Admiral closes on historic success. March 9 playoffs
Vladivostok has never had second round playoff action before, but Admiral is just one game away from delivering it after a dramatic victory in Ufa. Despite allowing a tying goal in the final seconds, the Sailors held their nerve to win 4-3 in overtime. Things were far less tense in Kazan, where a powerful second period saw Ak Bars ease to a 6-1 victory.
Salavat’s fightback falls short
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 Admiral Vladivostok 4 OT (0-2, 2-1, 1-0, 0-1)
(Admiral leads the series 3-2)
Admiral is one game away from winning its first ever playoff series after a pulsating battle in Ufa. The visitor made a flying start with two goals in the first two minutes. Later, that lead extended to 3-0 before Salavat Yulaev hit back to tie the game with nine seconds left on the clock. However, the effort could not save Viktor Kozlov’s men and Alexander Shevchenko won it with his second goal of the game five minutes into overtime.
This is already Admiral’s best playoff campaign. Never before has the Vladivostok team won three games in a series. It’s also the first time the Sailors have led in any playoff series. Now they can wrap up a first ever trip to the second round with victory on home ice on Saturday.
Admiral could hardly have asked for a better start in Ufa. The visitor opened the scoring in the first minute through Shevchenko. His marker, after 52 seconds, prompted a bench challenge with Salavat Yulaev believing there was an offside in the build-up. However, the video review showed otherwise and the home team took a delay of game minor. That power play brought a second goal for the Sailors, with Danil Faizullin deflecting Rudolf Cerveny’s shot into the net. Two goals in 86 seconds set a KHL playoff record for the fastest start by any team in a game.
And there was more to come. Although Salavat Yulaev slowed the goal rush and enjoyed plenty of possession as the first period went on, Admiral would take its lead to 3-0 at the start of the second. Gutik slung the puck into the danger zone from the right wing and Yury Pautov stretched out his stick to steer it past Ilya Ezhov.
However, the pressure was building at the other end. Salavat Yulaev went all out in search of a way back into the game and forced Admiral into penalty trouble. As the sin bin filled up, Mikhail Naumenkov converted a 5-on-3 power play. Almost immediately, Shevchenko went to the box and a second double two-man advantage saw Alexei Pustozyorov make it a one-goal game. Now it was Admiral’s turn to try to calm things down. Leonids Tambijevs called a time-out with his team still on the penalty kill and the visitor managed to see out the period with no further damage.
To nobody’s great surprise, Salavat Yulaev continued to press hard in the third period. The home team had 14 shots on goal, while the visiting defense blocked a further 11 efforts. However, the saving goal did not arrive until 59:51, with Ufa on the power play and deploying a sixth skater. At last, the pressure paid off. Sergei Shmelyov fired in a shot from the right-hand channel, the puck skittered around the crease and Pustozyorov stuffed home the equalizer. Amid jubilant scenes on the ice and in the tribunes, visiting goalie Nikita Serebryakov lay face down on the ice, unable to believe that he had been robbed of victory so late in the game.
At that point, it was hard to imagine Salavat Yulaev allowing its momentum to dissipate in overtime. Yet Admiral rallied, withstood an early onslaught and then broke down the ice to grab the game-winner. Five minutes into the extras, he raced onto Evgeny Grachyov’s pass and used Viktor Antipin as a screen to conceal his shot into the top corner.
Ak Bars takes control
Ak Bars Kazan 6 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 (1-1, 4-0, 1-0)
(Ak Bars leads the series 3-2)
At the start of this series, Ak Bars found Neftekhimik a more challenging opponent than in previous playoff meetings between these Tatarstan rivals. Today, though, there were signs that Kazan was taking control of the series after a commanding 6-1 victory put the East’s top seed one win away from progressing.
A blistering second period, which brought four unanswered goals, made all the difference here. The powerful home offense caught fire at last and a stubborn Neftekhimik defense had no response. Before that, though, the visitor once again showed that it could live with its much-vaunted opponent.
The opening frame was tight and evenly-matched. The teams shared 15 shots on goal, with Neftekhimik having the slightest of edges. That was despite a perfect start for Ak Bars, which took the lead after 43 seconds. Slava Voynov’s shot was deflected into the path of Dmitry Voronkov, and he had no trouble finding the top shelf for his third of the series.
However, it was little surprise that Neftekhimik tied it up before the intermission. The visitor forced a turnover in its attacking zone and Bulat Shafigullin picked his moment to set up Ansel Galimov for a one-timer at the back door.
Early in the second period the same Galimov went to the box for tripping and the first power play of the game saw Ak Bars regain the lead. Voynov was the provider once again, releasing Stanislav Galiyev down the left. This time, the home team would not relinquish its lead. Another power play saw Dmitry Kagarlitsky make it 3-1, and within a minute Nikita Dynyak added a fourth. In the final minute of the session, Alexander Radulov got on the scoresheet and put the outcome beyond doubt.
Neftekhimik responded by replacing starting goalie Alexander Sudnitsin with understudy Andrei Tikhomirov. That helped to stem the flow of goals allowed, but there was little sign of any progress at the other end. In the final stages, a flurry of penalties saw another power play goal as Radulov got his second of the game to wrap up a big win for Ak Bars.
