Dynamo goalie scores spectacular goal. January 17 round-up
There’s no doubt about the big moment in Tuesday’s KHL play. Ilya Konovalov, Dynamo Moscow goalie, scored a sensational goal in his team’s 6-4 win at Torpedo. He fired in the puck direct from his own goal line to grab an empty net tally. That feat rather overshadowed the big clash between CSKA and SKA, which the Muscovites won 4-2. Avtomobilist was the day’s highest scorer, winning a 7-4 barn-burner at Spartak, while Dinamo Minsk’s 2-0 victory over Severstal might be the most significant result in terms of the playoff race. Lokomotiv moves to third in the West after winning 3-0 at Kunlun Red Star.
Lokomotiv crashes Lockhart’s party
Kunlun Red Star 0 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 3 (0-1, 0-1, 0-1)
Lokomotiv collected a second win in three games after stifling Kunlun Red Star. The home team saw Luke Lockhart make his 300th KHL appearance – the first player to reach that landmark playing for the Chinese franchise – but the visitor spoiled the party with a thoroughly professional performance.
Stepan Nikulin opened the scoring early, redirecting Denis Alexeyev’s fifth-minute shot into the home net. Red Star did not really deliver a response in the opening two periods, limited to just eight shots at Ivan Bocharov. Lokomotiv extended its advantage on its first power play of the evening and Pavel Kraskovsky’s tally ended a goal drought dating back to Nov. 24.
In the final frame, the Dragons battled through some early penalty trouble and twice killed 3-on-5 situations. After that, Greg Ireland’s team began to generate more offense, but it always felt like this was too little, too late. In the final minutes, a spot of billiards from Alexander Polunin saw him fire a clearance off the boards and into the empty net to seal the win. Lokomotiv jumps ahead of Torpedo into third in the Western Conference.
Goalie Konovalov hits a wonder goal
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 4 Dynamo Moscow 6 (1-2, 1-3, 2-1)
Dynamo goalie Ilya Konovalov produced a real rarity in this game. Not only did he score a goal – unusual enough for a goalie – but it came directly from his own shot when he launched the puck up the ice from the Blue-and-Whites’ goal line.
It all happened in the 56th minute. Torpedo, trying to recover a 3-5 deficit, replaced goalie Adam Huska with a sixth skater. However, the home offense was sluggish to follow up a dump and chase and Konovalov had time to control the puck, spot a shooting lane and fire in his attempt. The puck looped up over the leaping Nikolai Kovalenko before skidding along the ice into the net. That was the first time a goalie scored in the KHL with a direct shot since Ilya Proskuryakov’s effort for Metallurg against Ak Bars in Jan. 2009. Konovalov’s excitement was so great that he had to be replaced by understudy Konstantin Volkov for a couple of minutes.
His super shot also secured an important victory in the race for a top four finish in the West. If Torpedo could win, it would open a four-point gap over fifth-placed Dynamo. However, the Blue-and-Whites could move level on points if the game went the other way.
Given Torpedo’s willingness to attack at will, coupled with a Dynamo forward line that is capable of running up a big score, it was little surprise that this game turned out to be high-scoring. Even so, two goals in the second minute was an unexpectedly fast start. Torpedo opened the scoring after 61 seconds through Yegor Vinogradov but there was little time to celebrate before Andrei Nikonov tied it up 42 seconds later. Next came a bit of rough and tumble, which saw two players from each team handed roughing minors. As the play settled into a pattern, it became clear that Dynamo’s offense was sharper. The teams had a roughly equal share of the first period possession, and had similar numbers of goal attempts. However, the visitor got 15 of them on target, and collected a second goal late in the frame through Dmitry Rashevsky.
Midway through the second period, the teams traded goals. However, late in that middle frame, Dynamo took control. Maxim Letunov’s penalty led to Maxim Dzhioshvili converting the visitor’s first power play of the night. Two minutes later, Pavel Kudryavtsev made it 5-2. Oddly, after scoring two goals from 15 shots on target in the first period, Dynamo had three from eight in the second.
Torpedo needed to change things up, and Huska took over from Ivan Kulbakov between the piping. However, the Slovak international was back on the bench for the next two goals. On 54:27, Igor Larionov called a time-out and sent an extra skater into the game. After 17 seconds, the additional man led to a goal, with Andrei Belevich reducing the deficit. The home team tried to repeat the trick, only to be caught out by Konovalov’s wonder strike. That still wasn’t the end, with a power play goal from Sergei Goncharuk making the final scoreline 4-6, but this game will be remembered primarily for one of those 10 goals.
Dinamo Minsk 2 Severstal Cherepovets 0 (0-0, 1-0, 1-0)
This match-up in Minsk was a big one in the Western playoff race. Dinamo, in eighth, entertained ninth-placed Severstal with the teams level on points ahead of the game. The winner would enjoy at least a one-point cushion in the top eight, and could potentially draw level on points with sixth-placed Spartak; the loser would be left out of the playoff places.
Dinamo was in the better form, having gone to overtime in its previous two games and, most recently, beating Avtomobilist in the extras. Severstal lost its last two, allowing 10 goals in the process.
Not surprisingly, then, the Steelmen looked to take the early initiative. Dinamo was pushed back for significant spells and the home defense had to block 10 shots in the first period. That hard work ensured that the opening frame finished goalless and with efforts on goal deadlocked at 8-8.
Chances were still hard to come by in the second period, but now Minsk was getting more looks at Alexander Samonov in the visitor’s net. Severstal still had more possession, but Dinamo displayed more of a cutting edge and got the opening goal in the 39th minute. There was an element of good fortune about it: Dmitry Sokolov fired it to the slot from deep in the left-hand corner and got the bounce as Samonov fumbled the puck out of his glove and over the line.
At the other end, Konstantin Shostak was enjoying himself against his former club. The Dinamo goalie stopped 20 shots to record his first shut-out of the season and help the Bison to a valuable win. An empty-net goal from Cedric Paquette put some gloss on the final scoreline.
Fedorov continues streak against SKA
CSKA Moscow 4 SKA St. Petersburg 2 (1-0, 2-0, 1-2)
SKA might be the first team to qualify for this season’s playoffs, but the on-going battle with CSKA remains a testing one for Roman Rotenberg’s team. Today, the Muscovites got a third successive win over the league leader, suggesting that Sergei Fedorov’s title defense could take some stopping when post season rolls around.
The opening exchanges were cautious, with neither team committing much to offense. However, as the first period wore on things livened up. The teams began to exchange attacks more frequently and, in the 19th minute, CSKA opened the scoring. The goal came during a four-on-four situation. Nikita Nesterov won possession in center ice and advanced to the blue line before shooting past Dmitry Nikolayev. That’s Nesterov’s 33rd goal for CSKA, a club record for a defenseman in the KHL.
SKA started the second period with a few seconds of 5-on-3 power play, but was unable to force a tying goal. Instead, the home team extended its lead in the 27th minute through Takhir Mingachyov. A long pass released the young forward into the SKA zone and he moved in from the blue line to beat Nikolayev from close range.
SKA did not lack for effort. Over the course of the game, Dmitrij Jaskin managed to break four sticks in his determination to add to his 30 goals this season. However, by the second intermission Jaskin and his teammates found no way past Alexander Sharychenkov. Moreover, the Muscovites extended their lead when Maxim Sorkin converted the rebound from Maxim Mamin’s shot
In the third period, SKA threatened a fightback. Nikita Gusev got the visitor on the scoreboard in the 48th minute, finishing off a well-worked odd-man rush. However, CSKA responded fast through Sergei Plotnikov.
Almost immediately, a penalty on Mamin handed SKA a power play chance. Nikolayev went to the bench, and the 6-on-4 surge delivered the goods. Andrei Pedan got the goal, making it 4-2 with nine minutes to play. However, that was as close as the league leader got. Despite another power play in the closing minutes, SKA could not bridge the gap as the defending champion made it three wins in a row against this year’s front-runner.
High-scoring win for Motormen
Spartak Moscow 4 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 7 (2-2, 0-3, 2-2)
Avtomobilist gave itself some breathing space at the top of the Eastern Conference thanks to a strong second-period performance. Three unanswered goals in the middle frame gave Spartak too much to do in a high scoring game in the capital.
The first period hinted at the goal rush to come. Matvei Zaseda gave Spartak the lead on a five-on-three power play, but Patrice Cormier struck twice to turn the game around by the 16th minute. However, 20-year-old Daniel Usmanov tied the game before the intermission.
It would turn out to be a notable day for Usmanov, another of the players elevated to Spartak’s first team under Igor Grishin. However, by the time he potted his second of the game, Avtomobilist had already build a commanding lead.
The second period was all about the visitor. Nick Ebert needed just 30 seconds to restore Avto’s advantage. Then the defenseman assisted on a power play goal as Georgy Belousov made it 4-2. Late in the frame, Sergei Shirokov added a fifth, which proved to be the game-winner.
Spartak came roaring back in the third. Usmanov quickly reduced the deficit and when Shane Prince found the net on 51:30 we were back to a one-goal game with time enough for either team to win it. However, the visitor finished stronger. Jesse Blacker delivered the killer blow before Anatoly Golyshev’s third assist of the evening gave Stephane Da Costa an empty net tally to finish the job.
