SKA seals top-four finish on a day of OT action. February 9 round-up
Thursday brought another busy game day to the KHL. SKA was a big winner, its 5-2 verdict at Avtomobilist also securing the league leader a guaranteed top four finish in the West and home ice advantage at the start of the playoffs. Eastern Conference leader Ak Bars consolidated its position with a win over Amur, but had to recover from 0-2 to get there. Amur’s loss saw Traktor and Neftekhimik close the gap on the top eight in the East, while Severstal edged Torpedo in shoot-out to boost its prospects in the East. Like Severstal, Spartak was helped by Dinamo Minsk’s loss in Chelyabinsk: the Red-and-Whites won at Sochi. The highest-scoring game of the day was in Magnitogorsk, where Vityaz edged Metallurg 5-4 in overtime. The action in Ufa went to the extras as well before Salavat Yulaev beat Kunlun Red Star. CSKA, too, needed the extras to get past Avangard in Omsk.
Chmelevski grabs another OT goal
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 Kunlun Red Star 2 OT (2-0, 0-1, 0-1, 1-0)
Alexander Chmelevski is turning into Ufa’s OT specialist. Today he scored in his fourth successive overtime, finally seeing off a spirited KRS recovery.
The home team could hardly have hoped for a better start. In the fourth minute, Salavat Yulaev scored twice through Danil Bashkirov and Artyom Pimenov. Greg Ireland called a time-out to get his team back in the game, and was rewarded by a hard-working first period response. However, in that opening frame, the visitor came no closer than Brandon Yip’s effort off the post.
In the second period, the Dragons reduced the deficit with a power play goal midway through the session. Tomas Jurco’s feed picked out Parker Foo between the hash marks and he redirected the puck past Ilya Ezhov for his 30th point of the season.
The tying goal came late, with Zac Leslie firing home in the 59th minute after the home team failed to clear its lines.
However, that momentum could not sweep Red Star to victory. Instead, Ufa opted to withdraw Ezhov and play four-on-three in the extras, with Chmelevski potting the winner after 100 seconds.
CSKA on top amid late goal flurry
Avangard Omsk 1 CSKA Moscow 2 OT (0-1, 0-0, 1-0, 0-1)
There was late drama in Omsk as these two old foes shared the points in regulation. Avangard grabbed a last-minute equalizer, but took a penalty before the hooter and handed CSKA an advantage in overtime. The defending champion made the most of that to take the win and end its two-game blip. The Hawks, meanwhile, suffered a third successive loss.
In the early stages, CSKA looked to play a possession game. The visitor enjoyed extended periods in the Avangard zone, limiting the home team to counterattacks. However, it was Avangard that created the first real chance when Vladimir Zharkov dinged the iron.
The Hawks also killed the first penalty of the game, with something to spare, but fell behind once back to full strength. Pavel Karnaukhov was the scorer, stuffing the puck home from close range.
The second session was goalless, although both teams created promising moments. As the period progressed, CSKA looked the likelier team to score. However, the visitor could not extend its lead and Avangard remained very much in contention going into the third.
In that third period, Avangard effectively switched to three-line hockey. That saw the home team enjoy more time on the attack and, eventually, brought a tying goal in the closing stages. On a day when almost nothing came off for Mikhail Kravets and his team, a last charge delivered the goods when Arseny Gritsyuk picked out a perfect wrister to tie the game.
However, home hopes were hampered 49 seconds before the end when Damir Sharipzyanov was called for slashing. CSKA is accustomed to playing four-on-three in the extras and this time Sergei Fedorov’s team could do so without sacrificing the goalie. Maxim Mamin grabbed the winning goal to move his team ahead of Lokomotiv into second place.
Khairullin leads SKA to victory
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 2 SKA St. Petersburg 5 (0-0, 2-2, 0-3)
Table-topping SKA trailed twice in Yekaterinburg, but rallied to skate to a convincing win. After a run of one win in five, this was a welcome boost for Roman Rotenberg’s team, while two goals from Marat Khairullin put him back in front in the scoring race, moving him to 54 points for the season.
Khairullin’s first goal came in the 33rd minute, cancelling out Nick Ebert’s opener a couple of minutes before. That pattern repeated late in the frame. Patrice Cormier’s short-handed tally restored Avto’s lead, but another home penalty saw Dmitrij Jaskin tie it up off an assist from Khairullin.
SKA took the game away in the third. Zakhar Bardakov made it 3-2 after 46 minutes, then turned provider for Roman Rukavishnikov to add a fourth. Avtomobilist tried to force the issue in the closing stages, but instead allowed Khairullin to score into the empty net and seal the visitor’s win.
Vityaz edges thriller in OT
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 Vityaz Moscow Region 5 OT (1-1, 2-3, 1-0, 0-1)
Vityaz bounced back from its 0-3 loss at Avtomobilist with a battling win at Metallurg. An entertaining game in the Urals saw the teams share eight goals in regulation before Vladimir Galuzin settled matter in overtime.
Magnitka pulled off a memorable victory against SKA in the previous game, and that battle may have taken an emotional toll on the home team. Certainly, it was a slow start interrupted by Stepan Starkov opening the scoring for Vityaz in the seventh minute. Pavel Akolzin, enjoying his best goalscoring season in the KHL, soon tied it up.
Akolzin was on target in the second period as well, giving Metallurg a 3-2 lead in the 33rd minute. However, that goal triggered an immediate response from Vityaz. The visitor potted two in 50 seconds, with Scott Wilson tying it up before Tyler Graovac made it 4-3. That slow start to events was forgotten as the teams went toe-to-toe in search of victory.
Vityaz held its lead until the last minute, but Brendan Leipsic snatched a tying goal with 15 seconds left. Denied in regulation, the visitor made sure it nevertheless left with the points when Galuzin struck 40 seconds into the extras to give his team a second win over Metallurg this season.
Playoff hopefuls serve up tense encounter
Traktor Chelyabinsk 4 Dinamo Minsk 3 (2-0, 2-2, 0-1)
Both of these teams badly needed points in their respective playoff battles. Traktor is chasing to get into the top eight in the East, while Dinamo is struggling to stay there in the West. As a result, the stakes were high and an entertaining, competitive battle followed.
The first period was evenly fought, but Sergei Kalinin made the difference between the teams. He scored twice, once at equal strength and once more on the PP, as Traktor opened a 2-0 lead despite having just eight shots on goal.
In the 27th minute, Kalinin turned provider, sending Kirill Kapustin clear to beat Alexei Kolosov. That was the visiting goalie’s last contribution: Konstantin Shostak came into the game in his place. The change gave Minsk renewed impetus and import duo Brandon Kozun and Ryan Spooner hauled it back to 2-3.
However, that momentum was broken in unlikely fashion. Dinamo was on the power play and pushing for a tying goal when a breakdown enabled Maxim Shabanov to escape on a counterattack and make it 4-2.
Dinamo wasn’t done. With four minutes to play, Joe Duszak grabbed a goal that gave the visitor a lifeline. The closing stages were nerve-wracking for the home fans, although Minsk’s eagerness proved its undoing. A bench penalty for too many men weakened the Bison’s onslaught and Traktor held on to move to within a point of eighth-placed Amur.
Table topper recovers from two goals down
Ak Bars Kazan 4 Amur Khabarovsk 2 (0-1, 2-1, 2-0)
Playoff chasing Amur went to table-topping Ak Bars looking to boost its push for a top eight finish. Given the home team’s commanding form in 2023, that looked like an unlikely ambition. However, the Tigers gave Ak Bars a real fright before succumbing in the third period.
Amur started well and opened the scoring through Sergei Lapin after eight minutes. Things got even better for the visitor at the start of the second period when Ivan Nikolishin doubled the lead. Two goals up, the Tigers were hoping to add two unexpected points to their tally as they looked to keep the chasing pack at bay.
But Ak Bars has its eye on first place at the end of the season. Artyom Lukoyanov reduced the deficit just 50 seconds after Nikolishin’s goal, and barely a minute later Ilya Safonov tied the scores. Amur did not panic, and goalie Janis Kalnins continued between the pipes despite that sudden double blow. Indeed, the visitor remained obdurate and outshot Ak Bars in the second period. Admittedly, that was helped in part by both teams adopting a more cautious approach after that early goal rush.
The game was deadlocked at 2-2 until midway through the third period. Amur then got a power play chance, but could not take advantage. A minute after killing that penalty, Ak Bars went ahead for the first time thanks to Dmitry Voronkov’s 53rd-minute tally. And a couple of minutes later Stanislav Galiyev made it 4-2 to secure the win. Ak Bars is now three points clear at the top of the Eastern Conference, Amur’s lead over ninth-placed Neftekhimik is down to a solitary point.
Vital win for Neftekhimik
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 Admiral Vladivostok 1 (1-1, 0-0, 1-0)
Neftekhimik closed to within a point of eighth-placed Amur thanks to a hard-fought win over Admiral. This was the teams’ fourth meeting this season, and the fourth time it ended with a one-goal verdict in favor of the home team.
The Wolves knew that victory was crucial as they try to stay in touch with the playoff places. Vladislav Leontyev gave his team the perfect start with a goal in the third minute; a boost for his team-mates and especially his father, Neftekhimik head coach Oleg Leontyev.
However, Admiral got the first power play of the evening midway through the first period and Nikolajs Jelisejevs tied the scores.
It remained level until late in the third. However, with two-and-a-half minutes to play Semyon Kizimov grabbed a vital winner for Neftekhimik. That’s the 23-year-old’s fifth goal in 16 games since moving to Nizhnekamsk from Avtomobilist on deadline day. It also brought two vital points, and if Kizimov continues his productive form his trade could prove to be a key signing in the Eastern playoff race.
Spartak holds on to keep hopes alive
HC Sochi 2 Spartak Moscow 3 (1-2, 0-1, 1-0)
On Jan. 31, Sochi came to Moscow and handed Spartak a 4-3 defeat. That was a big blow for the Red-and-Whites, who are desperate for points to support their playoff push. Today, any less than victory at the basement club would leave Spartak in all sorts of trouble as it tries to keep pace with Severstal and Dinamo Minsk.
The circumstances demanded a strong start from a Spartak team under the interim guidance of acting head coach Alexander Zavarukhin. His men responded with a good first period showing, enjoying the better of the play and opening a two-goal lead. Andrei Loktionov opened the scoring on the power play midway through the session, then another Sochi penalty helped Alexander Khokhlachyov make it 2-0. However, Sergei Kosovets pulled one back before the intermission to keep the Leopards in the game.
A third Sochi penalty early in the second period brought a third Spartak goal. Shane Prince was the scorer this time. But now the message got through to Sochi’s players: stay out of the box, and in five-on-five this was very much a contest. The home team did not infringe again, and the visitor could not add to its total.
Midway through the third, Matvei Michkov made it a one-goal game and set Spartak nerves jangling. However, the Red-and-Whites had enough to see out the win. However, Severstal’s shoot-out win over Torpedo means there is still a three-point gap to the playoffs with just seven games left.
Steelmen rally to enhance playoff prospects
Severstal Cherepovets 4 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 SO (0-1, 1-1, 2-1, 0-0, 1-0)
Severstal, surprisingly beaten by Kunlun in its previous game, needed to bounce back here. However, the Steelmen had to rally from 0-2 before eventually taking a shoot-out verdict. As a result, Andrei Razin’s team moves to seventh in the standings.
Torpedo, still under the temporary guidance of Andrei Kozyrev while Igor Larionov is indisposed, sought a big response after losing 1-3 at home to Admiral last time out. Goals from Alexander Daryin and Maxim Fedotov either side of the first intermission gave the visitor a measure of control – and had Severstal fretting about Spartak’s progress in Sochi.
However, late in the second stanza Makar Khabarov got a power play goal to put the home team back in the game. Alexander Suvorov tied the scores early in the third, and when Mikhail Tikhonov made it 3-2 with four minutes to play, many thought that Severstal had finished the job. Torpedo’s Adam Huska left the game briefly, but he was already back in place when Daryin’s second of the night tied the scores 61 seconds after Tikhonov gave the Steelmen a short-lived lead.
Ultimately, it took a shoot-out to separate the teams, and Daniil Vovchenko, Severstal’s longest-serving player, delivered the decisive goal.
