Dinamo Minsk and Vityaz boost playoff chances. February 2 round-up
Thursday’s action was all about the Western playoff race. Vityaz thrashed Sochi to put itself in a strong position as it seeks to return to post season for the first time in three years. And Dinamo Minsk defeated Metallurg to move ahead of Severstal into seventh place, three points ahead of Spartak in ninth.
Wilson’s fast start sets up Vityaz victory
Vityaz Moscow Region 5 HC Sochi 1 (3-0, 1-1, 1-0)
A convincing win at home to rock-bottom Sochi lifts Vityaz 10 points clear of ninth-placed Spartak with 10 games left in the regular season. The home team, completing its first season based in Balashikha, looks poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Vityaz made a fast start, with Scott Wilson scoring two goals inside seven minutes. The Canadian opened the scoring after 46 seconds, then doubled the lead on the first power play of the game. Sochi’s problems were not over: Matvei Michkov was ready to return to the game after serving his initial holding penalty, but on his way out of the box he took a moment to share his thoughts on that call with the officials. As a result, the youngster was straight back in trouble, this time for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Dmitry Kugryshev converted that power play to make it 3-0 on 7:54.
Sochi responded by sending in back-up goalie Mikhail Berdin, and he kept Vityaz at bay until the intermission. He helped the Leopards kill two more penalties before Michkov made some amends for his earlier indiscretions by assisting on Artur Tyanulin’s goal in the 26th minute. That made it 1-3 and gave the visitor a glimmer of hope, but Vladimir Galuzin added a fourth in the 35th minute to keep Vityaz well on top.
The home team wrapped up the win in the third period with a goal from Ivan Yezhov. The result gives Vityaz four consecutive victories and Vyacheslav Butsayev’s team has a comfortable advantage in its push for the playoffs.
Double doubles for Dinamo
Dinamo Minsk 4 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 (0-1, 1-0, 3-1)
Igor Martynov and Nick Merkley scored two goals apiece to lead Dinamo to a valuable victory. The result gives Craig Woodcroft’s men a three-point advantage over ninth-placed Spartak in the race for the top eight. However, the Bison have played 59 games, more their immediate rivals in the Western Conference.
For Metallurg, meanwhile, this was a 10th loss in 2023. The Steelmen have won just three games this year and their hopes of topping the Eastern Conference standings are starting to fade.
Today, Magnitka led twice in Minsk. Grigory Dronov’s point shot gave the visitor the lead early in the first period, converting the first power play of the game. That advantage endured until the midway point of the game, when Martynov’s first of the night tied it up. However, early in the third, Metallurg regained the lead with another power play goal, this time from Yegor Korobkin.
Dinamo turned the game around in the closing stages. Martynov tied it up in the 48th minute and, a couple of minutes later, Merkley put the Bison in front for the first time in the game. And Merkley’s empty netter sealed the deal in the final seconds to lift Dinamo up to seventh in the West.
