Salavat Yulaev Ufa 0 Barys Astana 2 (0-0, 0-1, 0-1)
When these teams met a couple of weeks ago, Salavat Yulaev powered to a 5-1 victory on its way to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Since then, things have changed. Three losses in five games saw the home team fall from that lofty perch, overtaken by Avtomobilist.
Barys was looking for a change in fortune. That defeat was followed by a run of three losses in four games as Andrei Skabelka’s team dropped out of the top eight. Victory today would return the Kazakhs to the playoff zone, while Ufa needed at least one point to resume top spot.
Throughout this season, a strong start has been Salavat Yulaev’s trademark. Once again, the home team piled on the pressure from the opening face-off. However, Barys had learned from its recent loss here and defended in depth, denying Ufa any space to cause problems in front of Julius Hudacek’s net. The visitor came close to taking the lead on a breakaway, but Arkady Shestakov’s shot dinged the crossbar.
In the middle frame both teams had power play chances but could not forge an opening. It would take something special to change the game, and Yegor Petukhov delivered. Jesse Graham sent the puck behind the net and Petukhov, untroubled by anything resembling defense, pulled off a lacrosse play to lodge it in the top of the net behind Andrei Kareyev. It happened so fast that few in the arena realized what had happened until Petukhov himself pointed out the puck lodged between the twine and the frame of the goal.
Once ahead, the visitor grew in confidence. In the third period, Barys was able to defend its lead calmly, offering few opportunities for Salavat Yulaev to threaten an equalizer. Shestakov wrapped up the win with an empty net goal, while Hudacek’s latest show saw him stop 26 shots.
Ak Bars Kazan 3 Avangard Omsk 4 (1-2, 2-0, 0-2)
When Ak Bars dropped out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference, Avangard’s social media crew were among those to poke fun at a stumbling giant. Today, the Hawks’ players had their first chance to face Oleg Znarok’s men this season, and they backed up the club’s words with actions.
However, this was far from 60 minutes of unfettered fun for the visitor. After opening a 2-0 lead, Avangard fell behind before snatching victory late in the game.
Ak Bars rang the changes for this game, scratching a wealth of experience in the shape of Stanislav Galiyev, Danis Zaripov, Vasily Tokranov and Daniil Tarasov. Maxim Bykov, a 20-year-old forward who got his first KHL goal last week, joined Alexander Radulov and Vadim Shipachyov on the first line, while another academy product, Semyon Terekhov, made his debut.
Avangard, on a six-game winning streak that included successes in Magnitogorsk and Ufa, had little need for big changes: Fyodor Belyakov replaced Semyon Chistyakov on defense, and that was the limit of Mikhail Kravets’ adjustments.
This season, Ak Bars has tended to start games slowly. The same thing happened here, with Avangard scoring twice in the first 10 minutes. Reid Boucher opened the scoring on the power play, then Arseny Gritsyuk doubled the lead off a great pass from Fyodor Malykhin. It took a Slava Voynov wrister to get the home team back in contention before the first intermission.
After Boucher’s power play goal, it was ironic that his major penalty invited Ak Bars to turn the game around. The American forward’s elbow connected with Kirill Semyonov, but not so hard that the home forward was unable to claim the tying goal when the puck deflected off him and into the net. Boucher, back in the game, missed a good chance to restore Avangard’s lead but Timur Bilyalov denied his solo rush. At the other end, Kirill Adamchuk fired in a powerful shot from the boards and Vasily Demchenko was unable to stop it as Ak Bars ended the middle frame with a 3-2 lead.
The visitor responded with a tying goal from Vladimir Bryukvin. That gave Avangard a visible lift and the Hawks began to dictate more of the play. At the other end, Semyonov had a chance for a second goal but could not quite convert, then the visitor responded by taking the lead once more. A defensive breakdown cost Ak Bars dear as Alex Broadhurst finished off an odd-man rush to grab the game-winner in the 57th minute.
CSKA Moscow 8 Dinamo Minsk 5 (0-1, 6-1, 2-3)
Defending champion CSKA snapped a three-game losing streak in some style, racking up the goals in a big win over Dinamo Minsk. The visitor arrived on the back of a four-game tear and even took the lead in the first period. However, the Muscovites hit the Bison for six in the middle frame and ended up on top as the teams shared 13 goals.
There was little warning of what was to come in the first period. CSKA had the better of the play, outshooting Dinamo 13-5 through 20 minutes, but could not find a way past Konstantin Shostak in the visitor’s net. The Minsk defense dug in to protect its net, and then Dinamo opened the scoring on its first power play chance. Ryan Spooner got the goal after 18 minutes play.
Even at the start of the second, Craig Woodcroft’s team remained in the battle. Sergei Plotnikov tied the scores on the power play, but within a minute Nick Merkley restored the visitor’s lead.
Then, though, the floodgates opened. Dinamo ran into penalty trouble, and power play tallies from Artyom Sergeyev and Maxim Mamin put CSKA in front for the first time. By the midway point, Pavel Karnaukhov gave the home team a 4-2 lead, chasing Shostak from his net to be replaced by Alexei Kolosov. The incoming goalie had no better fortune, beaten after 36 seconds when Konstantin Okulov made it 5-2. Late in the frame, Maxim Sorkin added a sixth and Dinamo’s problems were compounded by an unsuccessful bench challenge that led to a minor penalty for delay of game.
Many teams would have given up a 2-6 down, but to their credit, the Bison kept battling. Dmitry Sokolov pulled one back early in the third, and when Spooner got his second of the game in the 51st minute, there was a glimmer of hope for Dinamo. CSKA ruthlessly extinguished that mini fightback, with Karnaukhov getting his second of the day before Mikhail Grigorenko added an eighth. It wasn’t quite the last word, though. Vadim Moroz grabbed a late consolation goal for Dinamo at the end of a breathless encounter.