Metallurg magic
The KHL's two Metallurgs showed their mettle to record away wins on Wednesday, while ....Ak Bars and Amur.
Salavat shot down
Metallurg Novokuznetsk produced the day's most eye-catching result, winning in a shoot-out after a 3-3 tie at Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Alexander Golovin was the key man - after opening the scoring in a game that Metallurg led three times, he eventually got the decisive goal in the shoot-out. Igor Grigorenko saved Salavat from a regulation time loss with his team's third equalizer of the night on 59:32, but his effort merely delayed the coup de grace. It's the third time in four games that Metallurg has beaten last season's champion - a sequence of results which highlights how unpredictable the 2011-12 campaign has been.
Luck flows one way in Yekaterinburg
Fans in Yekaterinburg could be forgiven for thinking one end of the ice was a no-go area during Metallurg Magnitogorsk's 6-3 win over Avtomobilist. All nine of the goals were scored in the same net, with each period ending 3-0 in favor of the team attacking the 'lucky' end. Magnitka seemed to be in total control after scoring three in ten minutes, but after the first interval Avto hit back to tie the game, while the visitors mustered just five shots. But Dmitry Kazionov got his second of the night early in the final stanza to set up Metallurg's win.
Ak Bars holds on
Ak Bars Kazan faced a stern challenge from Amur Khabarovsk before edging a 3-2 verdict on home ice. Alexei Morozov's powerplay goal on 28:47 ultimately proved decisive, but home goaltender Emil Garipov still had to make 13 saves in the final period to secure the win. Denis Kulyash and Alexei Tereshchenko were Ak Bars' other scorers; Petr Vrana and Sergei Plotnikov kept Amur in contention.
Three in a minute
Severstal Cherepovets blasted home three goals inside a minute - but still needed a shoot-out to see off Avangard Omsk. The visitors led 1-0 when the 24th minute came around, but goals from Alexander Stepanov, Alexei Tsvetkov and Pasi Puistola turned the game upside down. Roman Cervenka's second of the game leveled it for Avangard, but Tsvetkov had the final say in the shoot-out.
Around the league
Yegor Milovzorov scored twice to help Neftekhimik Nizhekamsk to a 3-2 win over Sibir Novosibirsk. His second strike, early in the third period, proved to be decisive.
Spartak Moscow's bleak midwinter continued as Yugra Khanty Mansiysk left Sokolniki with a comeback win. Igor Magonin was the key man, setting up Vitaly Sitnikov's equalizer before grabbing the winner on 56:43.
