First playoff contender confirmed — the KHL week in review
Last week saw the first team book its place in this season’s KHL playoffs while, at the other end of the table, a record skid came to an end. Elsewhere, the goalscoring race is heating up – can anyone take Sergei Mozyakin’s record?
Sochi snaps losing streak
After setting an unwanted KHL record by losing 21 consecutive games, Sochi finally tasted victory once again. A 3-2 success at home to Metallurg finally lifted the mood around the Black Sea team. Fittingly, perhaps, the win came in head coach Sergei Svetlov’s 400th game behind the bench in the KHL. His players clearly felt the need to mark that anniversary with something special. Sergei Popov, a young forward whose scoring form has been impressive on a struggling team, potted the winner in the third period. Svetlov is the 12th coach to lead a team into 400 KHL games. Earlier this season, Alexei Kudashov and Vyacheslav Butsayev also reached 400 games.
Sochi snaps losing streak, Sibir stuns Ak Bars. January 14 round-up
SKA secures playoff spot
There is still a long way to go in the regular season, but the first team in the playoffs is already confirmed. Table-topping SKA secured a post-season berth on Jan. 15 with a 3-1 win at home to Amur. It’s no surprise that Roman Rotenberg’s team got there in double-quick team: almost from the off, they’ve dominated the Western Conference and currently hold a 13-point lead over second-placed CSKA.
SKA secures playoff spot, Dynamo blanks Lokomotiv. January 15 round-up
Macek vs Jaskin – a goalscoring race to savor
This season’s goalscoring battle is turning into a two-horse race. Avtomobilist’s Brooks Macek and SKA’s Dmitrij Jaskin are duking it out at the top of the charts, and both potted their 30th tally this week. Macek was first to reach the landmark, finding the net in the Motormen’s 4-2 win over CSKA on Tuesday. Czech international Jaskin caught up on Sunday when he tied SKA’s game against Amur. Meanwhile, both players can look to greater achievements in the remainder of the season. The current record goal tally for a single KHL campaign currently belongs to Sergei Mozyakin – who else? – with 48 goals in 2016-2017. So far, no other player has potted 40 in one season but both contenders could achieve it this term. In addition, Jaskin is well placed to outstrip Ilya Kovalchuk’s club record of 32 goals in a season for SKA, another record set in 2017.
Beck breaks records for Sibir
Taylor Beck set a new club record at Sibir this week. The 31-year-old Canadian forward picked up two assists in Saturday’s comeback win at Ak Bars to move to 34 helpers for the season. That beats the previous mark of 32, which Beck held jointly with Jori Lehtera and Jarno Koskiranta. Beck, who spent nine seasons around the NHL with the Predators, Islanders, Oilers and Rangers, is also poised to update the record points tally for Sibir in the KHL. Currently he has 46 (14+32), which ties him with Lehtera and Dmitry Kugryshev. And Beck wasn’t the only player setting records in Novosibirsk this week. Fellow forward Alexander Sharov scored his 23rd of the season to complete that win in Kazan. That puts him clear of Evgeny Lapin’s club record tally, established in the KHL’s first season.
Back-to-back hat-tricks
The week brought hat-tricks on two successive days, and both for players on teams in the lower reaches of the standings. Severstal’s Alexander Petunin went first on Jan. 10, scoring three on Torpedo to give his team a valuable win in its push for a top-eight finish. The next day, Kunlun Red Star’s Cliff Pu matched that feat to lead his team to a 6-2 win at Dinamo Minsk. Pu, 24, a former Sabres prospect whose North American career peaked in the AHL, is the fifth Dragon to hit a hat-trick.
Yip sets PB, eyes club record
Kunlun Red Star captain Brandon Yip also had a hat-trick of sorts in that game in Minsk. His three assists also moved him to 39 points for the season. That’s a personal best for one of KRS’s longest serving players. It also moves him close to a club scoring record. Currently, Chad Rau’s 40 (20+20) total in the team’s KHL debut season is top of the charts, but Yipper is just one point behind.
Two contenders known in Women’s playoffs
Biryusa Krasnoyarsk’s 6-1 victory over Belye Medveditsy Chelyabinsk confirmed a playoff spot for the Siberian team in the Women’s Hockey League. Biryusa is current second in the standings behind long term leader Agidel, which booked its postseason ticket before the New Year holidays. That means there are now just two remaining playoff spots available. Dynamo Neva from St. Petersburg and last year’s beaten finalist Tornado Dmitrov are currently third and fourth, but Torpedo is hard on their heels. Meanwhile, last season’s champion KRS Shenzhen is not out of the race, but has a lot of ground to make up from sixth place, 13 points behind Tornado. However, the Chinese team has four games in hand – potentially worth 12 points – on the team it beat in last year’s grand final.
