Severstal, Neftekhimik return to playoff zone. January 22 round-up
The battle for a top-eight finish is intensifying and Sunday’s action saw big wins for two teams trying to crack the playoff places. Severstal leapfrogged Dinamo Minsk into eighth in the West with a 2-1 win, while Neftekhimik climbed from 11th to eighth in the East after defeating Avangard by the same scoreline. Vityaz and Spartak enhanced their positions with shut-out wins over Sochi and Kunlun respectively, while Lokomotiv is clear in third place in the West following a win over Salavat Yulaev.
New coach, but same old story for Sochi
Spartak Moscow 2 HC Sochi 0 (2-0, 0-0, 0-0)
After a 1-5 loss to Kunlun Red Star last time out, Sochi released head coach Sergei Svetlov. Today, Dmitry Kokorev was the interim head coach and he swapped up several players. Kirill Petkov joined Amir Garayev and Artyom Nikolayev on the first line, while Artyom Fyodorov and Ivan Didkovsky returned to the team.
Spartak also made changes to its coaching staff, bringing Igor Ulanov back to the group. The home team enjoyed a short break after its barn-burner against Avtomobilist (4-7) in the previous game.
That added freshness was apparent in the first period as Spartak grabbed two quick goals. The home team killed a penalty, got a power play and saw Andrei Loktionov open the scoring in the ninth minute. A minute later, Maxim Tsyplakov doubled that advantage as the Red-and-Whites enjoyed a dominant opening frame.
The pattern of play did not change much in the middle session. Spartak had the bulk of the possession and even played with a two-man advantage for a time. However, the home team could not extend its lead. Meanwhile, Sochi created a couple of decent chances with Petkov’s pacey breakaway representing the best of them.
In the third, Fyodorov also had a one-on-one rush for the Leopards but, once again, Patrik Rybar kept it out. Spartak created little as it ran down the clock. The win helps the Red-and-Whites tighten their grip on a place in the top eight.
Zinchenko’s birthday eclipses Lunar New Year festivities
Kunlun Red Star 0 Vityaz Moscow Region 1 (0-0, 0-1, 0-0)
Red Star was playing its first game of the Chinese New Year. However, after the firecrackers that heralded the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit across the Far East on Saturday, today’s clash in Mytishchi lacked the same explosive quality.
After a 5-1 win over Sochi, the Dragons continued with an almost unchanged line-up. Matt Jurusik replaced Jeremy Smith in goal, and the skaters remained the same. Vityaz, looking to extend its run of four wins in five games, also arrived after defeating Sochi in its previous game. The visitor was looking to consolidate its playoff position, while the home team needs wins to keep its post season ambitions alive.
In the first period, there were few chances at either end. Possibly the best of them came late in the frame when young German Tochilkin, a goalscorer against Sochi, set up Colin Campbell in front of the net. However, the puck got caught up in the Canadian forward’s skate and slithered wide of Maxim Dorozhko’s net.
The middle frame was also light on goalmouth action but in the 37th minute we finally saw the opening marker. Nikita Goncharov sent Ivan Zinchenko clear of the Dragons’ defense and the visiting forward beat Jurusik at the second attempt. Zinchenko celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday and continued the party with that effort.
And the birthday boy proved to be the game-winner. Red Star took nine minutes of penalties early in the third period and struggled to generate the kind of offense that might have salvaged something from the game. As a result, Vityaz looks more comfortable in the playoff positions, while Kunlun’s hopes of making it to post season are fading fast.
Loko moves clear in third
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 3 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2 (0-0, 2-1, 1-1)
Both of these teams are jockeying for position in their respective conferences, looking to finish as high as possible to ensure a favorable draw in the playoffs. For Lokomotiv, it’s a race for third place in the West and the Railwaymen are in direct conflict with Torpedo and Dynamo Moscow. Salavat Yulaev, meanwhile, has a shot at topping the unpredictable Eastern Conference. However, Viktor Kozlov’s team has suffered a run of poor form – coinciding with a string of games against high-flying opposition. Ufa may be advised to treat this as a learning period before playoff action starts in less than six weeks.
The game began as something of an arm wrestle. The first period produced few scoring chances amid powerful defense and some fierce puck battles. Late in the session, a defensive error by Salavat Yulaev almost saw Belyayev open the scoring, but Ilya Ezhov came up with the answers. That ensured that the game was goalless at the first intermission.
Early in the second session, the teams exchanged good chances. First, Stepan Nikulin set up Georgy Ivanov, but he fired his effort narrowly wide of the Ufa net as Loko created a dangerous counterattack. Play went to the other end, and Ivan Drozdov dashed through the heart of the Railwaymen’s defense only to see his shot rebound off the piping.
However, when Salavat Yulaev got on the power play in the 33rd minute, the opening goal soon followed. Danil Alalykin fired in a shot from wide on the left to give the visitor the lead. But it wasn’t long before Loko tied it up. It started with a face-off win in home territory and a quick counterattack culminated in Ivan Chekhovich shooting home. Ufa challenged the play, but the video review dismissed any claims of offside.
That challenge gave Lokomotiv a power play, and the home team made the most of that to go in front for the first time in the game. Maxim Beryozkin slid the puck into the Ufa zone and Maxim Shalunov raced onto it, evaded the attentions of Viktor Antipin and wired home a shot.
For much of the third period, Loko did a solid job of shutting down the play and restricting Salavat Yulaev to center ice. There was little danger for Daniil Isayev, and when the visiting forwards got into shooting positions their composure let them down. With five minutes to go, Pavel Kraskovsky showed them how it should be done when he deposited a Chekhovich feed beneath the crossbar. Grigory Panin managed to pull a goal back for Ufa, forcing home the rebound from Artyom Pimenov’s shot to set up an anxious finale. However, Lokomotiv held on to secure the victory; Salavat Yulaev slipped to a fourth straight loss.
Neftekhimik edges into top eight
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 Avangard Omsk 1 (2-1, 0-0, 0-0)
For the third time in two days, a team at the foot of the Eastern Conference leapt into the playoff spots with a win. Yesterday, Amur did just that in the early game only for Barys to overtake the Tigers later in the day. Now Neftekhimik has repeated the trick after defeating Avangard for the first time this season.
At the other end of the table, the Hawks were looking to get a share of second place alongside Avtomobilist. Instead they fell to a second straight loss after Friday’s reverse at Ak Bars.
All the scoring came in the first period. Neftekhimik started fast and Andrei Belozyorov opened the scoring in the sixth minute. A bright start got even better when Ansel Galimov made it 2-0 in the 12th, just seconds after Bogdan Kiselevich returned from the first penalty of the game. Both goal scorers had assists in Friday’s 5-2 win over Salavat Yulaev.
Avangard pulled one back late in the first when Sergei Tolchinsky converted his team’s first PP of the evening. It took just 10 seconds for Omsk’s special team to work its magic. Sergei Telegin won the face-off, Semyon Chistyakov quarterbacked the PP and Tolchinsky’s finish confirmed Avangard’s status as the strongest power play in the league.
The goal had the scoreboard more accurately reflecting the balance of play in the opening frame, but the middle stanza belonged largely to the home team. Apart from one spell on the power play, Avangard threatened little and may count itself fortunate to get to the intermission with no further scoring. Only in the third did we see the visitor begin to dictate the action in any meaningful sense. However, Neftekhimik defended bravely to take a valuable win. The Wolves are into the playoff places, but are only a single point clear of bottom club Traktor.
Severstal leapfrogs Dinamo into top eight
Severstal Cherepovets 2 Dinamo Minsk 1 (0-1, 0-0, 2-0)
This was a big game in the race for a playoff spot in the West. After 53 games each, these two teams stood in eighth and ninth, with Dinamo just one point ahead of today’s host. Victory today would not resolve anything about the destiny of the playoff places, but it would represent a major boost for the winning team as the regular season enters the final straight.
With plenty at stake, we saw the first penalties of the game after just 26 seconds. Igor Geraskin and Brandon Kozun clashed. That ushered in a first period littered with minor penalties and it was no surprise that the opening goal came on the power play. It went to Minsk, with Nick Merkley finding the net in the 15th minute. That’s Merkley’s 13th goal of his first KHL season.
There was no scoring in the second period, although Dinamo continued to have slightly the better of the play. However, when Vladimir Alistrov sat for tripping at the start of the third, Severstal converted the power play within six seconds. Adam Liska found the net during a spell of four-on-three play to tie the scores.
Five minutes later, Severstal was in front. The Dinamo defense missed a chance to clear its lines, then obscured Konstantin Shostak’s view as Maxim Kolmykov picked his spot right under the bar to make it 2-1. After that turnaround, the Steelmen were able to control the closing stages of the game fairly effectively, shutting down the Dinamo offense to claim a win that lifts the team back into the top eight.
