Barys starts with OT loss

The opening day of the President of Kazakhstan Cup saw Barys begin its pre-season campaign. Despite leading three times against Avtomobilist, the tournament host suffered an overtime loss in its opening game. In the other action in Nur-Sultan, Metallurg won 4-1 against Neftekhimik. Torpedo defeated Dizel Penza in the only warm-up game of the day.

President of Kazakhstan Cup: opening wins for Metallurg, Avtomobilist

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 (0-1, 0-2, 1-1)

The President of Kazakhstan Cup got underway in Nur-Sultan with a match-up between Metallurg and Neftekhimik. For Magnitka, this is the second tournament in as many weeks after hosting its Romazan Memorial Trophy last week. And Ilya Vorobyov’s team proved more effective in front of goal here than on home ice.

In the first 40 minutes, the teams had an even share of the game – but Metallurg jumped to a 3-0 lead. Semyon Koshelev got the only goal of the first period, than had a helper as Pavel Akolzin doubled the lead in the second. Young Danila Yurov added a third on the power play in that middle frame.

Neftekhimik did not really deserve to be three goals adrift and set about reducing that deficit through Evgeny Mityakin’s power play snipe. However, Magnitka wrapped up the win on an empty netter from Denis Zernov.

Barys Nur-Sultan 3 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 4 OT (1-1, 1-1, 1-1, 0-1)

Barys was the last team in the KHL to begin its pre-season program. The long wait seemed to increase the anticipation among the home fans, with a healthy crowd of more than 7,000 coming to see their team’s first action at the President of Kazakhstan Cup on Tuesday.

Their first glimpse of Andrei Skabelka’s team proved to be slightly longer than expected: after leading three times against Avtomobilist, the home team was pegged back on each occasion and went into overtime. Failure to finish the job in regulation proved costly, as the Motormen snatched a win in the extras.

Nikita Mikhailis started us off with a power play goal in the 14^th minute, but Avtomobilist responded with a short-handed effort from Stepan Khripunov before the first intermission.

In the middle frame, Jeremy Bracco restored the Barys advantage with the summer arrival from Krefeld Pinguine scoring during a passage of four-on-four play. However, Anatoly Golyshev’s power play marker just before the hooter tied the game once again.

The pattern repeated itself in the third with another summer signing, Anthony Louis, converting a 5-on-3 power play to put Barys in front once more. This time, a late power play saw Golyshev pot his second of the game as Avto went 6-on-4 to save the game.

In the extras, the visitor grabbed the win. Viktor Neuchev struck after 43 seconds to give Avtomobilist the lead for the first and only time in the game.

Warm-up game: Sato scores for Torpedo

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 4 Dizel Penza 1 (1-1, 1-0, 2-0)

Torpedo picked up a second convincing win over its farm club, and Japanese forward Yu Sato was on the scoresheet.

Sato opened the scoring on the power play in the seventh minute. The 20-year-old forward is looking to become the first Japanese-born player to feature in the KHL after joining Torpedo in the summer. However, this is not his first experience of Russian hockey.

“I played in Russia until I was 17 and Russian hockey is close to my heart,” said the Saitama native. “Possession hockey, passing the puck, is closer to me than ‘run-and-gun’.

“The fact that I’m often listed as the 13^th forward doesn’t matter to me. The most important thing is to give 100% every time I got on the ice. It doesn’t matter what line I’m on.”

Dizel tied the game in the first period but was unable to stay in contact. Denis Vengryzhanovsky restored Torpedo’s lead in the second and Andrei Belevich scored twice in the third to wrap up the win.