Traktor hands record sixth loss to Ak Bars. October 16 round-up
The big game of the day saw Ak Bars travel to Traktor looking to snap a five-game losing streak. Instead, though, the home team scored five to hand Kazan its longest skid in the KHL. Elsewhere, Kunlun Red Star beat Spartak 3-0 and Severstal edged a 2-1 verdict at Sochi.
Sixth straight loss for Ak Bars
Traktor Chelyabinsk 5 Ak Bars Kazan 2 (2-0, 2-1, 1-1)
Ak Bars set an unwelcome club record as it slipped to a sixth successive loss for the first time in the KHL era. Under Oleg Znarok, a stellar roster is struggling to gel. Znarok reunited two of his biggest stars, putting Vadim Shipachyov and Alexander Radulov together on the first line. There was also a recall for veteran Danis Zaripov. However, against a Traktor team that is still some way short of its best form, there was no upswing in Kazan’s fortunes.
Both teams began cautiously, waiting for the other to commit itself. Yet it was Traktor that made the initial breakthrough when Anton Burdasov got into the zone and surprised Timur Bilyalov with an unexpected shot from a tight angle. Bilyalov looked uncertain then and was beaten again a few minutes later as the home team looked to build on its advantage fast. The pressure forced a penalty and Teemu Pulkkinen converted the chance. The Ak Bars bench challenged the play, claiming interference on Bilyalov, but the video review went in Traktor’s favor and the visitor had to face a delay of game penalty to add to its problems.
Penalty trouble was a scourge for Ak Bars in this game. The second period saw Traktor make it 3-0 midway through the frame thanks to a power play goal from Sergei Telegin. A fourth goal soon followed, with a superb pass from Pulkkinen releasing Kirill Kapustin. He circled the net and, after losing his footing, still managed to steer the puck into the corner. That was the play of the night, but it also spelled the end of Bilyalov’s game as Amir Miftakhov took over in the Ak Bars net.
Finally, the visitor woke up. Ak Bars forced its first power play of the game, and Stanislav Galiyev needed just 10 seconds to convert that into a goal. In the remaining minutes of the second period, Kazan created more chances. Ilya Proskuryakov produced a notable save to deny Kirill Petrov.
However, the intermission disrupted Ak Bars’ momentum and the visitor never looked capable of recovering three goals in the final frame. True, Nikita Dynyak pulled one back and, for a time, that reinvigorated his team. However, a breakaway chance for Alexei Byvaltsev forced Galiyev into a desperate foul that resulted in a minor penalty for him and an additional bench minor for unsporting conduct. The 3-on-5 PK kept Traktor at bay, but the momentum was gone forever. Late in the game, Burdasov completed the scoring with his second of the night to add to the woes in the visiting camp.
Jurusik denies Spartak
Kunlun Red Star 3 Spartak Moscow 0 (0-0, 1-0, 2-0)
Matt Jurusik posted his second successive shut-out to help the Dragons bounce back from Friday’s loss to Severstal. The American goalie made 37 stops to deny Spartak as Kunlun improved to four wins from five.
For the Red-and-Whites, though, this was third defeat in four games. Having challenged for second place in the Western Conference early in the season, Boris Mironov’s team is now in a more accustomed position. Spartak is still in the playoff places, but perhaps looking over its shoulder rather than targeting a higher position.
Jurusik was the busier goalie from the start, and his first period pad save to deny Alexander Khokhlachyov on the doorstep was a huge factor in keeping the teams level through the first 20 minutes. The visitor enjoyed the better of that opening frame, but failed to take advantage and was punished at the start of the second when Doyle Somerby put KRS in front with his first goal in the KHL.
Spartak continued to press, and Jurusik was kept in the game throughout. The visitor thought it had tied the game a couple of minutes before the second intermission. However, a video review ruled that the puck did not cross the line and Red Star took its slender advantage to the break.
In the third period, Jack Rodewald added to the Dragons’ lead when he followed up to convert the rebound after Alexander Perevalov tried to score on the wraparound. And, in the final moments, an error from Joey Keane gifted Alex Riche an empty net goal in his first game since returning to the KHL.
Misfiring offense hinders Sochi
HC Sochi 1 Severstal Cherepovets 2 (0-1, 0-0, 1-1)
Andrei Razin returned to the Severstal bench after suspension and saw his team consolidate its grip on eighth place with victory at rock-bottom Sochi.
The home team had lost its previous three games and found itself behind once again in the first period. Alexander Zhabreyev broke the deadlock in the 18th minute with the 22-year-old’s first goal of the season.
Severstal was good value for that lead after dominating the opening frame. In the second, though, the pattern of play was reversed. Now Sochi was on top, outshooting the Steelmen 11-4 to make the overall shot count 14-14 after 40 minutes. However, there was no way past Dmitry Shugayev as the visitor dug in to protect its lead.
The final stanza followed a similar pattern, with Sochi well on top but unable to take its chances. At the other end, Daniil Vovchenko showed how it should be done as he doubled the Severstal lead on a counterattack. Sochi learned something from that and Amir Garayev pulled one back with 10 minutes to play. However, there was no way back for the Leopards and Shugayev backstopped his team to victory.
