Avangard, Avtomobilist halt losing runs. October 23 round-up
Avangard edged Severstal 4-3 to end its losing streak on its return to home ice. Avtomobilist, too, responded to back-to-back losses with a victory, downing Sochi 5-2. A late goal gave Torpedo a 3-2 verdict over Kunlun Red Star, Spartak overcame Amur in overtime and Neftekhimik was too strong for Barys.
Nikolishin’s treble in vain
Amur Khabarovsk 3 Spartak Moscow 4 OT (0-2, 1-1, 2-0, 0-1)
A hat-trick from Ivan Nikolishin was not enough to save Amur from defeat at home to Spartak. The visitor went to overtime, just as it did in Vladivostok in its previous game, and came out on top thanks to Alexander Khokhlachyov’s goal.
Spartak got off to a flying start. Ilya Talaluyev opened the scoring with a beauty in the third minute. In one fluent motion, he collected the puck, slipped out a no-look feed to Roman Lyubimov on the boards and spun to collect the return pass before beating Evgeny Alikin. Midway through the opening frame, Phil Varone’s point shot doubled the lead.
Amur tried to fight back, and ended the first period with a 13-7 advantage in shots but no goals to show for it. In the second, Nikolishin got to work. His first goal came in the 26th minute, when his pressing forced a turnover. Nikolishin was then on hand to apply the finish and put the Tigers back in the game.
Spartak responded with a third goal, scored by Maxim Tsyplakov via a series of deflections, but Nikolishin wasn’t done. As the game moved into its last five minutes, a home power play saw Nikolishin fire home a one-timer off Nikita Grebyonkin’s feed. A minute later, Ivan struck again, completing his hat-trick on a breakaway goal.
However, the fightback was marred by a late penalty for Pavel Makhanovsky. That handed Spartak a crucial advantage at the start of the extras and within a minute Khokhlachyov forced home the rebound from a Joey Keane shot. The Red-and-Whites claimed their first win in Khabarovsk since 2015.
Hawks enjoy home comforts
Avangard Omsk 4 Severstal Cherepovets 3 (2-0, 0-2, 2-1)
The Hawks returned to their new nest after dropping three road games. Avangard is still looking for a path out of its current problems and recently added Vyacheslav Uvayev to the coaching staff. Interim head coach Mikhail Kravets brought Vladimir Tkachyov back into the team and put him alongside Corban Knight and Reid Boucher on the top line. Ziyat Paigin replaced injured Christian Jaros on the first defensive pair.
Severstal’s recent form has also stuttered, but head coach Andrei Razin contented himself with a couple of changes to freshen up the team that lost 4-5 to Salavat Yulaev last time out. Nikita Guslistov and Maxim Kazakov were the new faces. However, they had little chance to make an impact in the first period as the Steelmen produced a sloppy, penalty-ridden performance that helped Avangard into a 2-0 lead. Paigin opened the scoring with a slap shot on the power play, before Sergei Tolchinsky extended the lead.
The middle frame was very different. From the opening seconds, Severstal looked much better and made full use of the far bench. Not for the first time this season, Avangard stumbled into defensive problems. The outcome was little surprise: Adam Liska was left alone on the slot to beat Stanislav Galimov and reduce the deficit. Galimov then fell awkwardly and left the game with an injury; coming in cold, Vasily Demchenko quickly allowed a goal for Daniil Vovchenko. Late in the frame, the visitor had a great opportunity to take the lead, but Avangard’s PK survived more than a minute of 3-on-5 play.
In the third, the game was a genuine two-way battle. Avangard got back in front when Boucher got one-on-one with Vladislav Podyapolsky and scored with a well-placed wrister. Severstal responded with a power play goal from Alexander Petunin, beating Demchenko at the second attempt.
That seemed to be taking the game to overtime, but with 1:42 to play Avangard grabbed the winner. Boucher was the scorer, picking out an accurate finish to get his second of the game and make it 4-3.
Quickfire double sinks Barys
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 4 Barys Astana 2 (1-0, 2-1, 1-1)
Neftekhimik made a fast start in this game. Ansel Galimov opened the scoring in the second minute. The Kazakhs can be fragile on the road, but today they responded well to that early setback, and the rest of the opening frame was an even battle.
Two goals in a minute at the start of the third period took the game away from the visitor. First, a breakdown in communication between Julius Hudacek and Jesse Graham saw Maxim Goncharov steal the puck away to conjure a goal from nothing. That was his 100th point in KHL play. Then, 41 seconds later, Ilya Khokhlov got onto an Andrei Belozyorov feed and squeezed a wrister inside Hudacek’s near post.
The Barys goalie then made an attacking contribution as Yegor Petukhov pulled one back. Hudacek steered the puck into the corner, where Adil Beketayev’s clearance released Petukhov beyond the defense. He skated through to beat Alexander Sudnitsin and offer the visitor a lifeline.
However, Barys was unable to build on that. The visitor shaded the play in the third period but had to wait until the last minute to get a second goal. When Anthony Louis found the net, there were still 52 seconds remaining. However, Neftekhimik held on and settled the issue with an empty net effort from Pavel Poryadin.
Goncharuk snatches late winner
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 Kunlun Red Star 2 (1-0, 1-1, 1-1)
A late goal from Sergei Goncharuk lifted Torpedo past a battling KRS team. Although the home side always had the better of the play, hard working defense from the Dragons kept it tight. And the visitor took its chances to ensure the scores were tied until the final minute.
Then Goncharuk grabbed the winner with 24 seconds left to play. It was a well-worked effort that punished Parker Foo’s hooking penalty and kept Torpedo fifth in the West, ahead of Spartak.
Goncharuk’s effort was not the first buzzer-beater of the game for Igor Larionov’s men. In the first period there was no scoring until 19:57. Then Denis Yan broke the deadlock to give Torpedo a lead at the first intermission.
In the middle session, young defenseman Dmitry Kostenko tied it up for Red Star. That was the second goal of the season for the player on loan from Spartak. Later, though, he took a penalty and Maxim Letunov restored Torpedo’s advantage. Nikolai Kovalenko got his second assist of the game, with Yan also added to his first-period marker.
Kunlun is a more competitive team this season, and the visitor hung around in the third period. Midway through, Jack Rodewald tied the game for a second time. Brandon Yip’s assist means Red Star’s captain has scored at least one point in nine of his last 10 appearances. However, that was all in vain when Goncharuk struck late to give Torpedo the verdict.
Motormen bounce back after losses
HC Sochi 2 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 5 (0-0, 1-2, 1-3)
Avto’s road trip brought two tough games at CSKA and SKA, and back-to-back losses cost the visitor leadership of the Eastern Conference. Sunday, though, brought a less daunting assignment at bottom-of-the-table Sochi and the Motormen took the opportunity to get back on course.
After a goalless first period, Denis Barantsev broke the deadlock early in the second. However, Sochi had been well in the game up to that time and was good value for a tying goal when Amir Garayev struck halfway through the middle frame.
But then Avtomobilist found an extra gear. Danil Romantsev restored the visitor’s advantage late in the session, and the third period saw Stephane Da Costa score twice to put the game out of Sochi’s reach. The Frenchman has three goals in four games since returning from an injury that kept him out for three weeks.
There was more to come from Avto, with Brooks Macek adding a fifth in the 52nd minute. That brought Artemy Pleshkov into the game for his first KHL appearance in the Sochi net. In his eight minutes of game time the 19-year-old stopped four shots. He also saw Dmitry Zavgorodny score a consolation effort on the power play.
