Back to Balashikha

KHL action returned to Balashikha, more than 18 months after HC MVD played its last game. Dynamo Moscow, which merged with its suburban neighbor following the 2009 Gagarin Cup final, faced Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod at Arena Balashikha while its home rink was out of action due to a New Year show. And former MVD head coach Oleg Znarok enjoyed his return after seeing Dynamo win a sometimes bad-tempered game 3-2. Ilya Gorokhov was the key player, scoring twice despite sitting out a 2+10 minute high sticking penalty. Torpedo’s Dmitry Vorobyev scored on 52:54 to ensure a nervous finish, but Dynamo held on.

Decisive Finnish
Petri Kontiola got the crucial overtime goal as Traktor Chelyabinsk won 2-1 at Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. The Finnish forward struck on 61:02 to settle the match after Avto’s Ilya Malyushkin had cancelled out Alexander Buturlin’s opener.