Moscow calling! October 10 round-up
It was a good day for Moscow’s teams. CSKA got a shoot-out win at Amur in the early game, then Dynamo celebrated its first victory in Magnitogorsk for 11 years.
CSKA outlasts Amur fightback
Amur Khabarovsk 2 CSKA Moscow 3 SO (0-0, 0-2, 2-0, 0-0, 0-1)
The first game of week seven of the KHL season was a roller-coaster affair. CSKA jumped to a 2-0 lead, only for Amur to hit back in the third period and take the action into overtime. Ultimately, Konstantin Okulov won it for the visitor in a shoot-out.
CSKA took the chance to check out some of its prospects in this game. Vsevolod Skotnikov, 21, got the start in goal. Previously he had featured in just three KHL games. Back-up came from Timofei Obvintsev, 17, stepping up to the first team for the first time. Among the skaters, Prokhor Poltapov moved up to the second line and Kirill Dolzhenkov was named on the fourth. Amur, meanwhile, scratched Andrew Calof, whose only goal so far this season came in the opening game.
Young Skotnikov enjoyed great protection from his colleagues in the first period, with Amur unable to get a shot on goal in the first 10 minutes. It wasn’t until late in the first frame that a couple of power plays helped to kickstart the home offense.
Penalties played their part in the game’s first goals. It started with an Amur power play, but home goalie Janis Kalnins picked up a delay of game minor to bring the teams to equal strength. Vladislav Kamenev put CSKA in front during that 4-on-4 play, then added a second when Nikita Nesterov completing his tripping minor and the visitor had a brief power play. Okulov had assists on both goals, which were scored 69 seconds apart.
Kalnins made some amends for his second-period penalty when he pulled off a huge stop to deny a 3-on-1 breakaway for the Muscovites. The goalie’s efforts inspired his colleagues, and Sergei Dubakin reduced the arrears with a backhand finish. Dubakin was also the architect of Amur’s tying goal, feeding a great pass to Ignat Korotkikh for his first goal in the KHL. Both teams had chances to win it in a helter-skelter final six minutes, but the hooter saw the teams locked at 2-2.
In the extras, Alexander Sharov fired over the top when left all alone in front of the CSKA net before the visitor stepped up to test Kalnins a few more times. In the shoot-out, the visitor emerged victorious after Okulov and Sergei Plotnikov converted their attempts.
Dynamo ends 11-year wait
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 1 Dynamo Moscow 3 (0-0, 0-1, 1-2)
For the second time in three days, Metallurg suffered a disappointing loss. The Steelmen spurned the chance to return to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, while Dynamo’s solid start to the season continues. The Blue-and-Whites remain second in the West, three points ahead of the chasing pack, after bouncing back from a two-game skid.
The visitor had the better of the game from the start. Dynamo had more possession and more shots, although perhaps the most dangerous opportunity came at the other end when Nikita Korostelyov’s hard work fashioned an opening for Danila Yurov. The young forward got a dangerous shot off, but Ilya Konovalov made the save.
In the middle frame, Metallurg had plenty of puck possession and spent a good proportion of that time trying to set something up in the Dynamo zone. However, the home team lacked bite, and was punished midway through the session when the visitor swiftly transitioned from defense to attack. Dmitry Rashevsky surged into the zone, got past Artyom Zemchyonok and played a pass into the path of Eric O’Dell for the Canadian to take the puck to the net and beat Eddie Pasquale.
Early in the third, Metallurg missed a great chance to tie it up. Josh Currie sent Brendan Leipsic surging forward and he managed to slide the puck through Konovalov’s pads. However, Artyom Volkov got back to cover and made a goal line clearance.
A couple of minutes later, that miss looked even more costly when Dynamo doubled its lead. The visitor enjoyed an element of good fortune: Ivan Muranov’s shot came back off the boards before bouncing off Pasquale and into the net. Then Muranov got his second of the game late on, finding the empty net. That sealed the win for Dynamo, despite a late consolation effort from Yegor Korobkin. Surprisingly, it snapped a 10-game winning streak for Metallurg at home to the Muscovites, a run that dated back exactly 11 years to Oct. 10, 2011.
