Veterans set records, youngsters make their mark — the KHL week in review
In a busy week of KHL action we’ve seen an appearance landmark, a new hat-trick king, the first scorer from 2005 and two goalies making shut-out debuts. That’s in addition to two sensational saves, a new country on the KHL map and SKA remaining unbeaten.
SKA keeps on winning
Eight games into the season, nobody has found a way to stop SKA. The Petersburg team is unbeaten so far and already has a six-point lead at the top of the Western Conference. It’s taken some character this week, twice coming from behind to record 3-2 wins at Dynamo Moscow and Lokomotiv, then needing a shoot-out to get past Severstal on Sunday. However, SKA still has a long way to go to beat its record for the best ever start to a KHL season. In 2017-2018, under Oleg Znarok, the team won its first 20 games before finally losing to Sochi in overtime on Oct. 11.
SKA stays unbeaten, Znarok defeats former club. September 18 round-up
Avangard wins at last
Friday’s 5-2 win at Barys was a huge relief for Avangard. Under new head coach Dmitry Ryabykin, the Hawks had lost their first six games. However, a rematch in Kazakhstan saw Avangard avenge a 3-5 loss on the same ice just 24 hours earlier.
“I hope this victory will give the guys some freedom, and they can throw off the shackles,” said head coach Ryabykin.
Meanwhile, Neftekhimik is the only team still awaiting its first victory this season. A 3-4 loss at Avtomobilist extended that skid to seven games.
SKA keeps winning, Avangard starts winning. September 16 round-up
Young Gulyayev blazes trail for class of 2005
Avangard’s win at Barys was extra special for young defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev. The 17-year-old got his first assist in the KHL and, in doing so, became the first player born in 2005 to pick up a point in the league. He’s also the third youngest defenseman to feature on the scoresheet. On Saturday he was 17 years, 143 days. That’s slightly older than Dmitry Orlov (17 years, 123 days) and the record holder, Zakhar Arzamastsev (17 years, 36 days).
Biryukov reaches 900
From youngsters to veterans. Evgeny Biryukov played his 900th KHL game on Monday, lining up on defense for Salavat Yulaev against Spartak. He’s the first player to reach 900 games in the league’s history. Another veteran, forward Danis Zaripov, played his first game of the season for Ak Bars. Zaripov, a five-time Gagarin Cup winner, has now played in all 15 KHL seasons and, after assisting on Alexander Radulov’s game-winner, has scored points in every one.
Three goals, four teams, one record for Shirokov
When Avtomobilist forward Sergei Shirokov scored a hat-trick on Spartak, he didn’t just shoot down one of his former clubs. The 36-year-old also became the first KHL player to score hat-tricks for four different clubs. Previously, he hit three for Avangard, SKA and Spartak. That kind of form makes him the ideal candidate to take over Nigel Dawes’ old title as the Hat-trick King.
SKA maintains winning start, CSKA strikes late to beat Vityaz. September 14
Debut shut-outs
It was a big week for rookie goalies in the KHL. Dynamo’s Konstantin Volkov, 24, made his debut in the league and instantly had a big impact with a shut-out in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over HC Sochi. But that was overshadowed by a remarkable effort from Maxim Dorozhko of Vityaz on Saturday. The 24-year-old had just over six minutes of game time prior to making his first start in the league at Lokomotiv. Then he found himself facing a storm from the home team, stopping 43 shots in a game that went to overtime. It took 18 attempted penalty shots to produce a winner, with Dorozhko’s resistance finally ended by Stepan Nikulin after an epic battle.
Daylight robbery
Two experienced import goalies also caught the eye with a couple of highlight reel saves. On Tuesday, Kunlun Red Star’s Jeremy Smith was guilty of stealing a goal from Amur’s Vladislav Barulin. The young defenseman had a wide open net to aim for when a shot rebounded into his path, but Smith reached behind his own back to produce a sensational glove save. Then, a couple of days later, Metallurg’s Eddie Pasquale produced a similar save to deny. Once again, Amur was on the receiving as Evgeny Oksentyuk saw a certain score snatched away by Pasquale’s leaping stop.
Two new imports for Barys
Monday saw Barys confirm two signings. Goalie Julius Hudacek, 34, is well-known to KHL fans. The Slovak international played 213 games in the league for Sibir, Severstal, Spartak and Dinamo Riga, recording 86 wins and 12 shut-outs. Defenseman Nelson Nogier is new to the league. The 26-year-old Canadian made his debut in the 2-0 win over Sibir on Sunday. He played 11 times in the NHL with Ottawa but spent the bulk of his career in the AHL. Last season he represented Manitoba and Ontario in that league.
Japan joins KHL map
Monday saw Torpedo hand a KHL debut to Japanese forward Yu Sato in its game against Neftekhimik. Sato thus becomes the first player from his country to feature in the league. While Japan is something of an exotic location for hockey, Sato has long connections with the Russian game: as a youngster he was part of the Krylya Sovietov school in Moscow. Earlier this season, Kristian Afanasyev’s debut for Kunlun Red Star gave the KHL its first ever Mexican-born player. However, in Afanasyev’s case, he was born to a Russian family and has a Russian passport.
Women’s start delayed
The WHL season was due to get underway on Saturday with a repeat of last season’s grand final between KRS Shenzhen and Tornado Moscow Region. Unfortunately, 12 of the 18 players on the KRS roster tested positive for coronavirus and the game had to be postponed until October. The season will now start Monday, when Dynamo Neva plays SCSO and 7.62 takes on Beliye Medveditsy.
