Nikishin’s double leads SKA’s fightback. November 5 round-up
The big game of the day lived up to top billing as SKA came back from 0-2 to beat Metallurg 4-3. Elsewhere, Lokomotiv enjoyed a 4-0 drubbing of Torpedo, and there were narrow road wins for Salavat Yulaev and Sibir.
Loko powers to victory over Torpedo
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 0 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 (0-1, 0-2, 0-1)
This was the third meeting between these Volga rivals, and the first of the season in Nizhny Novgorod. The home team was celebrating the 200th anniversary of the city’s famed trading market, but found itself on the wrong end of a decidedly non-festive scoreline.
Torpedo’s problems began with an injury that ruled out forward Kenny Agostino. But there was a bigger change in the coaching staff, with Igor Larionov away at an event in North America and Mikhail Vasiliev stepping up as acting head coach.
Lokomotiv had no such worries and began the game effectively. Despite taking two early penalties, the visitor did not allow Torpedo to take the initiative and Artur Kayumov broke the deadlock in the seventh minute.
That was the only goal in the first period, and there were few clear chances at either end. However, early in the second, Lokomotiv turned its in-game superiority into goals. Sergeyev Andrei extended the lead on the power play early in the frame, then Yegor Korshkov extended that advantage in the 36th minute. Torpedo’s day did not improve, despite a couple more power play chances late in the middle frame.
Indeed, the third period brought worse news for the home team. Artyom Ilyenko scored a fourth for Loko, Torpedo challenged for offside, but the review upheld the on-ice verdict. 4-0 to Loko, two minutes for Torpedo. And, with less than 15 minutes to play, effectively game over.
Sibir edges Motormen
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 1 Sibir Novosibirsk 2 SO (1-0, 0-0, 0-1, 0-0, 0-1)
After two high-scoring games between these teams earlier in the season, Saturday’s match-up was a hard-fought, low-scoring affair. Sibir snapped its two-game losing streak thanks to a shoot-out verdict, tightening its grip on fourth place in the East.
Avtomobilist, which began the day with hopes of climbing to second in the conference, got ahead in the first period. Brooks Macek, the team’s leading scorer, added to his account. He was helped by a defensive mix-up and some weak goaltending as he grabbed his 15th of the season.
Once in front, Avtomobilist played cautiously, partly in response to Sibir’s active pressing game. For a long time, that looked like it might be enough to secure the win. It wasn’t until well into the third period that the visitor found a tying goal.
Michal Cajkovsky was the scorer, capitalizing on an error from the home team. The Slovak defenseman pounced on the loose puck to tie the scores. Subsequently, Sibir might have gone on to win it, but the game ultimately went all the way to a shoot-out before Taylor Beck settled the outcome in the visitor’s favor.
Salavat Yulaev battles past Neftekhimik
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 (1-1, 1-2, 0-0)
Ufa snapped a two-game losing streak to reassert its position in second place in the Eastern Conference. However, it was far from straightforward against a hard-working Neftekhimik team that was looking to build on its victory over CSKA last time out.
When the teams met three weeks ago, Neftkhimik could not muster a goal against Salavat Yulaev. Today, things went rather better. The home team opened the scoring on a power play goal from Ilya Khokhlov in the 18th minute. However, there was little time to celebrate: Ufa responded within seconds, Alexei Pustozyorov tying the game.
In the second period, Salavat Yulaev extended its lead early on through Alexander Kadeikin. Pavel Koledov had an assist on that play, taking him to 100 points in the KHL. However, Neftekhimik was not about to roll over. Even on the PK, Oleg Leontiev’s team posed a threat and Pavel Poryadin’s short-handed tally tied the scores.
Salavat Yulaev grabbed the winner late in that middle frame. Ivan Drozdov struck 25 seconds before the intermission. That goal prompted the home team to replace starting goalie Andrei Tikhomirov with Yaroslav Ozolin for the third period. Ozolin did not allow any further goals, but at the other end his team-mates could not get the tying goal.
SKA rallies from 0-2 to beat Magnitka
SKA St. Petersburg 4 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 (3-3, 0-0, 1-0)
The latest clash between the Conference leaders saw SKA come out on top. Once again, though, the Petersburg team had to battle through adversity to extend its winning run.
Metallurg got off to a flying start here, with two goals in the first four minutes. Nikita Korostelyov opened the scoring when a SKA error opened the door for a 3-on-1 counterattack. Korostelyov’s finish found the corner, the East had the advantage. That lead doubled moments later when Maxim Karpov stole the puck from Marat Khusnutdinov and advanced to the slot to make it 2-0.
It was a frantic start, and it ushered in a breathless first period. SKA responded impressively. Alexander Nikishin scored twice to tie the game, then on 19:23 Dmitrij Jaskin put the home team in front. Was that the end of Metallurg’s challenge?
Not even slightly. Ilya Vorobyov’s team managed to tie the game before the intermission thanks to youngster Danila Yurov. He found an angle from beyond the goalline, cannoning the puck into the net off Alexander Samonov’s pads to make it 3-3 six seconds before the intermission.
It was hard to imagine the pace staying so intense in the rest of the game. The main incident of the second period was a scuffle midway through the session. Late in the frame, Nikita Gusev almost converted a power play after Brendan Leipsic went to the box. His feed set up Mikhail Vorobyov in a dangerous position, but Vasily Koshechkin made the save.
The teams remained deadlocked until deep into the third period. Then SKA got the winner thanks to Valentin Zykov. Zakhar Bardakov was the architect. His rush down the right culminated into a nicely weighted pass into the path of Zykov, who took the puck on to score. That proved enough to settle the outcome in an exhilarating encounter.
