Gusev grabs 300th assist. December 19 round-up

SKA’s 4-1 win over Vityaz saw Nikita Gusev record his 300^th KHL assist. His team was not the only one to record a comfortable victory, with CSKA defeating Dinamo Minsk 5-1 in Belarus. In the Eastern Conference Metallurg also enjoyed success, but a 3-1 triumph over Amur was achieved late in that game. Elsewhere, Lokomotiv came from behind to beat Sochi, Admiral held on to sink Avtomobilist and Ak Bars overcame Kunlun Red Star on a busy day of KHL action.

Sailors survive Avto fightback

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 2 Admiral Vladivostok 3 (0-1, 0-2, 2-0)

Table topping Avtomobilist suffered a surprise loss at home to Admiral, despite a spirited fightback in the third period. The Motormen were unable to claw back a three-goal deficit and the Sailors got a second win of the season in Yekaterinburg.

It did not take long for Admiral to open the scoring, with Nikolai Chebykin scoring after 63 seconds. Home defenseman Nick Ebert lost track of his positioning and invited Chebykin to shoot from the slot.

The visitor kept up the pressure, skating better and instantly jumping on any loose pucks in center ice. Leonids Tambijevs clearly instructed his players to get pucks to the net as often as possible and that kept Avtomobilist pinned back for long periods.

In the second period, Admiral was able to build on its lead. In the 29^th minute, Avtomobilist was caught on the change and Colby Williams took advantage of the confusion to advance and shoot home a second goal. Then Evgeny Lisovets saw his shot bounce off Nikita Tryamkin’s skate and into the home net for 3-1. That prompted the home team to replace goalie Igor Bobkov with Vladimir Galkin.

In the third period, Avto managed a fightback. Stephane Da Costa reduced the deficit midway through the session, then a power play goal from Brooks Macek ensured a frantic finale. However, Admiral held on to seal the win.

Maillet inspires Metallurg fightback

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 Amur Khabarovsk 1 (0-1, 0-0, 3-0)

With several defensemen away on international duty over the weekend, Metallurg opted to rest Grigory Dronov, Valery Orekhov and Pavel Akolzin for Monday’s meeting with Amur. Ilya Vorobyov could enjoy that luxury after seeing players come back from injury. Kodie Curran was a notable returnee, while forwards Anatoly Nikontsev and Semyon Koshelev were also back in action.

In the early stages, the teams were watchful. Gradually, though, the game warmed up. Amur’s Nikita Grebyonkin, on loan from Metallurg in search of KHL experience, was among the liveliest players and it was no surprise that he set up the opening goal for Artur Gizdatullin late in the first period.

The Tigers held onto that lead throughout the second period, with Metallurg unable to generate sufficient traffic to disturb Janis Kalnins in the visitor’s net. As time began to run out for Metallurg, Vorobyov started to shuffle his lines. And, in the final 10 minutes, that work. Nikolai Goldobin was put on a line with Philippe Maillet and he produced a terrific pass to set up the Canadian for the equalizer.

Maillet went on to create the winner, slaloming his way through the Amur defense before his delicate feed set up Josh Currie to make it 2-1. In the final seconds, an empty net goal from Brendan Leipsic completed the scoring.

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Travel delays can’t halt Hawks

Salavat Yulaev 1 Avangard Omsk 2 SO (1-0, 0-1, 0-0, 0-0, 0-1)

Avangard’s preparations for this game were disrupted by the late arrival of four internationals. Damir Sharipzyanov, Sergei Tolchinsky, Semyon Chistyakov and Arseny Gritsyuk found their flight to Ufa delayed by 12 hours and they arrived just a few hours before the game.

Salavat Yulaev, meanwhile, was lifted by the return of several injured players. Danil Alalykin recovered to make his 100^th KHL appearance.

Following the pause, it took time for both teams to get into their game in the first period. However, with each passing shift, the players gained in confidence. The opening goal came in the 15^th minute when Alexander Chmelevski converted the first power play of the game, positioning himself perfectly to fire home a rebound after a flurry of shots at Vasily Demchenko.

In the second period, Mikhail Kravets’ team twice had the puck in the net. However, the first effort was called back for offside following a video review. Later in the frame, though, there were no questions about Vladimir Tkachyov's shot past Andrei Kareyev.

There was no further scoring, although in the third period the home team upped the tempo and created several moments of danger around Demchenko’s net. At the other end, Avangard’s best opportunity fell to Gritsyuk, but neither team could settle the issue inside 60 minutes.

Overtime failed to separate the two sides, although Shakir Mukhamadullin carved out a great chance for Chmelevski to win it. Prior to the shoot-out, both teams swapped their goalies, with Ilya Ezhov and Andrei Mishurov taking over between the piping. Mishurov finished on the winning side, stopping three of Ufa’s five attempts. Tkachyov potted the decisive attempt for Avangard.

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Traktor grabs much-needed victory

Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 Sibir Novosibirsk 2 (2-0, 1-1, 0-1)

Traktor went into the international break rooted to the foot of the Eastern Conference. During the pause, the team looked to freshen up its roster but the key changes today were the return of Albert Yarullin and Teemu Pulkkinen, both recovered from injury.

Despite Traktor’s problems this season, it has enjoyed its meetings with Sibir. In four previous encounters it dropped just one point. Today’s game got off to a cautious start, but in the 15^th minute the home team took control with two goals in 16 seconds. Vladimir Tkachyov and Mikhail Kotlyarevsky were on target, with Tkachyov’s effort proving worthy of a highlight reel.

Sibir did not give up. Alexander Sharov, one of the visitor’s leading scorers this season, reduced the arrears with a power play goal early in the second period. However, it wasn’t long before Traktor’s power play got its chance, and Anton Burdasov made it 3-1 in the 24^th minute.

Defending a two-goal lead in the third period, Traktor played cautiously. The home defense was strong and Sibir found it hard to make inroads. It wasn’t until the final moments, after Sibir removed its goalie, that the visitor managed to beat Sergei Mylnikov at last. However, Vladimir Butuzov’s effort was too late to salvage the game.

Ak Bars prospers thanks to special teams

Ak Bars Kazan 3 Kunlun Red Star 1 (2-0, 1-0, 0-1)

Special teams made the difference for Ak Bars, with two power play goals and one shortie sealing victory over Kunlun Red Star. The Dragons got the game’s only equal strength marker, but Cliff Pu’s last-minute tally was too late to affect the outcome.

The home team opened the scoring on its first power play of the evening. Doyle Somerby sat for hooking and Stanislav Galimov had the puck in the net within 30 seconds. A couple of minutes later, Kunlun’s first PP of the game went horribly wrong. Dmitry Voronkov got on the breakaway to score a shorthanded tally and double Kazan’s lead.

Early in the second period, Ilya Safonov and Garet Hunt got into a fight. Hunt, often used as an enforcer, took exception to a hit on Tyler Wong and set about righting that perceived wrong. He ot 2+5+10 for his troubles, with Safonov also sitting out a fighting major. Midway through that second stanza, another Ak Bars power play saw Alexander Radulov extend the home lead.

In the third period, Ak Bars had much the better of the game, keeping Kunlun away from its net for long periods. However, with 19 seconds left on the clock, Brandon Yip set up Pu for a goal that robbed Timur Bilyalov of his shut-out.

Battling Sochi still can’t find a win

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2 HC Sochi 1 (0-1, 0-0, 2-0)

Few teams needed the break as urgently as Sochi. The basement team was on a long losing streak and could only benefit from a chance to regroup and rebuild its game after a difficult start to the season.

For a time, Sergei Svetlov’s men looked capable of grabbing a rare win on their return to action. However, Lokomotiv hit back in the third period to take the points and maintain its grip on second place in the Western Conference.

The home team dominated much of the play from the start. In the first period, Lokomotiv outshot Sochi 23-5 and spent almost four times as long on the attack. However, the only goal of the opening frame went to the visitor, with Kirill Petkov converting the first power play of the game midway through the session.

In the middle frame, Loko’s offense was in danger of getting bogged down. The home team still had a big territorial advantage, but the visiting D was working hard to limit clear scoring chances. It was beginning to look like an evening of frustration for the Railwaymen, but everything changed midway through the third.

Mikhail Belyayev tied the scores in the 49^th minute, winning his puck battle in the corner and making his way to the circle before shooting past Maxim Tretyak. A couple of minutes later, Maxim Shalunov put the home team ahead when he got the vital touch on Roman Bychkov’s point shot. Stepan Nikulin had a chance to put it out of reach, but he missed his penalty shot and the game remained alive until the very end. However, Lokomotiv held off Sochi’s efforts in the closing stages to take the verdict.

Chaput opens his KHL account

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 Barys Astana 3 (0-0, 1-0, 0-3)

Michael Chaput got his first KHL goals to lift Barys past Neftekhimik and put the Kazakhs back into the top eight in the East. Neftekhimik led in the second period of this game, but ultimately fell to a loss that sends it to the foot of the Conference standings.

A goalless first period was utterly dominated by defenses. The teams managed just six shots on goal between the in the opening 20 minutes, and there was not much more offensive intent on view for long periods of the middle frame. However, Neftkekhimik managed to break the deadlock in the 33^rd minute thanks to Ansel Galimov.

We had seen little of Barys as an attacking force in the opening two frames. However, at the start of the third the visitor visibly upped the pace. Chaput tied the scores on 41:22 and Barys continued to press for the go-ahead goal. However, when Jesse Graham took a penalty, Neftekhimik managed to halt that pressure and began to ask some questions of its own.

Back at equal strength, Barys went in front. Jeremy Bracco got the go-ahead goal, then in the final seconds Chaput struck again into an empty net to seal a much-needed win for Barys. The Kazakhs now have four victories from their last five as they look to consolidate a spot in the playoff places; Neftekhimik’s two-game winning streak comes to an end.

Kovalenko strike gives Torpedo the edge

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 Severstal Cherepovets 2 OT (1-2, 1-0, 0-0, 1-0)

Torpedo trailed twice before recovering to defeat Severstal in overtime. The win keeps Igor Larionov’s team in fourth place in the West, while the Steelmen remain outside the playoff spots. However, despite the difference in the league standings, both of these teams came into the game in similar form, winning just two of their previous six engagements.

Severstal made a bright start to this game. Daniil Pylenkov opened the scoring in the third minute. The forward got his first goal for the club since arriving from SKA in November. Denis Yan tied it up for Torpedo, but Pylenkov restored Severstal’s lead in the 14^th minute and it remained 2-1 at the intermission.

There was little to choose between the teams, although Severstal could point to a slight edge in shots on goal throughout the first two periods. Thus, the visitor may have felt somewhat aggrieved to be tied at 2-2 after 40 minutes, with Anton Sizov getting the equalizer midway through the second period.

Torpedo went on to have the better of a scoreless third period, but had to wait until overtime to get the decisive goal. Nikolai Kovalenko, a player who seems far more at home on this team than he did at Ak Bars last season, got the decider just 39 seconds into the extras.

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Milestone for Gusev

SKA St. Petersburg 4 Vityaz Moscow Region 1 (0-0, 2-1, 2-0)

Nikita Gusev claimed his 300^th assist in the KHL – only the sixth player to reach that milestone – as SKA overpowered Vityaz. The league leader improves to seven successive victories after an assured performance against an opponent battling to stay in the top eight.

Vityaz did a good job of matching its illustrious opponent in a goalless first period. The stats suggested there was little between the teams and the visitor was well worth its parity at the first intermission.

However, SKA got a power play early in the middle frame and that led to the game-breaking moment. Gusev fired in a shot from between the hash marks and Damir Zhafyarov got onto the rebound to open the scoring. In the 36^th minute, SKA extended its lead through Marat Khairullin, but Vityaz got one back thanks to a power play goal from Alexander Yaremchuk late in the second period.

Any hopes of a fightback was dashed at the start of the third period when Khairullin potted his second of the game. That effectively ended the contest and SKA dominated the remaining action. Vladislav Tsitsyura added a fourth to complete a convincing win for Roman Rotenberg’s team.

CSKA rallies to flatten Minsk

Dinamo Minsk 1 CSKA Moscow 5 (0-0, 1-1, 0-4)

The international break was a big success for Craig Woodcroft and the Belarusian national team, which triumphed at Channel 1 Cup in Moscow. Back on KHL duty, though, the Bison ran out of steam despite taking the lead against CSKA. For the visitor, 19-year-old forward Vasily Dronyk scored his first KHL goal to help the Muscovites to a convincing win.

The visitor shaded the first period without finding the opening goal. After the break, CSKA wasted another power play chance and found itself behind shortly after Dinamo returned to full strength. Pavel Varfolomeyev was the scorer, off yet another Joseph Duszak assist.

The game turned decisively in the 39^th minute. Shawn Lalonde was ejected for slashing and that penalty hurt Dinamo. Andrei Svetlakov tied the scores in the second period and, to make matters worse for the home, the angry reaction from the bench brought another minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. That 5-on-3 advantage saw Takhir Mingachyov give CSKA a 2-1 lead.

Back at full strength, Dinamo could not save the game. Instead, Maxim Sorkin added a third – Svetlakov collected his third point of the night on that play – before Dronyk’s big moment made it 4-1 in the 56^th minute. Late in the game, Mikhail Grigorenko added a fifth to complete a convincing road win for CSKA.