Vityaz stuns SKA, Dinamo and Spartak pile up the goals. December 30
The last game day of 2022 ended with a rush of goals. Vityaz grabbed a thrilling 6-5 OT win over SKA, while Dinamo Minsk and Spartak also traded 10 in regulation before the Muscovites took a shoot-out verdict in Belarus. Elsewhere, there were eight goals in Vladivostok and Sochi as Amur and Dynamo enjoyed 5-3 road wins. Traktor hit five against Metallurg in another of the day’s derby games, and Ak Bars defeated Neftekhimik 3-1 thanks to two goals from Nikita Dynyak. Avangard celebrated a sixth successive win to finish the year, while Torpedo’s six-game winning streak ended at Severstal. Not everywhere got into the goal rush: CSKA edged Lokomotiv 2-1 in overtime, while Sibir and Avtomobilist went goalless through 65 minutes before the host won the shoot-out.
Derby win lifts Amur out of basement
Admiral Vladivostok 3 Amur Khabarovsk 5 (0-2, 1-1, 2-2)
After a shut-out win 24 hours earlier, Admiral decided to rest goalie Nikita Serebryakov and gave Alexander Lazushin the start. There were also a couple of adjustments to the rest of the roster. For Amur, meanwhile, Friday’s game was an immediate chance to move off the foot of the standings. Head coach Vadim Yepanchintsev replaced five players from Thursday’s loss.
Those changes paid off. Amur took control of the game in the first period with two unanswered goals. Artur Gizdarullin struck early before Gleb Koryagin got the first of his hat-trick late in the opening stanza. Shortly before Koryagin’s marker, Amur had the puck in the net but Igor Rudenkov’s effort was overturned by a video review which found he kicked it home.
Leonids Tambijevs looked to change things and brought Serebryakov into the game for the second period. That, plus some well-chosen words at the intermission, provoked a stronger performance in the middle frame. Admiral outshot Amur 17-8 in the second period and reduced the deficit through Evgeny Grachyov in the 38th minute. However, the Tigers swiftly responded and Koryagin’s second of the night preserved that two-goal cushion going into the final frame.
When Rudenkov made it 4-1 with a power play goal at the start of the third, the game was almost over. Koryagin completed his hat-trick midway through the final session – that’s his first treble in the KHL. Admiral continued to battle, and late goals from Dmitry Sayustov and Nikolajs Jelisejevs made the final scoreline respectable. But this was very much Amur’s day.
Krasotkin blanks Motormen
Sibir Novosibirsk 1 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 0 SO (0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0)
Sibir set up the New Year festivities ahead of its game with Avtomobilist – but neither team was able to unleash a feast of goals on the final gameday of 2022.
Instead this turned into a goaltending duel between Igor Bobkov (34 saves for Avtomobilist) and Anton Krasotkin (22 saves for Sibir). The two were unbeatable through 65 minutes of play, and Krasotkin continued that formidable form into the shoot-out where he denied Curtis Valk, Brooks Macek and Daniil Tarasov.
All that saw the Motormen slump to a sixth successive loss since the international break: it says much about the inconsistency of the rest of the Conference that Avto remains two points clear at the top despite that run of form. More worryingly, this was the second game in a row that Avtomobilist was unable to find the net: on Wednesday it suffered a 0-5 loss against Avangard.
Sibir, meanwhile, bounced back from a 2-1 loss against Ak Bars to open a two-point cushion over fifth-placed Salavat Yulaev. Despite failing to score in regulation, successful shoot-out attempts from Nikita Setdikov, Alexander Sharov and Nikita Shashkov secured a winning conclusion to 2022.
Hawks make it six in a row
Avangard Omsk 3 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2 SO (0-2, 2-0, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0)
Avangard’s season has been marked by inconsistency so far, but under the guidance of Mikhail Kravets that Hawks produced a strong finish to 2022. Today’s game brought a sixth successive victory and Omsk goes into the New Year handily placed in third in the East. However, it was a battle to force a shoot-out verdict today against Salavat Yulaev.
The visitor arrived with a point to prove after losing in Chelyabinsk last time out, and started the game in fine style. Alexander Chmelevski’s breakaway effort opened the scoring in the fifth minute and Stepan Sannikov doubled the lead in the eighth. In between, a home power play tested Ufa and it took a wonderful save from Andrei Kareyev to deny Reid Boucher a tying goal.
However, after Salavat Yulaev got its second goal, Avangard managed to seize the initiative. For much of the remainder of the game the home team dominated possession and, eventually, that produced chances. Midway through the second period, Fyodor Malykhin made it 1-2. Salavat tried to regain some of its offensive presence, and created some good chances for the first time in over 20 minutes of game time. However, Avangard held on and tied the scores right before the intermission. Vladimir Tkachyov was the scorer, capitalizing on some great work from Alexei Bereglazov.
The third period brought chances at both ends, but no further goals and it took a shoot-out to separate the teams. Both sides swapped their goalies for this test, and Avangard’s Andrei Mishurov helped Avangard to a third shoot-out success against Ufa this season. He stopped four attempts, while Tkachyov was credited with the winner.
Another derby success for Traktor
Traktor Chelyabinsk 5 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 (2-1, 1-0, 2-1)
Traktor wrapped up its 2022 program on a high note, picking up a second victory over Metallurg in the space of three games and improving to four wins from its last five games. More importantly, Chelyabinsk goes into the New Year in eighth place in the East, albeit facing stiff competition from Barys, Amur and Neftekhimik in the race for the playoffs.
Metallurg, meanwhile, missed the chance to draw level with Conference leader Avtomobilist after failing to build on its victory at Ak Bars last time out.
This fifth South Urals derby of the season got off to a fast start. Traktor opened the scoring in the fifth minute through Nikita Tertyshny, only for Metallurg to respond quickly thanks to Kodie Curran. A couple of minutes later, the home team regained the lead through Ilya Karpukhin and took a 2-1 advantage to the first intermission.
Early in the second period, a power play goal extended Traktor’s lead. Sergei Telegin was the scorer, and his success lifts the home PP to 20% for the season – a solid return, especially on a team that has struggled for form at times this term. In general, Anvar Gatiyatulin’s men were good value for their lead: they spend twice as much time on the attack, and had a slight edge in terms of shots on goal (12-9) and face-off wins (7-5).
After a cautious start to the third period, Mikhail Kotlyarevsky’s wrister pushed the lead out to 4-1 in the 49th minute. Magnitka responded by sending out Vasily Koshechkin to replace starting goalie Eddie Pasquale, but it was too late to change the game. In the closing minutes, the teams exchanged goals with Mikhail Goryunov-Rolgizer on target for Traktor before Nikita Korostelyov got a late consolation effort for Metallurg. Visiting forward Philippe Maillet had an assist on that one to extend his productive streak to seven games, but that was the only highlight for his team on a good day for Traktor.
Torpedo’s streak comes to an end
Severstal Cherepovets 3 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 (1-0, 2-1, 0-1)
Severstal snapped Torpedo’s six-game winning streak and goes into 2023 with a three-point lead over ninth-placed Dinamo Minsk in the Western playoff race. Andrei Razin’s team made it three wins from four with a hard-fought success over an in-form Novgorod team, underlining hopes that a sometimes difficult 2022 will lead to further progress in the New Year.
The first period statistics were astonishing. Torpedo managed just one shot on goal. Not because the visitor was unable to get into dangerous territory, but because the home defense managed to block almost everything that came its way. True, Torpedo also seemed to be focussed on carving out the perfect chance rather than firing pucks to the net. Severstal was more inclined to shoot at Ivan Kulbakov and got its reward in the 15th minute when Igor Geraskin opened the scoring on the power play.
In the middle frame, Torpedo forgot its shyness about shooting and quickly tied the scores through Vladislav Firstov. However, although the visitor was now posing more questions of Severstal, the home team kept coming up with the answers and added two further goals of its own. Andrei Churkin restored the lead before Kirill Pilipenko’s power play effort made it 3-1.
For much of the third period, Severstal was happy to take the edge out of the game and play to defend its lead. A late power play for the visitor saw Sergei Goncharuk make it 3-2 with 33 seconds left to play. However, the Steelmen repelled the final onslaught to take the win.
Galuzin settles 11-goal classic
Vityaz Moscow Region 6 SKA St. Petersburg 5 OT (1-1, 4-1, 0-2, 1-0)
The old year ended with a bang in Balashikha, with Vityaz claiming a sensational overtime victory over table-topping SKA. The home team led 4-1 and 5-2, then found itself in overtime before regaining its composure to grab the verdict thanks to a goal from Vladimir Galuzin.
The action was breathless from the opening exchanges. Vityaz had the better of the first period but fell behind when SKA converted its first power play midway through the session. Igor Ozhiganov got the goal, but Vityaz replied in the final minute with an individual effort from Stepan Starkov.
The second period belonged to the home team. Alexander Yaremchuk put Vityaz in front midway through, kickstarting a surge of three goals in four minutes. Tyler Graovac extended the lead and Starkov got his second of the game to leave SKA reeling. True, Dmitrij Jaskin reduced the deficit, but it was a sign of the visitor’s desperation that Roman Rotenberg was playing with an empty net on the power play. That gamble proved costly late in the second when Alexei Volgin slipped a shorty into the empty net to make it 5-2.
However, SKA is also a potent threat at equal strength and early in the third the visitor dragged itself back into the game. Marat Khairullin and Mikhail Vorobyov scored barely a minute apart to make it a one-goal game, then Jaskin’s second of the night tied the scores at 5-5. There were still 11 minutes left in regulation, but a string of penalties slowed SKA’s momentum and the game made it to overtime.
The extras brought a winner for Vityaz. Jaskin’s attempted pass was cut out by Yaremchuk and he released Galuzin one-on-one with goaltender Vladislav Podyapolsky. Galuzin won that duel, giving Vityaz a memorable triumph.
Spartak edges thriller in Minsk
Dinamo Minsk 5 Spartak Moscow 6 SO (0-0, 2-2, 3-3, 0-0, 0-1)
Minsk also hosted a 5-5 tie, but Dinamo was unable to snap its losing streak. Instead, Spartak edged the verdict in a shoot-out after a pulsating game. Shane Prince got the decider against his former club, snapping a six-game losing streak for the Red-and-Whites and extending the Bison’s misery to eight games.
There was little evidence of the goal rush to come in a scoreless opening frame. However, the second period livened up. Dinamo twice led on tallies from Nikita Zorkin and Joe Duszak, but Spartak hit back each time thanks to Andrei Loktionov and Alexander Khokhlachyov.
Early in the third, Dinamo scored twice in quick succession. Brandon Kozun and Roman Gorbunov opened up a 4-2 lead and, for a time, it seemed that Minsk’s long wait for a win was coming to an end. Spartak, though, had other ideas. Two goals in a minute saw Khokhlachyov and Matvei Zaseda tie the scores, then Roman Starchenko put the visitor in front for the first time in the 57th minute.
Dinamo refused to yield in regulation and Dmitry Sokolov tied it up with three minutes left, forcing the game into overtime. That at least secured a first point for the Belarusians since a 2-1 win at Sochi on Dec. 2. But there was nothing more for the host. Spartak goalie Patrik Rybar denied his former club in the shoot-out, and successful efforts from Prince and Tsyplakov gave the visitor the verdict.
Dynyak double hands Bill the win
Ak Bars Kazan 3 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 (1-1, 1-0, 1-0)
Zinetula Bilyaletdinov celebrated his first win since returning as Ak Bars head coach, leading his team to a derby success against Neftekhimik. After a 2-4 reverse against Metallurg on Wednesday, this 3-1 verdict keeps the Kazan side in seventh in the East, opening an eight-point gap to Barys in ninth.
The home team took the lead in the ninth minute when Stanislav Galimov whipped in a terrific shot from a tight angle, picking out the far corner with Andrei Tikhomirov unable to react. However, the Neftekhimik bench claimed the forward raised his stick too high when he took a looping pass from Kirill Semyonov on his way to the danger zone. A video review upheld the on-ice decision: Ak Bars led, and Neftekhimik faced a bench minor.
That penalty did not unduly harm the visitor, though. On the contrary, Neftekhimik tied the game with a shorthanded goal. An Ak Bars attack broke down and Maxim Berezin finished off a two-on-one break to silence the home crowd.
It remained level until the midway stage of the game. However, Ak Bars always had the better of the play, and regained the lead thanks to a goal from Nikita Dynyak. Subsequently, although Neftekhimik hung around in the game, the visitor struggled to create scoring chances and the result was decided when Dynyak put his second of the night into an empty net.
Dynamo hands Sochi at 16th straight loss
HC Sochi 3 Dynamo Moscow 5 (1-2, 1-1, 1-2)
Sochi’s struggles show little sign of coming to an end. This game brought a 16th successive loss for the Leopards, despite a first-minute goal and a second in three games from young forward Matvei Michkov. Dynamo extends its winning streak to six games and finishes 2022 tied with Torpedo for fourth place in the West.
Sochi made a bright start to the game and scored after 42 seconds through Kirill Petkov. However, that did not last. Andrei Nikonov tied the game in the ninth minute and Nikita Buryanov saw the visitor take a 2-1 lead to the first intermission.
The loan signing of Michkov, one of the hottest 2023 draft prospects, has given some new impetus to Sochi’s play despite the poor form in recent weeks. The teenager scored his second goal for the club to tie this game, but could do little to change the outcome. Buryanov restored Dynamo’s lead in the second period and Ilya Kablukov extended the lead seconds into the final frame.
Artyom Fyodorov struck late on to give the home team hope of snatching an unlikely comeback win, but it wasn’t to be. Kirill Gotovets scored into the empty net to seal Dynamo’s success and leave Sochi rooted to the foot of the standings.
Bryukvin’s first for CSKA gives OT win
CSKA Moscow 2 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1 OT (0-0, 0-0, 1-1, 1-0)
Third entertained second in the Western Conference, and CSKA edged a verdict that keeps it in contention with Lokomotiv as the two teams try to close on table-topping SKA.
There was little to choose between the two teams in the first period, with CSKA having more possession but Lokomotiv getting more shots on goal. In the second period, though, the home team took control, outshooting the Railwaymen 20-5 and creating several big chances. Vladislav Kamenev hit the post, Daniil Isayev reacted sharply to stop Konstatin Okulov from redirecting a Sergei Plotnikov effort into the net and the visiting goalie also did well to deny Mikhail Grigorenko as the host stepped up the pressure.
Early in the third, CSKA finally broke the deadlock. Kamenov forced a turnover in center ice and fed Okulov, who fired in a shot from the center of the zone to beat Isayev. For a time, it looked as though Lokomotiv had hit the buffers, but Igor Nikitin’s team rallied to tie the game in the 53rd minute. A breakaway move saw Stepan Nikulin continue his impressive form of late, tying the game with his 10th goal of the season and his fourth in five games.
That sent the game into overtime, but CSKA did not need much extra to find a winner. With 34 seconds played, Vladimir Bryukvin fired home a one-timer off Grigorenko’s feed to settle the outcome. That was Bryukvin’s first goal since joining CSKA from Avangard. Lokomotiv remains second in the West, but CSKA is now just four points adrift with two games in hand.
