SKA secures playoff spot, Dynamo blanks Lokomotiv. January 15 round-up
With a 3-1 win at home to Amur, SKA became the first team this season to book its place in the playoffs. CSKA, second in the standings to the Petersburg club, also enjoyed a home win defeating Severstal 4-2. That result helped Dinamo Minsk return to the playoff places in the West after edging Avtomobilist in overtime. Dynamo Moscow enjoyed a 2-0 victory at Lokomotiv in a game between two teams battling for a top-four finish in the West. Spartak won at home for the first time this year, beating Kunlun Red Star 3-2, while Vityaz topped Traktor in a shoot-out despite allowing a last minute equalizer.
Khokhlachyov leads Spartak to first home win this year
Spartak Moscow 3 Kunlun Red Star 2 (0-1, 3-0, 0-1)
Spartak got its first home win of 2023, squashing the Dragons’ recent upturn in form. The visitor scored 10 goals in its last two games, enjoying back-to-back victory over Dinamo Minsk and Vityaz. However, despite taking the lead in the first period here, Red Star could not continue its winning streak.
That opening goal came midway through the first. Ethan Werek, making his first appearance for two months, was the architect. He fired the puck in from the boards and, after a scramble, Devin Brosseau claimed his 10th of the season.
However, Spartak hit back strongly in the middle frame with three unanswered goals. Andrei Loktionov capitalized on an error to tie the game, then Alexander Khokhlachyov took control of proceedings. He scored the go-ahead goal and assisted as Semyon Ruchkin made it 3-1.
At the start of the third period, Red Star pulled a goal back on the power play. Colin Campbell was the scorer, redirecting a Jake Chelios point shot for his first tally since joining the club last month. However, it was not enough to salvage the game and the Red-and-Whites took the verdict.
Konovalov denies former club
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 0 Dynamo Moscow 2 (0-0, 0-1, 0-1)
After snapping its losing streak with a 6-2 win over Severstal on Friday, Lokomotiv was hoping for more of the same today. Instead, the Railwaymen hit the buffers in the form of a former Yaroslavl goalie and suffered a home defeat. Dynamo continues to alternate wins and losses: this was the seventh game in which victory followed defeat, or vice versa.
It took some time to bring this game to life. The first period was played at a cautious tempo. The action was dominated by puck battles and chances were hard to come by. Dynamo slightly shaded the play, enjoying more time on the attack and outshooting the Railwaymen 7-5.
However, late in the opening frame Dynamo took a ‘too many men’ penalty and Lokomotiv took the initiative at the start of the second. In the opening exchanges, the home team created a couple of chances. Alexander Polunin, Rushan Rafikov and Maxim Shalunov each tested former Loko goalie Ilya Konovalov in those opening stages but could not beat the Dynamo netminder.
Then came the visitors’ riposte, and an opening goal from Jakob Lilja. Bogdan Trineyev’s hard work won the puck for Dynamo in the Loko zone before Lilja moved inside from the left channel and fired a shot across Daniil Isayev and into the far corner. Lokomotiv continued to press after the goal but once again found it difficult to unlock the visiting defense.
At the start of the third, it was clear that Dynamo was happy to take the pace out of the game. The visitor held the puck for long periods, running down the clock without rushing to add to its lead. At one point, the game went more than seven minutes without a break in play and the clock was beginning to turn into an extra player for the visitor.
Things changed midway through the session. Pavel Kraskovsky battled for the puck behind the Dynamo net and set up Alexander Volkov in a dangerous position on the slot. This time, though, Konovalov had the answer, padding away the shot to preserve his shut-out.
That reminded Dynamo that the game was still alive and the Blue-and-Whites went down the ice and doubled their lead. A stretch pass from Andrei Mironov sent Jordan Weal into the danger zone and he cut inside before wiring a wrister beyond Isayev. At 2-0, Dynamo was able to close out the remaining minutes fairly comfortably. Konovalov finished with 22 saves for his shut-out and the visitor moved to within a point of fourth-placed Loko after defeating Igor Nikitin’s team for the first time this season.
Last-gasp leveller can’t save Traktor
Vityaz Moscow Region 4 Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 SO (2-1, 0-1, 1-1, 0-0, 1-0)
This was a useful result for both teams. Despite losing in the shoot-out, Traktor’s point gives it a little breathing space in the Eastern playoff battle. Anvar Gatiyatulin’s team is now two points clear of ninth-placed Neftekhimik. Vityaz, meanwhile, shrugged off a 0-4 loss at Kunlun Red Star and recorded a third victory in four games to keep itself well clear of the chasing pack in the Western playoff race.
That said, the home team made hard work of winning this game. Three times Vityaz got in front, and three times it allowed Traktor to recover. Stepan Starkov got Vyacheslav Butsayev’s team off to a perfect start with a third-minute opener, only for Nikita Soshnikov to tie it up midway through the first period. Soshnikov, who joined Traktor just before Christmas, scored his fourth goal and eighth point in 10 games for his new club and that scoring injection has helped get Chelyabinsk back into playoff contention.
Vityaz regained the lead in the opening frame thanks to Tyler Graovac’s goal, assisted by Scott Wilson. Once again, though, Traktor tied it up when Anton Burdasov potted the only goal of the second period.
In the third, Vityaz thought it had a game winner when Vladislav Kara scored on the power play midway through the session. However, in the final seconds, Traktor tied it up. Burdasov turned to provider to set up Alexei Byvaltsev, who had earlier assisted on Burdasov’s goal. Rob Hamilton, another relatively recent acquisition, collected his second helper of the day and moves on to 11 assists since joining Traktor.
That took the game into overtime, which could not separate the teams. In the shoot-out, Traktor substituted starting goalie Kirill Ustimenko for the experience Ilya Proskuryakov. However, the switch did not help. Proskuryakov was beaten by three of the four attempts he faced while, at the other end, none of Traktor’s forwards could score.
First team secures playoff spot
SKA St. Petersburg 3 Amur Khabarovsk 1 (1-1, 2-0, 0-0)
Victory over Amur ensured that SKA is the first team to guarantee itself a playoff spot this season. Given the club’s commanding lead at the top of the standings, securing a post-season berth was merely a formality for Roman Rotenberg’s men, but today’s success makes it mathematically certain.
However, the high-flyer did not have everything its own way. Amur is battling for its own shot at the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Despite absorbing a lot of pressure in the first period, the visitor stunned the Petersburg crowd by taking the lead in the 16th minute. Yaroslav Likhachyov, one of the best rookies of the season, grabbed his 12th goal for the Tigers to make it 1-0.
SKA did not take long to reply. Dmitrij Jaskin tied it up late in the first period with a power play goal. The Czech international now has 30 goals for the season and continues to lead his team in goals. Then the home team struck twice early in the second. Both goals went to relatively unheralded members of the team. Maxim Groshev, one of the many talented youngsters harvested by the club in recent seasons, made it 2-1 with his fourth of the season. Then Svyatoslav Grebenshchikov potted his second in two games since returning to SKA last month. The pacy Grebenshchikov, now 28, has seen his career come full circle. He started out at SKA, then travelled around the KHL – including a spell at Amur last season – before returning to his first club in December.
While SKA can start preparing for the playoffs in earnest, Amur remains at the foot of the Eastern Conference table. However, in a tight battle for the top eight, the Tigers are just two points adrift of eighth-placed Traktor.
Quickfire double sinks Severstal
CSKA Moscow 4 Severstal Cherepovets 2 (1-1, 1-0, 2-1)
CSKA made it seven wins from eight games with victory at home to Severstal. For the visitor, this loss had consequences: defeat here, coupled with Dinamo Minsk’s home win, saw the Steelmen drop to ninth in the Western Conference. The playoff race is still very much alive for Andrei Razin’s team, though: they are level on points with the Belarusians and have played one game fewer.
The home team got ahead midway through the first period when Nikita Nesterov’s point shot found its way through Severstal’s defenses and beat Alexander Samonov. However, as CSKA ran into penalty trouble, Severstal found a way back and Daniil Vovchenko’s goal not only tied the scores but also made him the club’s all-time leading KHL scorer.
The visitor made a decent start to the second period, but ran into penalty trouble. When Andrei Churkin took a minor, CSKA restored its lead through Vladislav Kamenev. Later in the middle frame, Maxim Mamin saw a goal whistled off for a high stick and Maxim Sorkin had a great chance but failed to beat Samonov in a one-on-one.
A fast start to the third period saw Severstal draw level. Just 22 seconds into the frame, Igor Geraskin stuffed home the puck from close range after Daniil Pylenkov’s shot. However, the game was settled when the Muscovites scored twice in the 44th minute. Konstantin Okulov restored the home lead before Pavel Karnaukhov gave the home team greater comfort 36 seconds later.
Bison edge back into top eight
Dinamo Minsk 3 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 2 OT (1-1, 1-0, 0-1, 1-0)
Avtomobilist suffered its first loss in Minsk for six years as the Motormen continue to struggle for form. Nikolai Zavarukhin’s team snapped an eight-game losing streak with victory over CSKA last time out, but were unable to build on that against an opponent battling to get into the top eight in the West. Avto remains top of the Eastern Conference, but that position increasingly seems conditional on the erratic form of the chasing pack, rather than the virtues of the Yekaterinburg roster.
This game might have been even worse for the visitor, which trailed 1-2 going into the final minute. However, in the desperate late surge, Stepan Khripunov produced a tying goal and secured a useful point for his team with eight seconds left on the clock.
Even so, Dinamo would not be denied. A tripping call on Curtis Valk early in the extras handed Minsk the initiative and Nick Merkley’s power play goal secured the win for the Bison. More importantly, today’s success lifts the Belarusians ahead of Severstal and back into eighth place in the West.
Earlier, Dinamo grabbed an early lead when Dmitry Sokolov converted the first power play of the game in the fourth minute. Avto tied the scores through Sergei Shirokov in the 18th minute to go into the intermission with the scores level. However, early in the second period Vladimir Alistrov restored the home lead and Minsk held that advantage until Khripunov’s dramatic intervention.
