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Goalies on top. September 4 round-up
Sunday’s action brought three shut-outs in five games, with two more teams limited to a single goal. Lokomotiv blanked Traktor for a 4-0 win in Chelyabinsk, Amur defeated Kunlun 2-0 and Spartak edged a 1-0 verdict over Sibir. The highest scoring game of the day saw Avtomobilist beat Severstal 4-3, while Sochi’s first goal of the season was never enough to prevent a 1-4 loss to Admiral.
Avto secures second victory
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 4 Severstal Cherepovets 3 (2-1, 1-1, 1-1)
The Motormen posted a second successive victory of the season in a hard-fought game against Severstal. Both teams won their opening game, but Avto came out on top here thanks to a power play goal from Brooks Macek in the 58th minute.
This was a game that lived up to the tradition of lively encounters between Severstal head coach Andrei Razin and his former club, with the opponents sharing seven goals in a game where momentum ebbed and flowed. The home team had the better of the opening exchanges, taking advantage of a double minor on Pavel Denisov to open the scoring thanks to Curtis Valk’s goal. Ten minutes later, it was 2-0 thanks to Pavel Kulikov. Another Avtomobilist power play threatened to take the game away from Severstal in the first period, but the visitor got a grip on proceedings and even managed a short-handed goal from David Dumbadze to halve the deficit.
With a lead to protect in the second period, Avtomobilist adopted a powerful pressing game. For long periods the action got bogged down in center ice and chances were at a premium. Yefim Gurkin rejuvenated the game with a third goal for the home team midway through the frame and Severstal was again in danger of drifting out of contention. However, a power play goal for Daniil Vovchenko late in the session ensured there was everything to play for in the third period.
Another power play chance in that final session helped the Steelmen draw level. Adam Liska got the goal and that seemed to be taking us to overtime. However, this was a game littered with penalties and a call on Nikita Khlystov with three minutes left proved crucial. Macek converted the power play to restore Avtomobilist’s lead and Severstal’s hopes of salvaging something in the last moments effectively ended when Vovchenko took an unsportsmanlike conduct minor in the last minute.
Lokomotiv back on track
Traktor Chelyabinsk 0 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 (0-2, 0-1, 0-1)
Both these teams began the season with 2-4 defeats but the Railwaymen were the first to get back on track thanks to a shut-out win in Chelyabinsk.
The two head coaches responded in contrasting style to their opening games. Anvar Gatiyatulin kept faith with the line-up that started the season, while Igor Nikitin opted for an extensive reshuffle. On this occasion, at least, it seems that the active approach was the correct one.
It took less than eight minutes for the visitor to open the scoring, with Yegor Averin’s power play goal breaking the deadlock. Averin, whose third line was among those reshaped by Nikitin, also played a big role in Loko’s second: his shot bounced back for Georgy Ivanov to double the lead.
Traktor was by no means out of it. Despite the deficit, there were signs of improvement late in the frame following the introduction of back-up goalie Sergei Mylnikov and a momentum swing prompted by a Lokomotiv penalty.
That set the pattern for the opening of the second period. For 10 minutes, the Railwaymen were headed towards the box and Traktor looked to convert numerical superiority into goals. Strong goaltending from Ivan Bocharov denied the home team, and against the run of play Alexander Yelesin managed to extend Yaroslavl’s lead on the counterattack.
With a three-goal cushion, Lokomotiv was able to calmly see out the game. The only remaining scoring came in the 55th minute when Maxim Shalunov added a fourth on the power play, wrapping up a difficult afternoon for Traktor.
Alikin blanks Dragons
Kunlun Red Star 0 Amur Khabarovsk 2 (0-1, 0-0, 0-1)
Goals at the start and finish of this game secured a first win of the season for the Tigers, with Red Star unable to follow up its opening day victory with a second success.
Amur, beaten at Spartak on Friday, got the perfect start in this game when Vladislav Kaletnik opened the scoring on 1:46. Former KRS defensemen Viktor Baldayev and Ruslan Pedan picked up assists as Kaletnik beat Jeremy Smith at the second attempt.
It took Kunlun some time to recover from that blow and Amur dominated the early stages of the game. Gradually, though, the home team grew into the encounter and controlled much of the second period. For contrast, the first 10 minutes of the first period saw Amur up 6-2 on the shot count; the equivalent period in the second had an 8-1 advantage for the Dragons.
However, a combination of good play from visiting goalie Evgeny Alikin and an unfortunate habit of taking penalties and releasing the pressure on Amur prevent KRS from getting that tying goal. In the third period, the action was more evenly matched and Alexander Sharov’s empty-net tally sealed the win for Amur. Alikin made 33 saves for his first shut-out of the season, serving notice that Janis Kalnins should not expect any guarantees about the starting role here this season.
Kugryshev strike sinks Sibir
Spartak Moscow 1 Sibir Novosibirsk 0 (0-0, 1-0, 0-0)
The third shut-out of the day came in Moscow, where Spartak got the better of Sibir by the narrowest of margins. The Red-and-Whites recorded their second victory of the season and can boast of top spot in the fledgling Western Conference table. CSKA, the only other team with two wins, needed overtime to clinch one of them.
This victory owed much to Patrik Rybar. The Slovak goalie stopped 31 shots to win a netminding duel with Anton Krasotkin. Rybar joined Spartak in the summer from Dinamo Minsk and is already showing signs of repaying that faith. In two games, he has 59 saves and a GAA of precisely one.
At the other end, experienced sniper Dmitry Kugryshev got the decisive goal. Spartak was coming to the end of a power play when Sibir looked to move play up the ice and relieve the pressure. A turnover left the visiting defense depleted and even as Alexei Yakovlev returned to the ice, Kugryshev rifled home the rebound from Maxim Tsyplakov’s shot.
Admiral cruises to first win
HC Sochi 1 Admiral Vladivostok 4 (0-1, 0-2, 1-1)
Admiral picked up its first victory of the season with an assured display at Sochi. The Leopards, meanwhile, suffered a second successive loss but at least got a first goal of the season.
Beaten at Kunlun in its opening game, Admiral was looking for a big response. Sochi, meanwhile, saw its frustrations continue. Blanked by Sibir on Friday, the Black Sea boys failed to make an impact on two early power plays, then fell behind to Artyom Gareyev’s goal midway through the first period.
It got better and better for the visitor in the second, with Nikolai Chebykin extending the lead before Alexander Gorshkov’s power play tally made it 3-0. Both players joined the Sailors in the summer.
Sochi had gone more than 100 minutes of the season without scoring, but finally put that right in the 44th minute. The teams were playing 4-on-4 hockey when Kirill Petkov ended that goal drought. However, there was never much sign of a recovery and Admiral added a fourth when Libor Sulak converted a 5-on-3 power play.
