
Sushinsky catches Radulov
CKA forward Maxim Sushinsky (pictured) has equaled the season's record for scoring points in successive games. Like Alexander Radulov, Maxim has grabbed points for his side in ten outings in a row, scoring four goals and making eleven assists. He also score a decisive shoot-out goal, which sadly doesn't add to his own score, but nonetheless earned his team two points.
Esche stretches the lead
SKA St. Petersburg’s goaltender Robert Esche is way ahead of his fellow stoppers as a goal-maker: he's already featured in three successful attacks. Other keepers have tried the same stunt, but none have earned their side more than a point. It is also worth noting that Esche has made more passes than ten of his teammates.
Debut boy
19-year-old attacker Dmitry Radchuk played his first match in the KHL. Having had 12 outings for Chaika in the MHL, he has been chosen for four games in the lower division with the a club from Sarov. His statistics in the youngsters' league have not quite captured the imagination, two goals and four assists, and on his debut in the KHL he earned a sending off. More than that, his opponents capitalized on his dismissal.
Figures of the day
7 shots made on goal by Lokomotiv attacker Josef Vasicek.
28 minutes 36 seconds spent on the rink by CSKA defender Konstantin Korneyev.
73.1% of 26 face-offs won by Spartak attacker Dmitry Upper.
Key players
Georgy Gelashvili (Lokomotiv) claimed his first clean sheet of the season, making 20 saves.
Alexander Guskov (Lokomotiv) spent over 23 minutes on the ice, scoring once and making two assists.
Andrey Zyuzin (CKA) made two assists and finished the match with a +3
Josef Straka (Severstal) scored one goal in regulation time and captured two points for his side in the shoot-out.
Sergey Arekayev (Amur) scored his first game-winning goal for Amur and also bagged an assist.
Quote of the day
“Friday, 13th, seems not to be our day,”- Sibir’s head coach Andrei Tarasenko.
Alexei Shevchenko, khl.ru
