Dynamo moves ahead in Severstal series. March 10 playoffs
Dynamo recorded the first home win in this series, powered by a three-goal spurt at the start of the middle frame. The victory means Alexei Kudashov’s team can progress to a semi-final match-up with CSKA if it wins in Cherepovets on Saturday.
Dynamo Moscow 5 Severstal Cherepovets 2 (0-0, 4-2, 1-0)
(Dynamo leads the series 3-2)
An action-packed second period decided the outcome of this game. In that middle frame, the teams traded six goals and Dynamo also saw two penalty shots saved by Vladislav Podyapolsky. Ultimately, the Blue-and-Whites prevailed with Eric O’Dell claiming 1+1 and Vadim Shipachyov adding three assists.
Severstal’s Vladislav Podyapolsky was the busier of the goalies in the opening frame, making 16 saves to Alexander Yeryomenko’s seven. But the Dynamo offense was unable to find a way through in the early exchanges and the game went to the first intermission without a goal. It’s worth noting that eight of those 16 Dynamo efforts came from defensemen, suggesting that Severstal did a good job of keeping the opposition to the outside.
Everything changed at the start of the second period, with the Blue-and-Whites rattling in three quick goals. Oscar Lindberg opened the scoring 36 seconds after the restart, stuffing home the puck after Sergei Boikov’s point shot was redirected by O’Dell. A couple of minutes later, it was 2-0. Mikhail Tikhonov failed to control the puck behind his net and Shipachyov whisked it away to set up Anton Wedin on the slot. Then, on 24:10, Slava Voynov fired home a third Dynamo goal. The home team scored three in 214 seconds, and had 10 shots at Podyapolsky in the opening moments of the second session.
Podyapolsky gave way to Dmitry Shugayev in the Severstal net – although his evening was far from over – and the Steelmen began the long journey back into contention. It wasn’t long before a couple of penalties put Dynamo in trouble and the visitor’s coach, Andrei Razin, gambled on playing without a goalie to gain a 6-on-3 power play. That gamble paid off, and Robin Press pulled a goal back. Then Voynov fouled and another Severstal power play saw Joonas Nattinen make it 2-3. Alexeyev was close to tying the scores, but the action soon tilted the other way once again.
Now it was Severstal’s turn to hit penalty trouble. Dynamo got a 5-on-3 power play, then Nikita Khlystov handled a goal-bound shot from O’Dell amid a mighty scramble in front of Shugayev’s net. Podyapolsky came back into the game to face Lindberg’s penalty shot, and made the save. However, that two-man advantage continued and Stanislav Galiyev made it 4-2.
There was still no let-up to the action. The home team’s Andrei Sergeyev took a penalty, Dynamo killed it and Sergeyev left the box and jumped straight onto the attack, only to be fouled on his way to goal by Makar Khabarov. Another penalty shot brought Podyapolsky back into action once more, and again he came up with the big save to deny Sergeyev himself.
With a two-goal lead, Dynamo was set fair to record the first home win in this series and the Muscovites dominated much of the third period. Another power play goal in the 52nd minute, this one from O’Dell, put the game out of reach for Severstal and means that the Blue-and-Whites can seal the series by winning game six on Saturday in Cherepovets. And, with three straight wins behind it, Dynamo has the momentum going into that showdown.
