Starting afresh: Voynov’s OT strike ties the series. March 8 playoffs
Dynamo completed a second win on the road at Severstal to tie this series at 2-2. So far, neither team has managed a home victory and the Muscovites will hope to change that tune when the action continues in Moscow on Thursday.
Severstal Cherepovets 2 Dynamo Moscow 3 OT (1-0, 0-1, 1-1, 0-1)
(Series tied at 2-2)
After two high-scoring affairs in Moscow, the teams produced a far tighter encounter in game three when the action moved to Cherepovets. That more cautious approach seems to suit Dynamo, which continued in similar vein in game two and posted a second win. As a result, the series is tied and will start afresh as a de facto best-of-three shoot-out when the teams go back to the capital.
The only goal of the first period came in the 12th minute. Maxim Kolmykov battled to win possession behind the net and emerged to send a pass out to Ivan Rogov on the slot. Rogov’s one timer was too good for Alexander Yeryomenko and the Steelmen had the lead.
It was nothing more than the home team deserved after dominating the opening exchanges. Dynamo was limited to just one shot on goal in the first stanza, although Stanislav Galimov hit the post during his team’s first power play of the game.
In the second period, Dynamo showed far more offensive intent, outshooting Severstal 13-7 and spending more than twice as much time with the puck in the danger zone. Possession brought its rewards: late in the frame Andrei Mironov tied the scores with an emphatic point shot after Eric O’Dell forced Jakob Stenqvist into a turnover.
At the start of the third period, the teams exchanged power play goals. Severstal struck first, with Robin Press rifling a wrist shot through traffic while Joonas Nattinen screened Yeryomenko. Kirill Pilipenko’s assist continued his record of contributing at least one point to each game in this series. But the lead was quickly cancelled out when Igor Geraskin took a penalty and the Dynamo PP saw Slava Voynov’s shot pushed directly onto Galiyev’s stick for Dynamo’s leading scorer of post season to beat Dmitry Shugayev in the home net.
Having trailed twice in regulation, Dynamo adopted a more aggressive approach in overtime. The visitor’s advantage in terms of time on offense was not overwhelming, but the shot count (12-1 in Dynamo’s favor) told the story of a shoot-on-sight policy from the Blue-and-Whites. The pressure on Shugayev’s net eventually paid off, forcing first a penalty then a power play goal from Voynov. His central point shot went through traffic to beat the goalie and settle the game. Voynov finished with a goal and an assist to move him to 6 (2+4) points for the series, making him the most productive defenseman in the playoffs to date.
