100 goals for Jaskin. December 24 round-up
Czech international Dmitrij Jaskin scored his 100th KHL goal to help SKA defeat Spartak 4-2. Meanwhile, Eastern Conference leader Avtomobilist continues to struggle, slipping to a third straight loss after a shoot-out reverse in Astana. There were overtime wins for Torpedo and Dynamo Moscow, the latter defeating Traktor despite two points from debutant Nikita Soshnikov. Severstal beat Dinamo Minsk 4-0 in Saturday’s other game.
Barys adds to Avto’s problems
Barys Astana 5 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 4 SO (1-1, 2-2, 1-1, 0-0, 1-0)
Eastern Conference leader Avtomobilist blew a 3-1 lead and slipped to its third loss since the season resumed on Monday. The visitor arrived in Kazakhstan looking to recover from a 0-4 loss at home to Sibir. Nikolai Zavarukhin reshuffled all his lines, and scratched Yefim Gurkin and Georgy Belousov. Stephane Da Costa lost his place as first line center to Dmitry Zhukenov. Goalie Johan Mattsson picked up a temperature during the Sibir game and was replaced by Igor Bobkov.
That was a big boost for Barys, which had twice been shut out by Mattsson earlier in the season. In the Swede’s absence, the home team scored with its first shot of the game. Nikita Tryamkin’s penalty invited Barys to press and Kirill Savitsky took advantage to open the scoring.
At the other end, meanwhile, Avtomobilist enjoyed some success on the counterattack. Anatoly Golyshev tied the game in the first period, then quick strikes from Danil Romantsev and Sergei Shirokov opened a 3-1 lead midway through the second.
However, the home team responded strongly. Michael Chaput continued his recent scoring form to convert another power play, then Nikita Mikhailis tied the scores 19 seconds before the intermission. After that break, Barys regained the lead when Yegor Petukhov made it 4-3, his effort surviving a bench challenge as Avtomobilist unsuccessfully appealed for interference on Bobkov.
Avtomobilist forced the game into overtime thanks to a power play goal from Brooks Macek. That’s 27 for him this season as he leads the KHL in snipes. However, Macek was unsuccessful in the shoot-out, and Mikhailis was the only player to score in the extras to give Barys the verdict.
Soshnikov’s bright debut can’t save Traktor
Dynamo Moscow 4 Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 OT (1-2, 1-0, 1-1, 1-0)
Traktor arrived in Moscow with Nikita Soshnikov ready to make his debut. The 29-year-old, who has featured for Salavat Yulaev, CSKA and Avangard in recent seasons, began the current campaign with the Islanders. However, things did not work out in New York and Traktor brought him back to Russia to help kickstart a disappointing season in Chelyabinsk.
Soshnikov’s debut went well from a personal perspective. He had a goal and an assist in his first KHL game of the season. However, it was not enough to escape defeat.
Dynamo, chasing a fourth straight victory as it looks to secure a top-four position in the West, opened the scoring thanks to Alexander Skorenov’s power play goal. However, Traktor responded well. Teemu Pulkkinen tied the scores against his former club barely a minute later, then Soshnikov helped Alexei Byvaltsev make it 2-1 at the first intermission.
This was a close, hard-fought game, and Dynamo were good value for a tying goal in the second period. Andrei Mironov was the scorer, making it 2-2 late in the session.
Soshnikov struck again 12 seconds into the third, putting Traktor up 3-2. However, his penalty led to Dynamo’s Yegor Martynov making it 3-3 with 12 to play. Neither team could settle it in regulation, thanks in no small part to a fantastic goal line save from visiting defenseman Robert Hamilton. However, Mironov needed just 33 seconds to pot the OT winner.
Big win moves Severstal right into playoff race
Severstal Cherepovets 4 Dinamo Minsk 0 (2-0, 1-0, 1-0)
A convincing home win moves Severstal level on points with Dinamo Minsk. The Bison remain in eighth place in the west, but now only by virtue of more wins in regulation time so far this season (12 vs 10).
Severstal got ahead here midway through the first period when Alexander Suvorov opened the scoring during the first power play of the game. Suvorov, a 20-year-old Belarusian prospect who played with Dinamo last season, seems to enjoy playing against his former club. This was his second game against the Bison this season, and he scored in the 4-3 road win on Dec. 5 as well. Late in the opening frame, Robin Press doubled the home lead and left Dinamo with a long road back into the game.
In truth, the visitor rarely looked capable of recovering the situation. Dinamo created few chances in the second period and fell further behind to Kirill Pilipenko’s power play goal. Only in the third period did Craig Woodcroft’s team really start to test Severstal. Even then, though, the Steelmen managed to score from one of their three shots on goal, while Alexander Samonov stopped all 19 that came his way at the other end.
Samonov, a recent signing from SKA, collected his first shut-out for his new team. He finished with 37 saves.
Kovalenko inspires Torpedo to victory
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 OT (0-0, 0-0, 1-1, 1-0)
In form Nikolai Kovalenko was the game-winner for Torpedo. His overtime tally sealed a hard-fought success over Neftekhimik and keeps his team in fourth place in the West, level on points with Dynamo.
This game proved something of a slow burner. For all Torpedo’s determination to play attacking hockey, the home team struggled to get to grips with Neftekhimik in the first period and found itself outshot 5-10 in a goalless opening session. The middle stanza also brought no goals, although by now Torpedo was producing more menace.
It took a shorthanded goal to break the deadlock, with Kovalenko setting up Artyom Mikheyev in the 52nd minute. That looked like it might be enough to win it, but Anthony Camara struck in the last minute to force overtime.
In the extras, Kovalenko delivered the winner. The 23-year-old moves to 8 (5+3) points in his last five games, making him Torpedo’s hottest forward right now.
Spirited Spartak no match for Jaskin
SKA St. Petersburg 4 Spartak Moscow 2 (1-1, 1-1, 2-0)
Dmitrij Jaskin scored his 100th KHL goal to lead SKA to victory over Spartak. His team bounced back from a midweek loss against CSKA to send Spartak to a fourth successive loss.
However, the visitor got off to a perfect start in this game. Marat Khusnutdinov took a penalty inside the first minute, and Shane Prince converted the power play to give Spartak the lead on 37 seconds. Another power play chance midway through the opening frame saw Alexander Khokhlachyov go close to doubling the lead. However, it wasn’t long before SKA got a PP of its own and Jaskin tied the scores.
That was Jaskin’s 100th KHL goal. However, it was far from the end of the story for this game. Prince restored Spartak’s lead early in the second period as the Red-and-Whites continued to pose questions. However, a short-handed effort midway through the game saw Marat Khairullin tie the scores once more, and that seemed to dislodge some of Spartak’s belief.
In the latter stages of the second period, SKA began to dominate the game. In the third, that dominance turned into goals. Khairullin got his second of the night on the power play, then Khusnutdinov was denied by a bench challenge after beating Patrik Rybar. In the closing stages, Spartak proved unable to generate the kind of offense it needed to force an equalizer, and Jaskin’s second of the game secured SKA’s win.
