Bilyaletdinov sets playoff win record. March 18 playoffs
A 2-1 success at home to Admiral sees Ak Bars take control of its Eastern Conference second round series. It also means the team’s head coach claims another record in a storied KHL career with the club.
Ak Bars Kazan 2 Admiral Vladivostok 1 (0-1, 1-0, 1-0)
(Ak Bars leads the series 2-0)
Ak Bars head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov posted his 80th KHL playoff victory, overtaking Oleg Znarok to resume the all-time lead for post season wins. Ironically, Bilyaletdinov replaced Znarok behind the bench in Kazan during the regular season. He went on to lead his team to top spot in the East and now to a 2-0 lead in the Conference semi-final.
Prior to this game Admiral got a boost when forward Anton Berlyov – scorer of the winning goal in the first-round series against Salavat Yulaev – returned from injury. He centered the third line alongside Alexander Gorshkov and Nikolai Chebykin.
Bilyaletdinov was not entirely convinced with his team’s performance in the opening game of this series, but limited himself to just one change of personnel. Vasily Tokranov replaced Daniil Zhuravlyov on defense.
The home team made a strong start to the game, and created several good chances. The best of them fell to Stanislav Galiyev, while Nikita Dynyak and Kirill Adamchuk also tested Nikita Serebryakov in the Admiral net. However, the Sailors are well accustomed to absorbing pressure and managed to do just that here. Indeed, the visitor went one better: a deflection off Konstantin Luchevnikov sent the puck into the Kazan net, with Tokranov unable to make the clearance. The goal was credited to Berlyov.
Late in the first period Ilya Safonov wasted a great chance to tie the game. With Serebryakov already taken out of the game, Safonov failed to finish into an open net and Admiral took its lead to the intermission. However, the young Kazan forward made amends for that miss in the second period. Dmitry Voronkov did much of the heavy lifting to win the puck behind the net, and Safonov fired home his pass to the slot.
The home team was well on top in terms of shots on goal and attacking possession. However, the go-ahead tally was stubbornly elusive until the third period entered its closing stages. At the same time, Admiral managed to pose some threats when it kept out of the box. Eventually, though, the Sailors reverted to their traditional defensive style and barely troubled Timur Bilyalov in the early part of the final frame.
The key moment came in the 52nd minute when Chebykin took a slashing minor. The handed the initiative to Ak Bars and the pressure paid off. Technically, the power play was at an end when Vadim Shipachyov put the home team in front; in reality, Chebykin barely had his skates on the ice before the puck hit the net.
That left Admiral with six minutes to try to save the game. Tokranov’s foul offered the visitor a glimmer of hope; Leonids Tambijevs called a time-out and played six-on-four in the hope of snatching a tying goal. However, Ak Bars held firm under pressure and closed out a narrow victory to take a comfortable 2-0 lead in the series. The action now moves to Vladivostok, with the Pacific port city hosting game three on Monday.
