Two more book their playoff tickets. February 7 round-up
A 10-game program on Tuesday saw the first teams confirm their places in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Sibir got there despite losing to Traktor – the point from a tie in regulation was enough to guarantee a top-eight finish. Then Ak Bars won at Neftekhimik, opening a one-point lead at the top of the standing and booking its post season spot. Avtomobilist remains in pursuit of the conference leadership after beating Vityaz 3-0, while Metallurg edged SKA 3-2 and Salavat Yulaev took an OT verdict against CSKA. In the West, Dinamo Minsk got an important 3-1 win over Spartak to boost its playoff hopes. That result eliminates Kunlun Red Star, but the Chinese team dealt a blow to Severstal with a 3-2 win in Cherepovets. Dynamo breezed past Sochi, Lokomotiv edged Amur in OT and Admiral won at Torpedo in the day’s other action.
Sibir seals playoff place
Sibir Novosibirsk 4 Traktor Chelyabinsk 5 SO (0-1, 1-2, 3-1, 0-0, 0-1)
Two late goals for Sibir were enough to secure the point that confirmed the team’s playoff place. However, they could not prevent Traktor from securing a shoot-out win that keeps its own post-season hopes alive.
Sibir made a bright start to the game, but could not take its chances. At the other end, Robert Hamilton had his team’s first shot on goal in the game and duly gave Traktor the lead. After that, Traktor began to ask more questions of Anton Krasotkin in the home net, helped by a couple of power play opportunities towards the end of the opening stanza.
Early in the second period, the teams traded two fairly similar goals. Nikita Tertyshny extended Traktor’s lead after Vladimir Tkachyov won an attacking face-off, then Taylor Beck replied in the same manner three minutes later. However, Traktor would take a two-goal lead into the third period thanks to a power play goal from Pyotr Khokhryakov.
Sibir, needing that point to secure its playoff spot, looked to recover the situation in the third period. Valentin Pyanov pulled one back, but when Maxim Shabanov made it 4-2 with three to play, Traktor looked safe. Sibir had other ideas: a power play goal from Maxim Sushko reawakened the home team’s hopes, then Trevor Murphy grabbed a dramatic equalizer 19 seconds before the buzzer. However, Traktor left with the win thanks to Tertyshny’s effective play in the shoot-out.
Winning run hits a road block in Yekaterinburg
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 3 Vityaz Moscow Region 0 (2-0, 0-0, 1-0)
Yekaterinburg welcomed a Vityaz team in fine form. The visitor had 16 points from its last 10 games, with only Ak Bars enjoying a better record over the same period. Avto has struggled for goals in recent weeks, and that prompted a reshuffle of the home offense. Stepan Khripunov was added to a line with Sergei Shirokov and Stephane Da Costa, while Oleg Li resumed his place alongside Brooks Macek and Curtis Valk.
The Motormen got off to a fast start. Patrice Cormier’s line applied the pressure in the Vityaz zone and drawn the first penalty of the game in the third minute. It didn’t take long for Sergei Shirokov to convert that power play. Shortly afterwards, Avto doubled its lead when Valk found space on the slot and was able to apply a perfect redirect to Yefim Gurkin’s shot.
With a deserved two-goal lead in the opening minutes, Avtomobilist looked comfortable. It wasn’t until the end of the first period that Vityaz began to get some time at the other end. Scott Wilson looked the likeliest to change the pattern of play and he twice hit the piping. That encouraged the visitor to keep pressing in the second. Dmitry Kugryshev drew a good save from Johan Mattsson on the counterattack in the best opportunity for a goal in the middle frame.
In the third period, Avtomobilist did not retreat into defensive hockey until the 50th minute. However, whether the game was open, or whether the home team sat back and waited for Vityaz to attack, there was no road back for the visitor. When Da Costa scored in the 56th minute, that merely sealed a victory that maintains the home team’s hopes of topping the Eastern Conference.
Magnitka holds on to beat league leader
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 SKA St. Petersburg 2 (2-0, 1-0, 0-2)
SKA rallied from 0-3 and came close to dragging this game into overtime. In the end, though, Metallurg held on for a second successive home win and moves to fourth in the Eastern Conference.
The league leader came to town looking to show off its status and began the game at a lively tempo against last year’s Gagarin Cup finalist. However, the home defense was in great form and, as it turned out, Magnitka’s counterattacking game wasn’t too shabby either. Philippe Maillet sounded a warning, then Pavel Akolzin tested Vladislav Podyapolsky in the visitor’s net.
The opening goal went to Grigory Dronov, who surprised everyone by firing in a shot from a tight angle wide on the boards. That extended the defenseman’s productive streak to four games and put a dampener on Podyapolsky’s 250th KHL game. The party was well and truly pooped a couple of minutes later when Semyon Koshelev doubled the home lead, and the goalie was called to the bench. Incoming goalie Dmitry Nikolayev was in the action almost immediately but managed to keep Metallurg at bay until the intermission.
The second period began with SKA taking the first penalty of the game. That led to Nikolai Goldobin setting up Maillet for 3-0. And there was more pressure on the SKA net when Yegor Korobkin went one-on-one only to be fouled by Zakhar Bardakov. However, Yegor Yakovlev failed to convert the penalty shot and the visitor remained in the game.
In the third period, SKA came close to saving at least a point. Marat Khairullin pulled one back in the 43rd minute. That ended a four-game run without points for one of the players in contention at the head of the KHL scoring race and put the visitor back in contention in this contest. Three minutes later, Igor Ozhiganov made it 2-3 and set nerves jangling among the home team.
However, the Steelmen decided that attack was the best form of defense and looked to wrest the initiative away from SKA. A powerful shot from Dronov rattled Nikolayev’s helmet but neither team could score again in a lively finale.
Swift revenge for Salavat Yulaev
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2 CSKA Moscow 1 OT (1-0, 0-0, 0-1, 1-0)
Salavat Yulaev’s previous game was in Moscow, and it ended in a 2-4 loss against CSKA. Today, the teams met again, albeit after the visitor went down 5-6 at home to Barys in an epic struggle at the weekend.
Circumstances favored Ufa in the build-up to the game: two extra rest days compared with the opposition, and less urgent travel from Moscow to Bashkortostan meant the home team was fresher. In the early stages, that translated into the opening goal, scored by Grigory Panin midway through the first period. Panin, a reliable defenseman, is not the most frequent of goalscorers. Today’s tally, though, took him to 13 (5+8) points, a personal best for him in a single KHL season.
Gradually, CSKA came into the game and Vitaly Abramov came close to tying the scores late in the second period with a shot that dinged the crossbar. That impetus carried into the third, and CSKA twice enjoyed five-on-three power plays. Salavat defended heroically to kill the penalties, but midway through the session Sergei Plotnikov grabbed the tying goal.
That took us to overtime and the now-traditional spectacle of CSKA playing without a goalie. This time, though, the gamble backfired. Viktor Antipin missed the empty net when well placed, but Alexander Chmelevski was first to the rebound to win it for Ufa.
Two-point Kayumov leads Loko past Amur
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2 Amur Khabarovsk 1 OT (1-0, 0-0, 0-1, 1-0)
Lokomotiv moved up to second thanks to an overtime win over Amur. The Tigers, meanwhile, improved their playoff prospects thanks to an additional point that moves them three clear of the chasing pack.
Artur Kayumov opened the scoring midway through the first period. The Yaroslavl forward had a goal and an assist in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Sochi and he started today with his 12th marker of the season.
For a long time, that was all that separated the teams. Loko had the better of the first period but could not extend its lead; Amur was more threatening in the second but could not find a way past Ivan Bocharov.
However, early in the third, Lokomotiv ran into penalty trouble. The home team killed off one, but when Nikita Cherepanov was called for cross checking, Amur took advantage. Slovenian forward Jan Drozg finished off a neat bit of tic-tac-toe to tie the game in the 46th minute.
Amur continued to have the better of the play and may feel it deserved to get the verdict. However, after spending most of OT on the defensive, Loko grabbed a winner with seven seconds to play. Maxim Shalunov got clear of the visiting defense and scored on Janis Kalnins to give the Railwaymen the verdict. Kayumov’s assist takes him to four points in two games.
Dragons deal a blow to Severstal’s playoff hopes
Severstal Cherepovets 2 Kunlun Red Star 3 (0-1, 0-1, 2-1)
Severstal missed the chance to improve its playoff prospects, slipping to a first loss of the season against Kunlun. The Dragons, boasting only a theoretical chance of making the top eight, had to win here and hope for favorable results elsewhere to avoid being officially eliminated.
And the Chinese team kept its side of the bargain, snapping a three-game losing streak. Tyler Wong opened the scoring in the 15th minute, a goal notable for an assist from Yan Ruinan. The Chinese-born player is one of several getting extra game time in the closing stages of the season as KRS helps Team China prepare for its World Championship Division IB campaign in April.
Early in the second period, Brandon Yip made it 2-0 and moved to 41 points for the season. That’s a new club record, beating the mark set by Chad Rau in the Dragons’ inaugural campaign. Tomas Jurco made it 3-0 in the 45th minute, and playoff chasing Severstal looked down and out.
However, the Steelmen hit back. After winning three previous games against Red Star, they came close to doing it again. Dmitry Moiseyev started the fightback in the 53rd minute and late power play saw Yegor Morozov score during a spell of six-on-four play. With almost two minutes left, there was hope for the home team, but Matt Jurusik closed the door to give the visitor the verdict. However, Dinamo Minsk’s win over Spartak means that the Dragons will not feature in the playoffs this season.
AK Bars moves one point clear at the top
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 3 Ak Bars Kazan 4 (2-1, 0-0, 1-3)
An entertaining Tatarstan derby ended with Ak Bars securing the win that keeps it on top of the Eastern Conference and rubber-stamps its playoff place. Along with Sibir, Ak Bars is the first team in the East to guarantee post season action.
At the other end of the standings, Neftekhimik needs the points to stay in playoff contention. And it was the home team that made the brighter start. Two goals in 90 seconds midway through the first period had the Wolves on top. Pavel Poryadin and Andrei Belozyorov hit the net to give Oleg Leontyev’s men the perfect start.
However, just before the intermission, Ak Bars pulled one back when Dmitry Kagarlitsky scored on the power play. Initially, the goal wasn’t given. However, a video review confirmed that Kagarlitsky’s effort did cross the line and Kazan halved the deficit just before the break.
If the first period belonged to Neftekhimik, the second went to the visitor. However, although Ak Bars shaded the play it could not change the scoreboard. However, a penalty on Vyacheslav Leshchenko late in the session proved significant. The penalty carried into the third period, and Vadim Shipachyov got the tying goal on the power play.
A few minutes later, another Ak Bars PP saw Shipachyov turn provider as Slava Voynov put his team ahead for the first time. Alexander Radulov added his third helper of the game. Within a minute, Dmitry Yudin’s unassisted effort made it 4-2, giving the visitor some valuable breathing space. That proved even more important when Leshchenko scored a shorthanded goal to make it 3-4. Again, the on-ice decision was ‘no goal’, but a check showed there was no high stick on the play and Neftekhimik was right back in the game. However, despite a strong finish, the home team could not salvage a tie and is now three points behind eighth-placed Amur.
Admiral boosts playoff prospects
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 1 Admiral Vladivostok 3 (1-1, 0-1, 0-1)
With head coach Igor Larionov unavailable for this game, Torpedo missed the chance to move to second place in the Western Conference. Andrei Kozyrev stood in, but could not prevent his team from losing to Admiral.
Against an opponent from the Far East, it was fitting that Japan’s Yu Sato got the opening goal for Torpedo.
However, that was the highlight for his team. Libor Sulak brought Admiral level in the 13th minute and went on to assist as Ivan Yemets gave the visitor the lead midway through the game.
Like Sulak before him, Yemets played it forward. He followed his goal with a helper on Admiral’s next marker, scored by Nikolai Chebykin midway through the third period. Victory puts the Sailors eight points clear of ninth place, with just seven games for the chasing pack to play.
Dynamo eases past Sochi
Dynamo Moscow 4 HC Sochi 1 (2-0, 2-0, 0-1)
This game produced the comfortable victory that Dynamo expected and hoped for. The Blue-and-Whites remain in contention for a top-four finish after despatching rock-bottom Sochi with a minimum of fuss.
The home team was not overwhelmingly dominant in the first period. However, it took its chances to lead 2-0. Pavel Kudryavtsev opened the scoring in the fifth minute, then Eric O’Dell doubled the lead midway through the first.
A power play chance early in the second saw O’Dell make it 3-0 and late in the middle frame Alexander Skorenov added a fourth. Brennan Menell had an assist on that one, taking him to three points for the night.
With the game done, Sochi managed a consolation goal early in the third. Kirill Petkov denied Konstantin Volkov a shut-out, but his tally had little impact on the overall picture.
Vital win for Minsk in playoff showdown
Dinamo Minsk 3 Spartak Moscow 1 (0-1, 2-0, 1-0)
This was a huge game in the Western playoff race. Indeed, it was so big that Spartak changed its coaching staff in the build-up, with Igor Grishin returning to Khimik and Alexei Zavarukhin returning as acting head coach.
Zavarukhin has played that role before this season, masterminding a win at CSKA before handing the reins to Grishin. Tonight, with defeat risking a five-point gap to the Belarusians, he needed to conjure up something similar.
The early stages were encouraging. Spartak made a strong start and forced the first power play of the game in the second minute. Alexander Khokhlachyov then went close to opening the scoring on the PP, but Alexei Kolosov reacted smartly to stop his attempted redirect.
Then came a fight between Spartak’s Mark Verba and Shawn Lalonde of the home team. That seemed to further invigorate the visitor, with Pavel Kukshtel giving the Red-and-Whites a fifth-minute lead.
However, after that Dinamo gradually came into the game. It remained 1-0 at the first intermission, but the home team would turn things around after the break. Cedric Paquette got the tying goal in the 34th minute after good work from Pavel Varfolomeyev. Next, Spartak faced serious pressure from the Minsk power play, but survived thanks to a great blocker save from Patrik Rybar to deny Nick Merkley. However, Merkley got the go-ahead goal just before the second intermission when his attempted feed to the back door bounced into the net of a defenseman’s skate.
In the third, as befits a high-stakes game, the penalty count ticked over. However, neither team could find a goal until the dying seconds. Dmitry Korobov scored into the empty Spartak net to seal Dinamo’s win ... and possibly its playoff place.
