Advantage CSKA after road win in Yaroslavl. March 23 playoffs
Defending champion CSKA is one game away from reaching the Western Conference final. A 3-1 win on the road in Yaroslavl means the Muscovites lead Lokomotiv 3-1 in the series. The action continues Saturday in the Russian capital.
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1 CSKA Moscow 3 (0-1, 1-0, 0-2)
(CSKA leads the series 3-1)
Lokomotiv, lifted by its win in Tuesday’s game, had hope of tying the series today. The home team certainly tried to force the early tempo. In the second minute, the Railwaymen caused problems for Adam Reideborn in the CSKA net with Ivan Chekhovich – a hat-trick hero in the previous game – testing the Swede from a tight angle before the goalie had to deal with a point shot later in the play.
However, CSKA calmly went about its business and, when the chance came, grabbed the opening goal. Maxim Mamin was the scorer, swiftly potting the rebound after his own shot hit the post. Mikhail Grigorenko’s assist to release Mamin into the danger zone is also something worth watching again.
Home head coach Igor Nikitin, who turns 50 today, joked before the game that he had never won on his birthday. He suggested that tonight his team would have to force multiple overtime and complete the victory on the morning of March 24. After falling behind, his players worked hard to get a tying goal and start making that outlandish prediction come true. Maxim Beryozkin had a good chance to score before the intermission, only to be denied by another great save from Reideborn.
At the start of the second period, Maxim Shalunov missed a great opportunity to score on his former club. The forward just failed to get to the puck when the net was at his mercy, and CSKA’s lead remained intact. However, Lokomotiv managed to tie the scores late in the middle frame. Alexander Yelesin’s powerful point shot beat Reideborn and brought the Arena 2000 crowd to its feet. CSKA almost regained its lead ahead of the intermission, though, when defenseman Fredrik Claesson zinged in an effort that got through Isayev’s defenses. The goalie recovered in time, clawing the puck away from his goal line at the last possible moment.
The home team came out for the third period looking to get ahead for the first time in the game. Two minutes of solid pressure on Reideborn’s net set the tone, but an error in center ice undid all that hard work. Pavel Karnaukhov took full advantage, breaking clear all on his own and placing a backhand shot past Isayev. Subsequently, CSKA looked to close down the game. For long periods, Lokomotiv struggled to find a way through a dogged rearguard. Even a power play failed to open up a route to goal, with the Railwaymen shunted aside each time they attempted to break into CSKA territory.
Late in the game, Stepan Nikulin created a good chance to get Lokomotiv back into the game. However, Reideborn once again produced the big save when called upon. That offered hope that Loko could orchestrate one last surge, but it was not to be. Even after withdrawing Isayev in the closing minutes, Lokomotiv struggled to put much pressure on Reideborn in the visitor’s net. The home team struggled to keep the puck in the CSKA zone, while Konstantin Okulov was close to shooting into the empty net from inside his own half. That missed attempt led to an icing, but Lokomotiv could not make anything of the face-off and with three seconds on the clock Vladislav Kamenev did find the empty net to wrap up the win.
