Traktor boosts playoff hopes, Jaskin moves clear in scoring race. Feb 21
There were only two games on Tuesday, but Traktor’s shoot-out win over Dinamo Minsk could have a lasting impact on the playoff race in both conferences. The other game saw SKA thrash Kunlun Red Star 7-2.
Shoot-out gives Traktor a vital win
Dinamo Minsk 2 Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 SO (0-2, 1-0, 1-0, 0-0, 0-1)
Both teams need points to bolster their playoff prospects, and both teams took something from this game. Traktor’s victory moves it up to ninth place in the east, level on points with eighth-placed Neftekhimik. Both teams have played the same number of games. Dinamo rallied from 0-2 to grab a point, and has a two-point lead over ninth-placed Spartak in the West. However, the Red-and-Whites have a game in hand and can guarantee their playoff spot if they win both remaining fixtures in regulation.
Traktor got the lead in the sixth minute. Ilya Karpukhin’s stretch pass released Maxim Shabanov for a one-on-one with home goalie Konstantin Shostak. That attempt was denied, but Nikita Tertyshny revived the play to set up Shabanov for the opener. Then Tertyshny doubled the lead himself on 14 minutes.
Dinamo needed to fight back and got a lifeline late in the second period when Nikita Zorkin’s backhand shot halved the deficit. Zorkin picked up an injury on that play and was unable to continue in the game.
Even without him, though, the Bison managed to salvage a point. Nikita Soshnikov took a boarding major after crunching Sergei Sapego. That five-minute power play saw Roman Gorbunov tie the scores in the 58th minute. The power play continued, but the home team could not force a winner in regulation or in overtime.
That meant a shoot-out, and Traktor got the verdict thanks to successful attempts from Soshnikov and Vladimir Tkachyov, while Sergei Mylnikov stopped every effort from Dinamo.
Jaskin leads way in SKA romp
SKA St Petersburg 7 Kunlun Red Star 2 (2-0, 3-1, 2-1)
SKA enjoyed an emphatic victory over Kunlun, with Dmitrij Jaskin scoring twice to boost his prospects of winning the scoring race. Jaskin finished the game with three points, moving to 59 (38+21) and putting some clear water between himself and the chasing pack.
The Czech forward potted the opening goal of the game on 16:10, and a shell-shocked KRS immediately allowed another 13 seconds later when Vladislav Tsitsyura doubled the lead.
SKA continued to dominate and extended its lead to 5-0 in the middle frame. Jaskin picked up an assist as Alexander Volkov made it 3-0, prompting the Dragons to replace starting goalie Matt Jurusik with Sun Zehao. However, the new guy was beaten twice in 71 seconds as Mikhail Vorobyov and Damir Zhafyarov made it a rout. Devin Brosseau got a consolation goal late in the session but SKA was relentless.
Early in the third, Jaskin added another. Ryan Sproul’s power play tally pulled one back for Red Star, but a penalty shot from Nikita Gusev gave SKA the final say.
