Unlucky Pesonen

Highlights of the day

Third game-winner
Avtomobilist attacker Andrei Shepelenko has scored three goals this season, and each one has turned out to be the killer goal, so the newcomer’s decisive strikes are responsible for three of the four victories by the men from the Urals this campaign. Two other players can also boast three winning goals, and moreover one of them – Lokomotiv’s Alexander Guskov – is a defenseman. Currently leading the field is Dinamo Riga’s Alexanders Nizivijs with four game-winners to his name, while the overall record of 11 was set in the first KHL championship, and is shared by Alexei Tereshchenko and Sergei Mozyakin.

Unwanted guests
It is rare for Moscow’s Army Men to score six goals away from home. Last season they managed this only once, towards the end of the regular championship when the victims were Lokomotiv. CSKA fared slightly better in the first KHL season, when they hit six at Amur and Dinamo Riga, and also smashed in seven goals away to Atlant.

Costly penalties
Finnish forward Janne Pesonen of Ak Bars tops the list of players whose absence from the ice is most often punished by the opposition. Four times he has been sent to the penalty box, and three times he has returned to the action before his two minutes were up after his team’s opponents have gratefully scored in his absence. His fourth dismissal did not leave his comrades outnumbered, as the officials had also sent off an opposing player. There are four other players in the League whose spells in the penalty box have also cost their team three goals so far, although Angel Krstev has picked up twelve penalties, while Evgeny Korolev, Oleg Piganovich and Sergei Gusev have all collected eight.

Figure of the day

8 shots were fired at the CSKA net from Barys forward Lukas Kaspar, and not only did every single one fail to hit the target, but he also finished the game with an efficiency rating of -2.

Key players

Alexei Yakhin (Spartak). In his first appearance of the season he saved 19 shots and helped his team to victory.

Janne Niskala (Metallurg Magnitogorsk). Scored two goals in power play, his only two shots in the entire game.

Yakov Rylov (CSKA). In almost 20 minutes on the ice he scored one goal, set up another, and finished at a +2.

Anton Kuryanov (Avangard). The attacker added a goal and two assists to his account, and won 61.5% of 13 face-offs.

Alexander Gulyavtsev (Avtomobilist). Scored a goal, provided assists for two more, and earned a +1.

Alexander Svitov (Salavat Yulaev). Has taken points from every game in which he has played; this time he made two assists.

Quotes of the day

“The second period… What can I say? We played like we’ve usually played recently. We weren’t so bad, as it happens, but all the same we did allow two goals,” Dinamo Minsk head coach Marek Sykora.

“I don’t remember in my experience the lights ever going out in the arena before. Did it bother the team? We didn’t even think about it,” Ak Bars head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov.

“The championship’s only just starting, and we’re trying to improve our team play. And today, especially in the neutral zone, it worked out,” CSKA head coach Sergei Nemchinov.

“Munroe played well. Apart from the fourth, he wasn’t at fault for any of the goals,”Neftekhimik head coach Vladimir Krikunov.

Alexei Shevchenko, special to khl.ru