Neftekhimik’s unlikely hero and the East unexpected challenger

The week began with a goalie coming out of retirement to backstop his injury-hit team to victory. It also featured a timely riposte from one of the league’s star players, and saw two teams on the rise in the Eastern Conference.

Kislitsyn’s unlikely debut

It’s a plot twist that Hollywood might dismiss as too far-fetched. But in hockey, anything can happen – just ask Neftekhimik goalie Anton Kislitsyn. The 33-year-old made his KHL debut on Monday, helping his team earn a 5-4 win over Vityaz. So far, nothing unremarkable. Except that Kislitsyn retired from playing two years earlier, after several years playing in the VHL. He was working as a coach in Neftekhimik’s system, helping players through the academy that nurtured him in the past, when an injury crisis struck. Three netminders in the Neftekhimik system were unfit, two more were away on VHL duty and the team had only Yaroslav Ozolin to call on. Kislitsyn was swiftly signed up to play against Vityaz, and the drama was only just beginning. He was beaten in the third minute, prompting fears that a dream debut might turn into a nightmare. However, Kislitsyn retained his composure, did his job in a high-scoring game, and finished on the winning team thanks to a hat-trick from Pavel Poryadin.

Man of the Week: Anton Kislitsyn makes debut, writes history

Radulov’s riposte to his critics

Alexander Radulov is never far from the headlines. Over the course of the season, he has been hailed as the man to deliver another trophy to Ak Bars and blamed for the team’s failure to live up to high early-season expectations. This week, he starred in the best performance for the Kazan team, potting a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over league leader SKA. Radulov’s treble, which moves him to 13 tallies for the season, included the clutch goals that snapped a 1-1 tie and opened a 3-1 lead in less than two minutes late in the second period. He finished the job with an empty net goal to complete a convincing win. However, Kazan’s problems are not yet over: that striking victory is the only success in five games for Oleg Znarok’s team.

Ak Bars humbles leader, Avangard wins eight in a row. November 17 round-up

SKA stumbles

That game in Kazan also underlined a recent slump for runaway leader SKA. Roman Rotenberg’s team was looking unstoppable at the top of the table until its Far East trip. Then, a long way from home, three successive losses shattered that aura of invincibility. What looked like a stumble is not in danger of turning into a slump. Back in Petersburg, SKA bounced back with an emphatic 7-2 win over Dinamo Minsk. Since then, though, a trip to Tatarstan brought further losses at Ak Bars and Neftekhimik. Tuesday’s showdown against defending champion CSKA takes on additional significance, and the Petersburg team will be hoping that Nikita Gusev can continue his excellent form. He has 7 (3+4) points from his last four games, including a four-point haul in that thrashing of Minsk.

Avtomobilist hits top gear

The battle at the top of the Eastern Conference is turning into a compelling spectacle. So far this season, Salavat Yulaev, Metallurg and Avtomobilist have put forward their credentials to lead the way but no team has managed to take full control. At the moment, the Motormen are in pole position. Nikolai Zavarukhin’s team suffered a wobble in late October, but has bounced back in style. Avto currently holds a six-game winning streak, culminating in an 8-2 thrashing of Sochi on Saturday. This week brings a trip to Ufa, where Salavat Yulaev will be looking to boost its own bid for the summit in one of the top clashes of the coming days.

Admiral enjoys favorable winds

While Avtomobilist is generally expected to be among the leaders in the East, Admiral is traditionally an outsider. The Sailors are more accustomed to scrapping for a place in the top eight than challenging at the top of the standings. This season, though, things are different. Vladivostok’s team is on the crest of a wave, rising to third place in the conference on the back of a run of 10 wins in 12 games. Leonids Tambijevs has led his team to impressive wins over SKA and Dynamo Moscow on home ice – the latter defeated for the first time in Vladivostok – and also boasts victories over table-topping Avtomobilist and current form team Avangard. This week brings three games against Neftekhimik, one in Tatarstan, two in the Far East, as Admiral looks to continue its progress.

Admiral tops KHL Power Rankings after Week 11

Hawks gaining height

Avangard’s early season problems are receding into memory, and under Mikhail Kravets the Hawks are beginning to ascend. Saturday’s overtime success against Ak Bars stretched the club’s winning streak to nine games. On the back of that form, Kravets has earned himself an extended contract, having previously worked as interim head coach following the departure of Dmitry Ryabykin in October. The winning run includes two victories over Ak Bars, plus successes on the road in Ufa and Magnitogorsk, suggesting that Avangard is ready to battle with the top teams in the East once again.

SKA loses at Neftekhimik, Avangard wins ninth in a row. November 19

Agidel equals club record

In the Women’s Hockey League, Agidel Ufa stretched its winning streak to 14 games and matched the club record. The run dates back to the start of the season, and sees the team out in front at the top of the standings. The record-equalling victory came at Biryusa Krasnoyarsk, currently second in the standings.