Nikishin’s double subdues stubborn Severstal. December 1 round-up
There was only one game on Thursday’s KHL card, but the clash between SKA and Severstal delivered plenty of action. The visitor belied its lowly position in the standings and shrugged off its recent run of losses to force the league leader to overtime. However, Alexander Nikishin grabbed his second of the night to ensure SKA took the points.
SKA St. Petersburg 4 Severstal Cherepovets 3 OT (0-1, 3-1, 0-1, 1-0)
On paper, this looked a home banker. SKA’s run of awkward results in November seemed to be at an end, with Roman Rotenberg’s team winning three of its last four, going to overtime in its loss to Lokomotiv, and scoring 18 goals in the process. Severstal, meanwhile, had just one victory in six, a 3-2 success against Vityaz.
However, the visitor showed plenty of resilience to pose some questions for its high-powered host. In the first period, Severstal had slightly the better of the game and, crucially, got the opening goal. Midway through the session, Georgy Solyannikov took the first penalty of the evening, and Daniil Vovchenko fired home from the left-hand circle.
The stats suggested this was no fluke. The teams had an even share of possession and were tied for face-off wins. However, it was striking that Severstal was willing to shoot the puck far more often – 15-9 for shots on target, with SKA blocking a further eight attempts. Alexander Samonov, on his first return to Petersburg since he was traded for Vladislav Podyapolsky, was unbeaten at the first intermission. Podyapolsky was used as understudy to Dmitry Nikolayev in the SKA net.
At the start of the second period, though, SKA got on the power play and Nikita Gusev set up Alexander Nikishin for the tying goal. It was tempting to assume that the home team would go on to win at a canter, but instead Severstal restored its lead almost immediately. Robin Press, who assisted on Demchenko’s opener, made it 2-1 when he stuffed the puck home from the slot in a position somewhat unusual for a defenseman.
In the 25th minute, Severstal got another power play and, once again, it led to a goal. This time, though, the home team tied the scores with a shorty. Severstal’s defense got into trouble trying to move the puck from its own territory and Nikita Komarov stole possession and scored from close range. Once back at full strength, SKA made it 3-2 thanks to Damir Zhafyarov in the 29th minute. It took almost half the game, but the league leader had the advantage many expected it to assume from the opening face-off.
Once again, though, the visitor was following a different script. Early in the third, it was SKA’s time to get into difficulty bringing the puck out of its zone. Severstal seized possession in center ice and reversed the direction of play to set up Nikita Rozhkov for 3-3.
Neither side could find a winner in regulation, although Severstal had a good chance when Dmitrij Jaskin’s foul left SKA on the PK. The extras lasted less than a minute before Nikishin settled it for SKA. His goal owed much to Mikhail Vorobyov, who circled round the Severstal zone and seemed to have opened himself a shooting lane. To the surprise of Samonov and his defensemen, though, the home forward slipped the puck into the path of Nikishin as he advanced into the right-hand circle. The defenseman’s one timer ripped into the net and SKA made it four wins from five.
