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Macek masterminds gritty win for Avtomobilist. October 4 round-up
Brooks Macek scored two vital goals to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as Avtomobilist took an overtime verdict at Ak Bars in Tuesday’s big game. Elsewhere, Salavat Yulaev goalie Andrei Kareyev stretched his shut-out streak to 180 minutes in a 5-0 win over Avangard, while Metallurg kept pace with the Eastern leader thanks to a 5-2 win at Traktor. Neftekhimik kept up its winning streak with victory at Barys, Lokomotiv got a rare success at Sibir and struggling Sochi sank Admiral.
Revenge win for Sochi
Admiral Vladivostok 2 HC Sochi 4 (0-2, 2-1, 0-1)
Exactly a month earlier, Admiral sailed into Sochi and won 4-1. Today, the roles were reversed. The Leopards made the long road trip and left with the points following a 4-2 victory.
The home team might point to an early misfortune. Admiral thought it had the opening goal, but a bench challenge saw the play overturned due to offside. There were no such concerns about the two Sochi goals in the first period, with Artyom Nikolayev’s power play tally opening the scoring in the sixth minute before Nikita Feoktistov punished a defensive error midway through the frame.
In the middle frame, Admiral hit back. Danil Faizullin scored twice for the home team, opening his account for the season. However, in between Nikita Popugayev found the net at the other end to ensure Sochi maintained its lead going into the third.
That third period saw relatively few chances, with goalmouth action coming only on the power play or after defensive errors. Sochi had the slight edge, despite Admiral’s efforts to tie the game, and Andrei Altybarmakyan wrapped up the win with a well-taken late goal.
Magnitka’s derby delight
Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 5 (1-1, 0-3, 1-1)
The first South Ural derby of the season went to Metallurg, with the visitor adding to Traktor’s problems after a sluggish start to the season. The home team suffered a third successive defeat and remains unable to push into the top eight in the East. Magnitka, by contrast, remains in close combat with Avtomobilist at the top of the standings after bouncing back from a high-scoring loss to Neftekhimik on Saturday.
The game got off to an action-packed start. Denis Zernov almost gave the visitor a first-minute lead; Teemu Pulkkinen responded by putting Traktor in front on 66 seconds. After that, Metallurg took the initiative but had to be alert to regular counter attacks. However, Yegor Korobkin’s sharp reactions tied the game after a rebound off the boards brought the puck into the danger zone.
In the second period, Metallurg settled the outcome of the game. Three unanswered goals, all from the Leipsic-Maillet-Goldobin line put matters out of Traktor’s reach. In the 25th minute, Brendan Leipsic’s quick break saw him produce a perfect pass for Nikolai Goldobin to give Magnitka the lead. Late in the frame, Leipsic himself found the net then, in the closing moments the trio combined for Philippe Maillet to make it 4-1. Pyotr Khokhryakov thought he had pulled one back for Traktor, but the video showed that his shot crossed the line after the hooter had sounded.
In the third period, Traktor tried hard to find a way back. A power play goal from Vladimir Tkachyov in the 49th minute ensured that some hope remained, but that was as good as it got for the home team. Zernov’s late goal ended any doubts about the outcome and confirmed Metallurg’s return to the top of the standings.
Shalunov shoots down former club
Sibir Novosibirsk 1 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2 (1-0, 0-2, 0-0)
For eight years, Loko was unable to get a regulation-time win in Novosibirsk. Only Yegor Averin and Yegor Korshkov remain from the Railwaymen who got that result back in October 2014. Eight years ago, Maxim Shalunov was a Sibir player, albeit one just forcing his way into the first team. He did not feature in the loss to Lokomotiv but today he was in the visitor’s colors – and had a big say in the outcome of the game.
Before Shalunov’s big moment, though, Sibir grabbed an early lead thanks to Alexander Sharov. The home team got a power play after 87 seconds and Sharov took advantage to open the scoring in the second minute. After that early jolt, Lokomotiv responded by taking the game to its host. The visitor led the shot count 13-6 and spent almost seven minutes of the opening 20 on the attack.
Early in the second period, that effort got its reward with another power play goal, this time scored by Andrei Sergeyev. Then, midway through the middle frame, Shalunov sent a reminder to his former club when he popped up with the go-ahead goal. Ivan Chekhovich atoned for his early penalty with a fine pass to release the ex-Sibir forward and he did not waste the chance to get one over his previous colleagues.
Subsequently, Lokomotiv did a good job of holding Sibir at arm’s length. Visiting goalie Daniil Isayev was troubled by little more than long-range efforts in the closing stages as Loko closed out the win and ended an unwelcome record in Siberia.
Neftekhimik keeps on winning
Barys Nur-Sultan 1 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 (1-1, 0-1, 0-0)
Neftekhimik’s revival gathers pace and today’s game saw Oleg Leontyev’s team make it four straight wins. That keeps it ahead of Sochi at the foot of the overall KHL standings and the Wolves are now just two points shy of a playoff place. After losing the opening 10 games of the season, that’s a remarkable turnaround.
Barys was today’s victim. The Kazakh team has been streaky since Andrei Skabelka’s return but came into this game on the back of three wins. Skabelka set up a strike force of North American forwards, moving Anthony Louis to join Linden Vey and Jeremy Bracco while Nikita Mikhailis was asked to inject some venom into the second line.
However, that import line seemed to be divided by a common language midway the first period when a breakdown in its play allowed the visitor to counter. Andrei Belozyorov got the goal, breaking clear before outwitting goalie Nikita Boyarkin; Mikhail Nazarov’s assist extended his productive streak to seven games.
Barys responded before the first intermission and the first line atoned for its earlier error by combining on the power play. Bracco was the scorer and the game was tied at the intermission.
Nazarov’s rich vein of form continued in the second period when his assist created a power play goal for Andrei Chivilyov. That proved decisive as Neftekhimik maintains its recent improvement.
Kareyev continues shut-out streak
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 5 Avangard Omsk 0 (1-0, 2-0, 2-0)
After all the excitement of opening its new home, Avangard was straight out on the road again – and apparently suffering from a hangover. Salavat Yulaev recorded a third straight victory, and goalie Andrei Kareyev posted a third successive shut-out.
Kareyev, 27, stopped 31 shots today. That takes him to 87 across the last three games. He last allowed a goal on September 17, when Ufa lost in overtime against Admiral, although he spent the next four on the bench.
The goalie had work to do in the early stages, especially when Avangard got an early power play. However, Salavat Yulaev responded and after Ryan Murphy fired one against the crossbar, Artyom Pimenov’s hard work created a shooting lane for him to find the far corner.
Whatever Viktor Kozlov told his players during the first intermission clearly had the intended effect. Ufa came out for the second period and scored twice in 38 seconds. Nikolai Kulemin made it 2-0, then Sergei Shmelyov added a third, collecting his 250th career point in the process. At the other end, Vladimir Bryukvin hit the post for Avangard, but the game was clearly heading one way.
In the final stanza, Salavat Yulaev extended its lead to a rout. Pimenov got his second, chasing starting goalie Vasily Demchenko from the net. Understudy Stanislav Galimov did not escape unscathed, however, with Stanislav Bocharov beating him to make the final score 5-0.
Macek makes the difference
Ak Bars Kazan 4 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 5 OT (1-1, 1-0, 2-3, 0-1)
The big game in the East lived up to its billing. Ak Bars entertained table-topping Avtomobilist and the teams shared eight goals in a see-saw encounter that ended with the Motormen grabbing an OT win to remain on top in the East.
Brooks Macek was the visitor’s hero. He grabbed a late tying goal, then snatched an overtime winner as Ak Bars withdrew the goalie and almost immediately paid the price. Curtis Valk won possession behind his own goal, and his stretch pass released Macek who had a simple finish into an empty net at the other end.
From the early stages, Ak Bars enjoyed the bulk of the possession and posed a genuine goal threat. However, the opening tally came at the other end when Avtomobilist forced a turnover midway through the session. Georgy Belousov surged down the wing and fired the puck to the center, where Patrice Cormier helped it on for Anatoly Golyshev to apply the finish. Ak Bars responded late in the first when Ilya Safonov collected a rebound off the boards, went around the net and stuffed the puck home at the near post.
In the second period, Avtomobilist created more offense but could not find a way past Amir Miftakhov in the home net. At the other end, Alexander Radulov struck late in the session to record his 200th KHL goal. Shortly after that, Danis Zaripov released Vadim Shipachyov for a great chance, only for Vladimir Galkin to close the door.
The third period began with a goal rush. Nikita Tryamkin tied the scores, then Curtis Valk took advantage of a rare Zaripov blunder to put Avto up 3-2. The veteran’s blushes were spared by young Safonov, who responded immediately to tie the game at three. There were big chances for Shipachyov and Nick Ebert, but when Alexander Radulov scored a power play goal on 56:02 it seemed that the home team had the winner.
Avtomobilist had other ideas. Macek levelled it at 4-4 just a minute later, then grabbed the winner 37 seconds into the extras.
Severstal snaps losing streak, Dragons go to OT again
Kunlun Red Star 2 Severstal Cherepovets 3 SO (2-0, 0-2, 0-0, 0-0, 0-1)
For the third time in three games, Kunlun went to overtime. Today, though, the Chinese team fell victim to a fightback.
Red Star jumped to a 2-0 lead on goals late in the first period. Brandon Yip broke the deadlock with a short-handed effort, then Zac Leslie needed just four seconds to convert his team’s first power play of the game. Visiting goalie Vladislav Podyapolsky allowed two goals off five shots and did not reappear for the second period. In his place, Dmitry Shugayev was unbeaten for the next 45 minutes.
Despite some brave goaltending from Jeremy Smith, Severstal’s pressure paid off in the second. Igor Geraskin pulled one back, before Dmitry Moiseyev got the tying goal in the 37th minute. Severstal continued to dominate in the third period but could not find a winning goal, then overtime proved inconclusive and relatively free of incident. Ilya Ivantsov got the shoot-out winner, ending Severstal’s three-game losing streak.
