Metallurg spoils big day in Kazan, CSKA beats table-topping SKA. Dec 28

Today’s game in Kazan was all about Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s return as Ak Bars head coach – but nobody told Nikolai Goldobin. The Metallurg forward hit a hat-trick in a 4-2 win for his team. The other big game saw defending champion CSKA come from behind to defeat league leader SKA in Moscow. Lokomotiv took advantage to close the gap a little, defeating Kunlun Red Star for the first time this season. Eastern Conference leader Avtomobilist suffered a 0-5 thumping at Avangard and has now lost five in a row since the international break. Barys edged past Sibir, Traktor downed Salavat Yulaev and there were victories for Torpedo, Neftekhimik and Severstal.

Barys edges Sibir, remains in top eight

Sibir Novosibirsk 1 Barys Astana 2 (0-0, 1-1, 0-1)

Barys defeated Sibir for the third time in four encounters this season. In the absence of Anthony Louis, the Kazakhs handed Alexander Borisevich a spot on the third line. Previously he was leading the scoring race in the Kazakh championship with Saryarka.

Sibir, meanwhile, had to do without Trevor Murphy. He’s among the most productive defensemen in the KHL this season, but has returned to Canada where his wife is about to give birth.

There were few chances in the early stages of the game, with neither side able to generate chances. Even on the power play, there was little work for either goalie. It wasn’t until midway through the second period that Sibir managed to break the deadlock, with Alexander Sharov finding the net to arrest a recent slowdown in his scoring.

However, Barys responded quickly, with Jeremy Bracco tying the scores. He was helped by a deflection off Michal Cajkovsky’s skate, while Linden Vey’s assist extended his productive run to six games. Vey played a bigger role in the Barys winner, scored by Nikita Mikhailis in the 45^th minute.

Five-star Avangard leaves Avtomobilist reeling

Avangard Omsk 5 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 0 (1-0, 4-0, 0-0)

The Hawks celebrated their 1,000^th KHL game with an emphatic win over Avtomobilist. However, for the Eastern Conference leader, this was a fifth straight loss. Nikolai Zavarukhin’s pacesetters last collected a ‘W’ on Dec. 8. Avangard, meanwhile, has five successive victories since play resumed after the international break.

There was little evidence of the lop-sided scoreline to come during the opening exchanges. Neither team showed much interest in playing in center ice, and the end-to-end action saw both goalies tested. True, Avangard opened the scoring in the sixth minute when Sergei Tolchinsky found space to get a wrister past Vladimir Galkin. However, Avtomobilist responded strongly and applied a high press that began to create chances. Late in the frame Pavel Kulikov and Patrice Cormier posed questions of Vasily Demchenko in the home net, but Avangard took its lead to the intermission. Indeed, the home team might have had a second, but a bench challenge ruled out Reid Boucher’s breakaway effort.

In the second period, Avangard took control of the game. It started with Damir Sharipzyanov’s point shot, which doubled the lead and chased Galkin from his net. Incoming, Igor Bobkov helped kill a penalty right away, but Avto gained little from that success. After one attacking shift, the visitor conceded a third goal with Tolchinsky again on the scoresheet. The Motormen failed to get back into contention on the power play, and soon after Boucher scored a legitimate goal when he converted Vladimir Tkachyov’s feed. The home team had four goals from just 10 shots on goal.

Late in the middle frame, Boucher returned the favor as Tkachyov added a fifth. The final stanza was largely a formality. Avangard looked to defend its commanding lead, and Avtomobilist was unable to make any impact. Demchenko finished with 37 saves for his shut-out.

Home win keeps Traktor in playoff chase

Traktor Chelyabinsk 4 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2 (2-0, 1-2, 1-0)

Traktor celebrated its 75^th anniversary today, but for head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin, it’s all about the future. Specifically, 23-year-old goalie Kirill Ustimenko, who made his KHL debut in Monday’s shoot-out win at Metallurg and continued as the starter today in an unchanged team.

Ufa, marking its 1,000^th KHL game, was without the injured Grigory Panin and Alexei Pustozyorov, so Viktor Antipin and Yegor Suchkov returned to the team.

Traktor is in the midst of a battle to make the playoffs and got off to a fast start. The home team dominated the early exchanges, creating frequent chances and building a 2-0 lead thanks to two goals from Vladimir Tkachyov. There was also a fight between the home team’s Nikita Tertyshny and visiting forward Alexander Chmelevski, which gave Traktor a power play.

There wasn’t much sign of the Salavat Yulaev offense, but early in the second Nikolai Kulemin managed to pull a goal back. Late in the middle frame, the teams traded two more goals: Sergei Kalinin’s counterattacking play was cancelled out by Alexander Kadeikin just before the intermission.

It was clear that the team scoring first in the third period would get a huge advantage, with the swing in momentum potentially deciding the game. Alexei Byvaltsev was the man who got the big goal, finding a way past Ilya Ezhov to make it 4-2 in the 48^th minute. From that point on, Traktor carefully closed out the game to seal a much-needed victory.

Loko posts fifth straight win

Kunlun Red Star 2 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 (1-1, 1-1, 0-2)

After losing twice at home to KRS this season, Lokomotiv was out for revenge. And, after a sometimes hard-fought battle, the Railwaymen got the verdict, stretching their winning streak to five games.

Red Star has enjoyed its encounters with Loko so far this term, and made a bright start to this one. Parker Foo’s point shot took a touch from Luke Lockhart to open the scoring in the second minute. That’s Lockhart’s first of the season, in his 35^th appearance – a welcome boost for a popular part of the Dragons’ set-up.

However, the lead did not last. Loko got the game’s first PP midway through the opening session and Maxim Shalunov tied the scores. Early in the second, he struck on another power play to make it 2-1. By now, Lokomotiv was dominating much of the play. However, much as in the Dragons’ 1-0 win in Yaroslavl last time these teams met, scoring on Matt Jurusik was proving difficult. And Kunlun took advantage to tie the game late in the middle frame when Vincent LoVerde celebrated his return to action by making it 2-2.

The third period brought another quick goal, with Alexander Polunin restoring the visitor’s advantage. This time, Igor Nikitin’s team would not be pegged back. Denis Alexeyev added a fourth in the 54^th minute and settled the outcome in Lokomotiv’s favor.

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Letunov lifts Torpedo over Dinamo

Dinamo Minsk 2 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 (1-1, 1-1, 0-1)

Dinamo’s unhappy run continues, and this defeat makes it seven in a row for Craig Woodcroft’s team. That run saw the Belarusians drop out of the playoff places when Severstal took Spartak to overtime.

Torpedo, meanwhile, celebrated a sixth successive victory and remains fourth in the West. Two goals from Maxim Letunov paced this latest triumph for Igor Larionov’s team, while Vladislav Firstov had 1+1.

Letunov opened the scoring in the seventh minute. However, Dinamo responded well. The home team struck either side of the first intermission to take a 2-1 lead on goals from Brandon Kozun and Pavel Varfolomeyev.

However, Torpedo was in no mood to surrender its winning streak. The visitor quickly tied the game through Firstov and the same player went on to set up Letunov’s winner midway through the third period.

Goldobin’s treble overshadows Bilyaletdinov’s return

Ak Bars Kazan 2 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 (0-0, 2-2, 0-2)

This was a big day in Kazan, where Zinetula Bilyaletdinov was back behind the bench at Ak Bars. Coach Bill, the mastermind of his team’s three Gagarin Cup triumphs to date, stepped down from the job in 2019. However, he returned to the club in an advisory role this summer and joined Yury Babenko’s coaching staff following Oleg Znarok’s departure last month. Yesterday, amid all the trade deadline excitement, Bilyaletdinov was announced as head coach in Kazan until the end of the season.

All that just added spice to a mouth-watering fixture. This clash of two Eastern Conference heavyweights also promises plenty for die-hard fans and neutrals alike. Meanwhile, the two teams are enjoying contrasting fortunes this season, with Magnitka chasing Avtomobilist at the top of the conference while Ak Bars faces a battle to confirm its playoff spot.

In the first period, the game reflected the teams’ league positions. Metallurg had much the better of the action, outshooting Ak Bars 19-8 and forcing Timur Bilyalov into several big saves to keep the scoreboard blank.

Early in the second, that pressure led to the opening goal. The Steelmen forced a turnover and Nikolai Goldobin struck on the counter. However, Ak Bars responded quickly. Vadim Shipachyov brought play into the Metallurg zone and set up Alexander Radulov in the left-hand channel. Radulov waited for the perfect moment before dispatching a wrister that Vasily Koshechkin could not get near. Almost immediately, Ilya Safonov came close to putting the home team in front, only for Koshechkin to produce a big save.

In the 33^rd minute, Metallurg again took the lead. This time, Yegor Yakovlev struck on the power play, wiring a wrister through heavy traffic to make it 2-1. Ak Bars had to kill another penalty, but tied the scores just before the intermission when Koshechkin fluffed a pass from behind his net and Kirill Petrov was the eventual beneficiary.

Early in the third, Metallurg regained the lead with a second of the game for Goldobin. This time, he struck on the power play after Shipachyov sat for high sticks. Magnitka might have extended the lead moments later when Philippe Maillet forced a turnover and tested Bilyalov once again. This time, though, the home goalie was equal to the challenge.

Ak Bars had its chances to tie the game once more. The home team twice got on the power play in the final frame, but could not force a breakthrough. At full strength, Radulov tried to take matters into his own hands but a thrilling rush came up short despite his slalom through the Metallurg defense.

In the end, though, the day belonged to Goldobin and Metallurg. Another turnover sent the visitor away on the counterattack and Maillet set up Goldobin for his hat-trick to seal the outcome in the last minute.

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Petunin’s double gives Severstal the edge

Severstal Cherepovets 4 Spartak Moscow 3 OT (0-1, 1-0, 2-2, 1-0)

Spartak snatched a tying goal four seconds before the hooter, but could not escape defeat in Cherepovets. Andrei Razin’s men made it three wins from four to move back into the top eight, two points clear of Dinamo Minsk. Alexander Petunin’s overtime goal, his second of the night, separated the two teams.

For Spartak, this was a sixth straight loss. The new coach bounce supplied by Igor Grishin’s arrival seems to be in the past, and the Red-and-Whites are now just five points clear of ninth-placed Dinamo. The visitor started well enough, and led twice, but was unable to complete the job.

Pavel Tkachenko gave Spartak the lead with the only goal of the first period. However, in the second Severstal tied it up thanks to Dmitry Moiseyev. The teams traded quickfire goals midway through the third period, with Danila Kvartalnov restoring Spartak’s lead before Daniil Pylenkov made it 2-2.

Then Petunin got to work. His 57^th-minute goal put the home team in front for the first time. He thought he’d won it, but Alexander Khokhlachyov struck back on 59:56 to send the game to overtime. Nothing daunted, Petunin did it again, finding the decisive goal 15 seconds before the end of the extras to push Severstal into the top eight.

Sochi suffers yet another loss

HC Sochi 0 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 4 (0-3, 0-0, 0-1)

Sochi’s struggles continue after the Leopards slumped to a 15^th successive loss. Neftekhimik, meanwhile, posted a second straight victory to move off the foot of the Eastern Conference, at least until Amur plays Admiral tomorrow.

Neftekhimik won this game in the first period. Unusually, the visitor took control on the strength of two shorthanded goals. Moreover, both tallies came from the same penalty as Rafael Bikmullin sat for boarding. First, Vyacheslav Leshchenko chased an opponent deep into the Sochi zone and was on hand to profit from a loose clearance. Then Andrei Chivilyov stole the puck on the Sochi blue line and advanced to score another on Maxim Tretyak.

Late in the first period, Neftekhimik got its first power play of the game, and added a third goal. Andrei Belozyorov was the scorer, taking the score out of Sochi’s reach inside the opening stanza.

The home team responded by sending young Artemy Pleshkov out in place of Tretiak for the second period. He at least kept the Wolves from the door in a scoreless middle frame. However, a 14-4 shot count told its own story about the balance of play.

However, Pleshkov was beaten early in the third period as Ilya Fedotov made it 4-0. That was the first equal-strength goal of the game, and that completed the scoring on another tough day for the Leopards.

Muscovites fight back to see off SKA

CSKA Moscow 3 SKA St. Petersburg 1 (0-0, 0-1, 3-0)

Defending champion CSKA picked up its second win of the season against table-topping SKA, and the series between these old foes is now tied at 2-2. The home team rallied in the third period, wiping out a 1-0 deficit to snap a two-game losing run.

In the first period, SKA had a slight edge. The visitor was helped by a couple of clumsy penalties from its host. First, Maxim Sorkin took an offensive zone call in just the third minute. That pushed the play towards Adam Reideborn’s net and the Swedish goalie had a tough time keeping the game goalless. After surviving that scare, CSKA was a man down once again when a mistimed change brought a ‘too many men’ penalty. This time, though the PK was noticeably more solid and SKA generated few serious chances in front of Reideborn’s net.

The deadlock was finally broken midway through the second period. Marat Khusnutdinov was the scorer, redirecting Nikita Kamalov’s point shot to put SKA in front. CSKA generated some pressure on Vladislav Podyapolsky’s net but the closest we came to a home goal was a Yaroslav Dyblenkoshot that bounced against the post.

The Muscovites turned it around in the third period. SKA iced the puck needlessly and was unable to get out of its zone. CSKA exploited a tired defense and Vladislav Kamenev’s backhand pass set up Konstantin Okulov for the tying goal. Then Okulov struck again, albeit helped by a deflection off Andrei Pedan’s shoulder, making it 2-1 in the 49^th minute.

SKA battled hard to get back into contention – Khusnutdinov twice had good chances to add to his earlier goal, and a puck fired in off the boards could have bounced anywhere after hitting Nikita Gusev in front of the home net.

However, late in the game, Sorkin sealed the verdict for the home team. Kamalov’s error on the blue line invited Sorkin to break away and he combined with Vladimir Bryukvin to stretch the SKA defense. Podyapolsky stopped Bryukvin’s shot, but Sorkin followed up to convert the rebound and put the game out of reach for the league leader.

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