Spartak sinks Vityaz

With the KHL’s leaders taking a break on Thursday, the day’s only game brought together Spartak and Vityaz – with both teams knowing a victory in regulation would move them into a trio of teams on 29 points straddling the play-off zone. In the event, though, a 2-2 tie kept both teams out of the top eight, although Spartak was ultimately the happier following Deron Quint’s overtime winner.

It was the visitor which struck first, with Maxim Mamin profiting after Spartak lost possession behind its goal in the second minute. That lead held until deep into the third, thanks in no small part to some great goaltending by Johan Backlund in the Vityaz goal, but two quick goals turned the game around and put Spartak ahead. Nikolai Zherdev is still awaiting his first goal for Spartak, but assist number six saw Matt Anderson tie it up before a powerful one-timer from Evgeny Kulik put the Red-and-Whites in the lead. It didn’t last, though: with two-and-a-half minutes left Vyacheslav Solodukhin smashed home to make it 2-2.