Severstal clinches playoff spot. February 18 round-up
Saturday’s big game saw Severstal win 3-1 at Spartak. The result secures a playoff place for the visitor, while the Red-and-Whites are now close to elimination. However, Dinamo Minsk failed to take advantage, losing 2-4 at home to Torpedo. Ak Bars is close to clinching top spot in the East after winning 4-3 at Amur, while Sibir snapped a four-game skid to move into second. Metallurg rallied from 0-2 to beat Sochi, Admiral defeated Avtomobilist and Barys took an overtime verdict at Kunlun Red Star. Elsewhere, CSKA won at Lokomotiv and Vityaz denied Dynamo.
Quickfire double sets up Ak Bars victory
Amur Khabarovsk 3 Ak Bars Kazan 4 (0-2, 2-2, 1-0)
This game was significant at both ends of the Eastern Conference. Amur knew that victory would lift it ahead of Neftekhimik and into eighth place. Ak Bars, meanwhile, could guarantee a top-four finish in the East and move ever close to securing first place.
The visitor took control of this game with two goals in 17 seconds midway through the first period. Dmitry Voronkov found a terrific shot into the corner to open the scoring, and the next shift saw Alexander Radulov profit from some half-hearted home defense to double the lead. To make matters worse, the home team failed to capitalize on a full two minutes of five-on-three hockey when a goal would have changed the complexion of the game.
After navigating its penalty troubles, Ak Bars extended its lead in the second period thanks to Voronkov’s second of the game. However, at 0-3, the Tigers found their claws. Jan Drozg got the home team on the scoreboard, then Stanislav Bocharov converted a great pass from Yaroslav Likhachyov to make it 2-3.
Suddenly, the fightback was on. However, the next goal went to Ak Bars, drawing some of the sting from the situation. Kirill Petrov struck just before the intermission to restore the visitor’s two-goal advantage.
Amur’s problems were not helped by an injury to Cam Lee, who did not feature in the third period. However, that did not prevent the home team from closing the deficit once again when Vyacheslav Gretsky made it 3-4 midway through the final stanza. Vladislav Barulin dinged the post late on as the Tigers fought to salvage at least a point, but Ak Bars held on to take a third victory from its Far East excursion.
Winning return for Admiral’s Kristof
Admiral Vladivostok 3 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 1 (1-0, 1-0, 1-1)
Admiral welcomed back center Michal Kristof for the first time this year. The Slovak slotted straight into the first line alongside Rudolf Cerveny and Nikolajs Jelisejevs. Avtomobilist saw captain Sergei Shirokov back in the team, while Curtis Valk was rested.
The home team is still looking to rubber-stamp its playoff place and Leonids Tambijevs’ team approached this game in its usual uncompromising fashion. Hard work at both ends of the ice meant the Motormen enjoyed few scoring chances in the first period, while the Sailors inched ahead thanks to Dmitry Sidlyarov’s long-range effort in the 17th minute.
That prompted Avtomobilist to raise its game at the start of the second period and online a goalline clearance from Nikolai Chebykin denied Stephane Da Costa a tying goal. Even when obliged to kill a penalty, the visitor continued to threaten with Patrice Cormier getting a great breakaway chance. However, he could not convert that opportunity and play went back to the other end for Chebykin to double Admiral’s lead.
Avtomobilist kept pressing and got a reward late in the third period when Brooks Macek scored a trademark goal from the left-hand circle. That made it 2-1 with five minutes to play, and brought the game right back to life. However, the visitor could not complete its fightback. Instead, Admiral played smart, running down the clock in center ice before Cerveny found the empty net to wrap it up.
Big win for Severstal, big blow for Spartak
Spartak Moscow 1 Severstal Cherepovets 3 (0-0, 1-2, 0-1)
Both these teams had plenty riding on Saturday’s game. For Severstal, victory would secure a playoff spot. Spartak, meanwhile, knew that defeat would leave it trying to make up at least three points on eighth-placed Dinamo Minsk with only three games left. Moreover, those three games are against powerful opposition in the form of CSKA, Metallurg and Dynamo Moscow.
Severstal was without Swedish defenseman Robin Press, one of the team’s leading scorers this season. That didn’t prevent the Steelmen from seeking to control the puck at the start of the game, while Spartak looked to its counterattacking game to force the breakthrough. For the first period, at least, the two teams cancelled each other out and the game was goalless at the intermission.
Spartak grabbed the lead at the start of the second. Phil Varone marked his 100th KHL appearance with a vital goal. That encouraged Severstal to raise the tempo and midway through the game Makar Khabarov tied it up when he redirected his colleague’s shot past Patrik Rybar. In the latter stages of the middle frame, Andrei Churkin put the visitor in front for the first time, and a third goal was called back by the officials.
Early in the third, the Red-and-Whites believed that had tied the scores when Maxim Tsyplakov put away the rebound from an Ilya Talaluyev shot. However, the whistle had gone before the puck crossed the line and the goal did not stand. Spartak’s frustration intensified a couple of minutes later when Igor Geraskin finished off a quick counterattack to make it 3-1 to Severstal.
That proved to be enough to win it. Severstal can start preparing for the playoffs, while Spartak is relying on Dinamo Minsk dropping points to keep its slim hopes alive.
Sharov’s shoot-out special snaps Sibir’s skid
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 1 Sibir Novosibirsk 2 SO (1-1, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-1)
Ufa hosted its final game of the regular season and the home team played in front of a full house. Most of those fans were hoping to see Salavat Yulaev extend its five-game winning streak, while visitor Sibir was looking to keep the pressure on Ak Bars at the top of the Eastern Conference despite its four-game skid.
Salavat applied the early pressure, but also took the first penalty of the game. That allowed Sibir to get its game started, and the visitor went in front midway through the first period when Valentin Pyanov redirected a Trevor Murphy shot into the net. However, Sibir hit penalty trouble of its own and the home team needed just seven seconds to turn a five-on-three power play into a tying goal. Shakir Mukhamadullin got the goal.
That was the end of the scoring regulation. Goalies Ilya Ezhov and Denis Kostin performed strongly for the rest of the evening, and shared 52 saves between them ahead of the shoot-out. The deciding contest turned into a two-man show as Alexander Sharov and Ivan Drozdov took center stage. They were the only two to score during the first 10 attempts. In sudden death, they continued to do battle, but when Ezhov saved Drozdov’s third shot, Sharov made no mistake to give Sibir the verdict and lift the Siberians into second place.
Sochi blows 2-0 lead, loses to Metallurg
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 HC Sochi 2 (0-1, 1-1, 3-0)
A month ago, Sochi snapped its long losing streak with a 3-2 win at home to Metallurg. Today, on the road, the Leopards threatened to do the double over Ilya Vorobyov’s team. However, Magnitka responded well to recover from 0-2 and win the game.
Vorobyov took the chance to review the depth of his squad in this game, with Maxim Kuznetsov getting a KHL debut as 13th forward. Artyom Zemchyonok, Nikita Korostelyov and Grigory Dronov also returned to action, as did goalie Vasily Koshechkin. Maxim Karpov, Yaroslav Khabarov, Vladislav Yeryomenko and Danila Yurov sat this one out.
The first period was dominated by Metallurg, but none of its 11 shots could get past Mikhail Berdin in the visitor’s net. At the other end, Sochi managed just three attempts but got the go-ahead goal through Yegor Babenko.
The home team’s problems increased after the break when a turnover in Sochi’s zone led to a goal for Artyom Nikolayev and a 2-0 lead for the visitor. However, Metallurg continued to attack and Semyon Koshelev pulled one back with a tennis-style swat following Andrei Chibisov’s shot.
In the final frame, Magnitka turned the game around completely. The home team got its first power play of the game, then saw a second Sochi player head to the box. Dronov converted that into a tying goal and Sochi never really recovered. Korostelyov put Metallurg ahead in the 54th minute and Brendan Leipsic’s empty-netter sealed the deal.
OT success earns Skabelka his 300th win
Kunlun Red Star 1 Barys Astana 2 OT (0-0, 0-1, 1-0, 0-1)
For both these teams, only pride was at stake. Barys was eliminated from playoff contention last week, while Red Star’s post season hopes came to an end somewhat earlier. Both came into the game on a run of losses – three games for the home team, two for the visitor.
The Dragons were playing their final game of the season in Mytishchi, and possibly their last ever game here. With China reopening after the pandemic, the club will be hoping to return home in the summer. However, Red Star was unable to sign off with a win.
An evenly matched first period finished goalless, but Barys got ahead midway through the second thanks to Linden Vey. The visitor looked the stronger team in the latter stages, but was pegged back in the 57th minute when Jack Rodewald scored his second in successive games. Rodewald now has three points from three games since returning from injury last week.
His goal took the game to overtime, but Barys began the extras on a power play and Nikita Mikhailis took advantage to grab the winning goal. That secures a 300th KHL success for head coach Andrei Skabelka, but his team remains at the foot of the Eastern Conference.
Grigorenko’s double defeats Lokomotiv
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1 CSKA Moscow 2 OT (0-0, 1-1, 0-0, 0-1)
Both these teams are battling for second place in the West, but Lokomotiv remains narrowly ahead despite today’s loss. However, the Railwaymen have played two games more than CSKA and Torpedo and that pair seems likely to decide who will finish closest to runaway leader SKA at the end of the regular season.
This was the sixth meeting of the teams, and the third to go to overtime. Given how close the games have been, it’s no surprise that CSKA’s win makes it 3-3 in the series.
In keeping with the teams’ general performance, this game was tight. A goalless first period saw CSKA shade the play, and the visitor was first to score when Mikhail Grigorenko broke the deadlock in the 34th minute. However, in the final minute of the second period, Loko tied it up. Alexander Polunin’s shot bounced off the back boards and Pavel Kraskovsky got to the rebound to fire home a shot from a tight angle.
The third period resembled the first: tight, and without scoring. However, the extras went to the visitor. Sergei Fedorov withdrew his goalie, his players forced a penalty and Grigorenko got his second of the night on the power play to seal the win.
Dropped points leave Dinamo with an anxious wait
Dinamo Minsk 2 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 4 (0-1, 1-2, 1-1)
Dinamo slipped up at home, inadvertently boosting Spartak’s hopes of securing a top eight finish. A victory today would have give Craig Woodcroft’s men a commanding five-point lead over its last remaining rival for a post season spot. Instead, though, it was Torpedo that left with the points as it continues to battle for second place in the West.
Torpedo made a flying start, opening the scoring after just 47 seconds through Vladislav Firstov. After that, Dinamo had the better of the play in the first period and spent almost twice as much time on the attack. However, the home team could not find a tying goal.
At the start of the second a penalty from Cedric Paquette helped Torpedo double its lead. Maxim Letunov quickly converted the power play to give the visitor an advantage that it would hold until the end. Dinamo pulled one back through Vladimir Alistrov, but Kirill Urakov made it 3-1 before the second intermission.
In the final frame, the teams traded goals. Ryan Spooner scored on the power play to give Dinamo hope of saving the game, but Nikolai Kovalenko potted an empty net marker to seal the win for the visitor. The Bison still have the advantage in the race for the top eight, but the final week of the season could yet be tense in Minsk and Moscow.
Dorozhko stars to sink Dynamo
Vityaz Moscow Region 3 Dynamo Moscow 1 (0-0, 2-0, 1-1)
Vityaz continued its strong finish to the season with a home win over Dynamo Moscow. The Balashikha-based team is firmly fixed in sixth place in the Western Conference, and is looking to seal its first ever playoff series victory this term.
Today, Vityaz got the verdict thanks to two quick goals at the start of the second period. Vladislav Valentsov broke the deadlock 47 seconds after the restart, then Kirill Vasilyev doubled the advantage in the 23rd minute.
After that, Dynamo piled the pressure onto Maxim Dorozhko in the home net. The visitor led the shot count 13-4 in the middle frame, but could not find a way to score. Dorozhko’s resistance lasted until the 47th minute, when Ilya Kablukov beat him on the power play.
That gave the Blue-and-Whites hope of saving the game and the visitor dominated the third period even more impressively than the second. However, once again, Dorozhko was in fine form. He turned away 16 shots in the final frame and when Alexei Volgin found the empty net, Vityaz had its win.
