Amur Khabarovsk 3 Admiral Vladivostok 1 (1-1, 0-0, 2-0)
Khabarovsk hosted the seventh of 10 Far East derbies scheduled for this season with the teams locked at 3-3 in their mini series. The Tigers were looking to move off the foot of the Eastern Conference, while the Sailors are still battling for a top four finish in a congested table.
The teams made a bright start, and the opening goal arrived in the fifth minute when home forward Sergei Dubakin potted his 10th of the season. However, the lead was short-lived. A double power play helped Nikolai Chebykin tie the scores. Chebykin’s goal was assisted by Libo Sulak, who collected his 30th point of the season to set a club record for productivity from a defenseman in a single season.
The middle frame produced few chances. Both teams played hard, committed defense and allowed little by way of scoring opportunities.
However, Amur found a breakthrough at the start of the third. The home team needed just 12 seconds to convert a power play, with Cam Lee’s point shot finding the target. Frequent penalties from both teams disrupted the flow of the game and it wasn’t until Vladislav Barulin scored into an empty net late on that the result was settled. Amur goalie Evgeny Alikin recorded his 64th victory for Amur in the KHL, drawing level with Juha Metsola’s club record.
Sibir Novosibirsk 4 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 (0-0, 3-1, 1-0)
Victory for Sibir moves Andrei Martemyanov’s team level on points with Eastern Conference leader Avtomobilist. However, defeat in Novosibirsk is a blow to Neftekhimik’s playoff hopes: the Wolves missed the chance to edge in front of eighth-placed Traktor and instead drop to 10th in the standings.
Neftekhimik was looking to improve on a 0-3 loss at Avangard last time out and among the changes, leading scorer Vyacheslav Leshchenko was scratched. Hunter Shinkaruk returned to the attack for his first game since Dec. 21.
After a goalless first period, the new-look Neftkehimik took the lead in the 27th minute through Gleb Semyonov. Mikhail Nazarov had an assist, and the visiting forward continued his record of picking up a point in each game against Sibir this term. That might be connected to his past as a graduate of the Sibir academy.
However, it took just two minutes for Nikita Yefremov to tie the game. After opening his KHL account in Astana on Saturday, he now has two goals in three games. Once on the scoreboard, the home team took control of the game. Vladimir Butuzov’s power play tally made it 2-1 and Alexander Solovyov added a third before the intermission. Taylor Beck’s assist on that goal took him to 47 points for the season, breaking the club record he shared with Jori Lehtera and Dmitry Kugryshev.
The Canadian came close to adding to his tally at the start of the second, but Andrei Tikhomirov stood firm to deny his solo rush. Neftekhimik tried to get back into the game but could not find a way past Anton Krasotkin and the game ended with Alexander Sharov scoring his 25th goal of the season.
Avangard Omsk 4 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 OT (0-0, 1-2, 2-1, 1-0)
A pulsating encounter in Omsk ended with Avangard moving level on points with its opponent after an overtime win. The teams occupy third and fourth place in the East, locked on 66 points and two behind leaders Sibir and Avtomobilist.
This was a game full of drama. The first period was something of a warm-up act, played at a good tempo but without any goals. Sergei Tolchinsky had the best opportunity for the host, while Artyom Zemchyonok saw Metallurg’s most dangerous moment.
Avangard made a bright start to the second stanza, with Damir Sharipzyanov and Alexander Dergachyov testing Eddie Pasquale early in the session. However, it was Metallurg that broke the deadlock, snaffling two goals in a minute from Grigory Dronov and Andrei Chibisov. The visitor was enjoying greater control of the puck and might have extended its lead when Nikolai Goldobin and Brendan Leipsic tested Vasily Demchenko in the Avangard net. However, the home team gave itself a lifeline late in the frame when Vladimir Tkachyov pulled a goal back.
The Hawks continued to press and tied the game in the 46th minute through Arseny Gritsyuk. Tolchinsky showed great skills to deke his way past Yegor Yakovlev before setting up the youngster with a delicious feed to the back door. However, Metallurg restored its lead at once, Anatoly Nikontsev putting away the rebound from Kodie Curran’s point shot.
The visitor should have finished the job late in the game, but Pavel Akolzin missed an empty net and Avangard made the most of its reprieve. Playing six-on-five, the home team produced a late tying goal when Reid Boucher fired home Semyon Chistyakov feed to make it 3-3. And Avangard carried that momentum into the extras, forcing an error from Curran that set up Alex Broadhurst for the decider.
Ak Bars Kazan 2 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 1 (0-1, 1-0, 1-0)
Zinetula Bilyaletdinov is no stranger to the Green Derby, and on his first meeting with Salavat Yulaev since resuming as head coach of Ak Bars he masterminded a come-from-behind win.
The game began with a flurry of penalties, but once the play settled down, Ak Bars looked the more likely team to open the scoring. Dmitry Voronkov was especially lively, testing Andrei Kareyev more than once in the visitor’s net.
Yet the opening goal arrived at the other end. Alexei Pustozyorov raced onto the puck, powered towards Timur Bilyalov’s net and found the top shelf. Although Ak Bars continued to have the better of the play, the closest we came to a second goal was when Salavat’s Alexander Kadeikin was inches away from converting a dangerous feed to the back door.
The home pressure continued in the second period. Early on, Stanislav Galiyev hit the crossbar, then Vadim Shipachyov failed to punish a schoolboy error from Evgeny Timkin, firing wide when well placed. The tying goal came just before the intermission, with Alexander Radulov at his best. He burst into the Ufa zone, exchanged passes with Kirill Semyonov and outwitted Kareyev before slipping the puck inside the near post.
Early in the third, Radulov was the architect as Ak Bars got in front. He moved down the left-hand channel, turned and delivered a backhand pass to the center where Artyom Lukoyanov was waiting to pounce. In the first seven minutes of the final frame, Salavat Yulaev was unable to muster a shot on goal as the home team dictated the play.
Later, though, the visitor managed to rouse itself for one last push to save the game. However, despite some extended spells of pressure on Bilyalov’s net, Salavat Yulaev struggled to create good looks and was unable to force overtime. After five match-ups between these old foes, Ak Bars has a 3-2 lead in the series. More significantly, perhaps, the team also moves ahead of today’s opponent and climbs to fifth place, just four points behind the conference leaders.
Vityaz Moscow Region 3 HC Sochi 2 (0-0, 3-0, 0-2)
After finally ending its long losing streak, Sochi went to Vityaz for its next game. The home team is looking to consolidate its position in the top eight in the West, and Sunday’s shoot-out win over Traktor made it six successes from its last eight games.
There was little between the opponents in the first period. Neither side could break the deadlock, and the best chance came in the final minute when Vladimir Galuzin emerged from the penalty box in time to get a clear run at Mikhail Berdin’s net. However, the experienced Vityaz man could not beat the Sochi goalie this time.
The opening goal arrived in the 29th minute. A Vityaz power play saw the home team engineer a three-on-one break and Scott Wilson finished it off. Three minutes later, Tyler Graovac’s pass from behind the net set up Stanislav Yarovoi for an emphatic finish to double the lead. And Vityaz completed a good 20 minutes’ work when Alexander Yaremchuk stuffed the puck home from close range to make it 3-0 at the second intermission.
Sochi managed to get one goal back midway through the third when Artyom Nikolayev beat Dmitry Shikin at the second attempt. The in-form Sergei Popov extended his productive streak to five games as he made it 2-3 with eight minutes to play. Now Vityaz was in a game once more, and had to defend carefully to see out its victory.