11-goal epic in Magnitogorsk, derby delight for CSKA. October 17 round-up
Metallurg vs Avangard was the big game of the day, in every sense. The two Eastern Conference powerhouses traded 11 goals in a pulsating encounter, with the Steelmen coming out on top 7-4. In the West, all eyes were on Moscow where CSKA won 3-1 at Dynamo. Elsewhere, Barys enjoyed a 4-1 success at home to Torpedo, Avtomobilist handed Amur a sixth straight loss and Neftekhimik edged Sibir 3-2.
Barys too strong for misfiring Torpedo
Barys Astana 4 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 1 (1-1, 0-0, 3-0)
Torpedo’s road trip to it to Astana following a couple of disappointing games. Igor Larionov’s players had chances to win in Magnitogorsk, then threw away two points in Ufa. More worryingly, a team built around a lively offense, managed just one goal in each of those games. If not a crisis, then definitely a headache. However, there was not much room for Larionov to manoeuvre. Georgy Misharin returned to the team, Adam Huska replaced Ivan Kulbakov in goal and while the attacking lines were unchanged, they switched positions in the running order. The Veryayev-Belevich-Urakov troika, usually deployed a fourth line, was elevated to the first. The aim, apparently, was to silence the Barys import line.
Larionov’s plan partially succeeded. The Louis-Vey-Bracco line could not get a goal at equal strength, despite some good chances. However, Huska was beaten as early as the fifth minute when Kirill Savitsky scored off a Nikita Mikhailis feed. Torpedo managed to cancel that one out when Igor Larionov Jr tied the game, but late in the first frame an error from Nikolai Kovalenko almost saw Barys regain the lead. Only the piping came to Huska’s rescue.
In the middle frame, the post denied the visitor when it took the full force of a Denis Yan wrister. That ushered in a session that Torpedo dominated without finding a goal. Moreover, a glaring miss from Jeremy Bracco was all that spared Larionov’s team from falling behind.
However, the home team got back in front in the third period thanks to Alikhan Asetov’s one-timer, wrapping up a well-worked move from the home-grown fourth line. Then Linden Vey settled the outcome of the game when he converted an inch-perfect pass from Mikhailis for a power play goal. Then Anton Sagadeyev applied the finishing touch to a good day for the home team, adding a fourth in the closing stages.
Ryabykin enjoys win over former employer
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 7 Avangard Omsk 4 (4-2, 3-2, 0-0)
Former Avangard head coach Dmitry Ryabykin quickly found himself a new role on the coaching staff at Metallurg. Today, he was up against his former club for his first game in a new role. Ironically, by the end of it, he had two victories this season in Metallurg-Avangard match-ups, one with the Hawks and the other with the Steelmen.
That wasn’t the only change in Magnitogorsk, while Grigory Dronov returned after signing a new contract last week. Ilya Khokhlov’s contract was terminated by mutual consent, in recognition of the fact that the defenseman has struggled for game time following the arrival of Kodie Curran and will now drop further down the depth chart. Dronov, meanwhile, is still short of game fitness and did not skate today.
Even a fully fit defenseman found life tough in Monday’s game. The first period was a whirlwind, with the two teams producing terrific speed and fantastic passing as they scored six goals.
The action started right away. Nikolai Goldobin opened the scoring in the second minute, finishing off a spectacular play from his line. Within a minute, Dmitry Shevchenko dragged Avangard level when he battled on the slot and forced the puck home by an act of will.
But that was just the warm-up. Andrei Chibisov restored Magnitka’s lead with a coast-to-coast effort, then Vladimir Tkachyov picked out the top corner to tie the scores on the power play. The period finished with Denis Zernov building the home lead. First, he got a touch on Maxim Karpov’s shot, sending the puck past Stanislav Galimov and chasing the Avangard goalie from the game. Moments later, Zernov scored again, this time on Andrei Mishurov, after an odd-man rush involving Goldobin. That line finished the first period with 10 points between them while the teams traded 37 shots in 20 minutes.
The goal rush continued after the break. A short-handed goal from Pavel Akolzin extended Magnitka’s lead, but a defensive error helped Alex Broadhurst get it back to 3-5. Two highlight reel contributions, one from Nikita Korostelyov and the other from Philippe Maillet, pushed the home advantage to 7-3 and largely ended any doubts about the outcome. Avangard responded with a short-handed goal from Corban Knight but could get no closer.
After all that excitement, the third period was very much the calm after the storm. Metallurg knew that it could simply play out time, while the Hawks were unable to raise one more charge that could change the course of a memorable game.
Da Costa makes scoring return
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 4 Amur Khabarovsk 2 (0-0, 3-1, 1-1)
Injury-hit Amur came to Yekaterinburg looking to generate more offense than in its recent games. The home team, meanwhile, is starting to see the end of its injury problems. Stephane Da Costa returned to the team and centered the second line. The first line center was 21-year-old Maxim Denezhkin, who has just five KHL appearances to his credit so far.
Although Amur tried to get beyond the timid hockey it showed in its previous games, it twice came close to allowing an early goal. A pair of goalline clearances saved Alikin as Avto looked to press the issue from the start. However, there were few moments of danger at either end after that and the opening frame ended goalless.
The home team began the middle frame on the power play and went on to seize the initiative. Alikin stood on his head to keep his team in the game but his resistance ended when Pavel Voronkov fired home from the slot. That was a first KHL goal for a 24-year-old who worked his way through the Avto system.
It wasn’t long before the Motormen converted a power play when the KHL’s leading scorer, Brooks Macek, found the net from his favored position down the left flank. At that point, the shot count for the second period was 13-0 in Avto’s favor, and that was a fair reflection of the play.
Amur managed to get one back quickly thanks to Sergei Tereshchenko, but it made little difference. Da Costa marked his return to action with a goal in his first game back.
Avtomobilist has not yet blown a lead in the third period this season. Today, although Ivan Nikolishin’s power play goal gave the Tigers some hope, that record continued. Anatoly Golyshev’s empty net tally finished off the win.
Goncharov’s late strike gives Neftekhimik the verdict
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 3 Sibir Novosibirsk 2 (0-1, 2-0, 1-1)
Neftekhimik edged past Sibir in a topsy-turvy game, claiming victory by the odd goal in five. Maxim Goncharov’s late power play goal settled the outcome and lifted the home team back into the top eight.
That seemed some way off when Sibir opened the scoring on the power play in the fifth minute. Alexander Sharov’s 10th goal of the season separated the teams until midway through the game.
However, in the middle of the second period, Neftekhimik produced a turnaround. Andrei Belozyorov tied the scores, then Evgeny Mityakin made it 2-1 to the home team. Now, a repeat of the home win over Sibir on Sep. 29 seemed a real possibility.
Vyacheslav Litovchenko tied the scores at the start of the third period, and from then on the game was wide open. However, when Anton Nazarevich was called for high sticks in the closing stages, the double minor proved crucial. Sibir killed the first of those penalties, but Goncharov scored on the second to grab what proved to be the winner. Neftekhimik still had work to do, reduced to three skaters for much of the last two minutes, but Oleg Leontyev’s team held on to take the win.
CSKA wins Moscow derby
Dynamo Moscow 1 CSKA Moscow 3 (1-0, 0-2, 0-1)
The first instalment of this season’s Dynamo-CSKA rivalry went to the defending champion. CSKA came from behind to defeat the Blue-and-Whites, claiming local bragging rights and also providing a reminder that Dynamo’s fast start to the campaign was not, in itself, enough to shift the balance of hockey power in the capital.
That strong Dynamo start has lifted Alexei Kudashov’s youthful line-up to second in the standings. And there was a fast start for his team here. Within two minutes, the home team had the lead when Yegor Martynov’s shot flashed through traffic and beat the unsighted Adam Reideborn.
Even before that, though, CSKA had chances. And the visitor dominated much of the rest of the frame. Anton Slepyshev was close to a tying goal on the power play, then Vladislav Kamenev hit the post late on, but the equalizer would not come before the intermission.
Indeed, it wasn’t until late in the second period that Sergei Fedorov’s team got on the scoreboard. However, once Artyom Sergeyev blasted home for 1-1, it didn’t take long for Kamenev to make it 2-1 with a buzzer beater of a goal in the final seconds of the frame.
Dynamo’s problems deepened midway through the third period. Nikita Novikov took two penalties in quick succession and all that time on the PK took its toll on the home team. Slepyshev made it 3-1, and not even three penalties for CSKA in the last 10 minutes could give Dynamo a way back into the game.
