Golyshev gets his first KHL hat-trick. November 28 round-up

Anatoly Golyshev produced the individual performance of the day, scoring three in Avto’s win over Spartak. There were also memorable moments for defensemen: Ivan Vishnevsky’s 100th KHL point helped Traktor to victory, while Severstal’s Maxim Veryovkin got only his second goal in the league to send Magnitka crashing to defeat.

Vishnevsky’s 100th point

Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 Dinamo Riga 1 SO (1-0, 0-1, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0)

Ivan Vishnevsky got his 100th points in the KHL when he shot Traktor in front during the first period of this game. The 29-year-old defenseman fired home from the blue line to reach his landmark, and stifle Dinamo’s promising opening to the game.

The Latvians rallied in the middle frame, and Lauris Darzins tied it up on the power play five minutes before the second intermission. There was no further scoring, despite a Traktor power play in overtime, and the host took the shoot-out thanks to successful attempts from Vitaly Kravtsov and Nick Bailen.

Golyshev’s treble triumph

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 4 Spartak Moscow 2 (0-0, 1-2, 3-0)

Anatoly Golyshev scored his first ever KHL hat-trick as Avto came from behind to sink Spartak.

After a goalless opening stanza, Spartak went ahead in the 28th minute amid a flurry of shots on Jakub Kovar’s net. The Czech goalie did well to withstand the fusillade, but his defense offered little support and eventually Viktor Komarov profited. Golyshev tied it up with his first of the night, forcing home a rebound from close range even as he fell to the ice, but the Red-and-Whites hit back immediately to regain the lead through Alexander Khokhlachyov.

The third period changed all that: Golyshev tied it up again when Nikita Bespalov’s wayward clearance presented him with a gilt-edged chance. Then he completed his treble with a shot from a tight angle as Avto cashed in on a delayed penalty. Michal Cajkovsky wrapped it up with an empty-net goal.

Photo: 28.11.17. KHL Championship 2017/18. Avtomobilist (Yekaterinburg) - Spartak (Moscow)

Overtime blow for Metallurg

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 Severstal Cherepovets 3 OT (0-1, 0-0, 2-1, 0-1)

This clash of the Steelmen went the way of the outsider, with Severstal adding to the unhappiness in Magnitogorsk by snatching an overtime success.

Magnitka looked to be on course for back-to-back wins when it went 2-1 up with five minutes left. Denis Kazionov’s goal completed the home team’s recovery from Yury Trubachyov’s early opener for the visitor and seemed to restore some calm to Metallurg’s ranks.

Instead, though, Severstal came roaring back into the game. Matej Stransky tied the game once again in the 57th minute, then in overtime a penalty on Evgeny Timkin handed the visitor a power play that Maxim Veryovkin converted. The 27-year-old D-man claimed his first of the season, Severstal ended its two-game losing run.

Galimov blanks Lada

Lada Togliatti 0 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 (0-0, 0-2, 0-0)

Torpedo shot down Lada for the second time in 10 days, thanks to Stanislav Galimov’s fifth shut-out of the season. The visiting goalie made 26 saves to frustrate Lada and win the game for his team.

At the other end, Torpedo didn’t exactly pepper the Lada net with shots: the visitor managed 18 during the game. However, Sergei Kostitsyn and Kaspars Daugavins made theirs count: two second-period goals proved decisive. Canadian forward Ryan Garbutt made his Torpedo debut and claimed an assist on Daugavins’ tally.

Photo: 28.11.17. KHL Championship 2017/18. Lada (Togliatti) - Torpedo (Nizhny Novgorod)

Power play battle goes Dinamo’s way

Dinamo Minsk 2 Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk 1 (0-0, 2-0, 1-0)

Dinamo made it three wins in a row and moved to within five points of a playoff spot after outlasting Ugra.

The home team dominated the opening exchanges but could not find the net in the first period. However, once Dinamo got its first power play of the night, the opening goal was quick to follow. Marc-Andre Gragnani scored it, 11 seconds after Daniil Ilyin was sent to the box. Alexander Pavlovich added a second marker on the PP, with Charles Linglet and Quinton Howden again providing the assists.

The final stanza saw Ugra chase the game, trying to avoid an eighth successive defeat. Again, the power play paid off: Tobias Viklund reduced the deficit late on. But it wasn’t enough for the visitor and Dinamo took the verdict.

Lepisto leads Jokerit to win

Jokerit Helsinki 2 Sibir Novosibirsk 1 (0-0, 0-1, 2-0)

Jokerit rallied in the third period to defeat Sibir and deny its opponent a chance to break into the playoff places.

The visitor absorbed plenty of pressure early on, then stunned the home crowd by taking the lead when Patrik Zackrisson served up a great feed for Andrei Sigaryov to score in the 39th minute.

But Jokerit responded quickly. Matt Gilroy presented Lepisto with a glorious chance to tie the game early in the third, and the D-man made no mistake. The Lepisto turned provider, claiming the assist when his clearance sent Jesse Joensuu off to the races. Joensuu’s pace kept him ahead of the retreating Sibir defense, and his finish was good enough to win the game.

Barker settles tight battle

Slovan Bratislava 1 Admiral Vladivostok 0 (0-0, 0-0, 1-0)

Slovan made it two wins in 24 hours thanks to a single goal from Cam Barker in a game where goalies were well on top.

Jakub Stepanek made 30 saves to keep Admiral at bay, and his opposite number Ivan Nalimov was even busier as both sets of forwards struggled to find the killer touch. There was also a bit of needle in the air, especially in the second period. The ref called 11 minor penalties in that frame, plus a 10-minute misconduct award against the home team’s Lukas Kaspar.

Barker’s winner arrived on the power play early in the third when he smashed home Andrej Meszaros’ feed from the point. And a niggly game saw three more misconducts handed out in the closing stages with Slovan’s Marek Viedensky the first to go, followed by Nalimov and Robert Sabolic of Admiral.