Boucher gives Avangard an OT win. February 17 round-up
Avangard secured an overtime victory to join Avtomobilist, Salavat Yulaev and Sibir on 79 points. All three teams still have a chance of pipping Ak Bars to top spot in the Eastern Conference, but with a six-point gap to make up on the leader the odds are against a change at the top. Neftekhimik, meanwhile, adds a valuable point to its tally as it looks to keep clear of ninth-placed Amur. The Wolves are now one point ahead of the Tigers, but that could change tomorrow when Ak Bars travels to Khabarovsk.
Avangard Omsk 2 Neftkehimik Nizhnekamsk 1 OT (1-0, 0-0, 0-1, 1-0)
The first period was an even contest, with the teams divided by a solitary goal midway through. Sergei Tolchinsky was the scorer, reacting fastest to the rebound after Alexander Sudnitsin beat away Vladimir Tkachyov’s shot.
Almost immediately, Neftekhimik had a chance to respond when it got the first power play of the game. However, the Hawks defended well to kill the penalty and preserve that lead.
If the first period was evenly matched, the second was one-sided. Avangard had much the better of the play but could not add to its lead. Tolchinsky came close early in the session, racing onto a pass and skipping past two opponents before Sudnitsin made the save. Later, Ivan Telegin set up Alexander Dergachyov in a dangerous position but the shot went wide of the target, before Tkachyov fed Reid Boucher for a powerful effort that drew another good save.
In the third, Neftekhimik needed to raise its game. Pavel Poryadin tried to force the issue in the 44th minute, surging towards the net from the boards and attempting, unsuccessfully, to force the puck under Vasily Demchenko’s pads. However, for a long time the visitor was unable to make much of an impression on the home defense. It wasn’t until the closing stages that Evgeny Mityakin tied it up, arriving at the back door to convert Poryadin’s feed from the corner.
Almost immediately, Tkachyov had the chance to restore Avangard’s lead. He looked to capitalize on a defensive error and went clean through on Sudnitsin’s net only to hit the post. Then came a Neftekhimik power play, which also failed to change the scoreline and the game went into overtime.
In the extras, Avangard quickly replaced Demchenko with an extra skater and used the man advantage to good effect. Tkachyov took the puck into the corner, turned away from the covering defenseman and picked out a pass for Boucher in front of the net. The American made no mistake, bringing up his 50th point of the season to give the Hawks the win.
