Metallurg pulls off big fightback to advance in game seven. March 14
Avtomobilist was so close to winning a playoff series for only the second time in its KHL history. Metallurg had other ideas. The visitor scored two goals late in the game to force a 3-3 tie, then got the winner in overtime to settle this game seven showdown.
Goldobin grabs OT winner
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 3 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 OT (0-1, 2-0, 1-2, 0-1)
(Metallurg wins the series 4-3)
This was a series that just did not want to end. Even when Avtomobilist got up 3-1 in game seven, Metallurg still found a way back to force overtime for the third time in this first-round battle. The visitor scored twice in two minutes as the third period came to a close, locking the scoreline at 3-3 and sending the battle into an extra frame.
In the ninth minute of overtime, Magnitka completed its fightback. Nikolai Goldobin’s goal broke the deadlock and sent Ilya Vorobyov’s team to the second round. For Avtomobilist, the wait goes on. Yekaterinburg has not got beyond round one since 2019, which is still the only year the Motormen managed to win a playoff series.
Metallurg got off to a great start in the game, forcing the first power play in the sixth minute and quickly converting that into the opening goal. Nikita Korostelyov was the scorer, potting his third of the series after just 13 seconds on the PP. He advanced along the goalline and beat Igor Bobkov from the slot at the second attempt.
Avto almost tied it up right away when Eddie Pasquale gave up a rebound from Vasilevsky’s slapshot. However, Patrice Cormier could not steer the puck into the net from close range and Magnitka held on. There was another big chance for the home team just before the intermission when Anatoly Golyshev got clear of the defense, only to be fouled by Kodie Curran as he shaped to shoot. The gave the Motormen a penalty shot, but Pasquale came up with the save to deny Georgy Belousov.
At the start of the second period, Belousov picked up an assist when his pass found Nick Ebert on the blue line. The defenseman strode forward to fire a shot through traffic; Pasquale saw it late and Avto was level. Midway through the session, Ebert went close to getting his second when another long-range effort hit the piping. That came on a power play, and eventually the man advantage paid off for the home team when Sergei Shirokov’s powerful one-timer put Avtomobilist in front.
There were chances at both ends, but the next big moment came when Magnitka was reduced to three skaters at the start of the third period. Belousov was involved again, getting into a shooting position but surprising Pasquale was a pass to Alexei Makeyev at the back door. The goalie could not adjust his position in time and Makeyev made it 3-1. The same player was close to adding a fourth when Avto got another power play, while Bobkov had to make a big save at the other end to deny Arkhip Nekolenko at the back door.
However, when Makeyev took a hooking call in the 53rd minute, he opened the door for the visitor to get back into the game. Denis Zernov pulled a goal back, redirecting the flight of Semyon Koshelev’s shot to make it 2-3. Then, a couple of minutes later, with the teams at equal strength, Yegor Yakovlev stuffed home the tying goal after the puck pinballed around in front of Bobkov’s net.
That late fightback gave Metallurg the momentum it needed to take control of the extras. In less than nine minutes of game time, the visitor outshot Avtomobilist 9-2 and enjoyed almost three times as much attacking possession. Even so, the outcome might have been very different if Vasilevsky’s shot had not rebounded off Pasquale’s crossbar; a few millimeters lower, and the Motormen would be preparing to face Avangard in round two.
Instead, though, Metallurg went down the ice to score from the next attack. Brendan Leipsic used his pace to get into enemy territory before dishing off a pass to the center. Goldobin took the puck on and wired a wrister into the top corner to settle the game and the series.
Metallurg now advances to face Avangard in the Conference semi-finals. That series is a repeat of the conference semi-finals from the last two seasons, with both teams winning one each. The action starts on Friday, March 17.
