Western final heading for game seven. March 27 playoffs
Lokomotiv made it back-to-back wins, tying up its series against CSKA at 3-3. Alexander Polunin’s spectacular solo strike in the third period means these two will meet again in Moscow to settle the series on Wednesday.
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2 CSKA Moscow 1 (1-1, 0-0, 1-0)
(Series tied at 3-3)
In recent years, CSKA has enjoyed reputation for recovering lost causes. Most notably, last year’s Gagarin Cup final saw the Muscovites rally from 1-3 to beat Metallurg and take the big prize. Now, though, Sergei Fedorov’s team is in danger of falling victim to the same fate. Lokomotiv’s hard-fought success on home ice today sends this series to game seven with the defending champion twice unable to get it over the line.
The home team welcomed back Ivan Chekhovich and Yegor Korshkov for Monday’s game. The pair were absent for Saturday’s victory. And Korshkov made an immediate impact with a key role in the opening goal. He hunted down Konstantin Okulov behind the CSKA net and stripped him of the puck. Then Korshkov got the puck to the slot for Yegor Averin to beat Adam Reideborn from close range.
However, there was a lively start from both teams, and Chekhovich’s first contribution was less auspicious. Within a couple of minutes of Averin’s opening goal, the Lokomotiv forward took the first penalty of the game. Loko killed that one off, but CSKA’s momentum carried it forward and, with the teams back at full strength, the visitor tied the scores when Maxim Mamin converted a perfectly placed pass from Vladislav Provolnev.
After trading goals in the first 10 minutes, the teams re-established their defensive focus. Both goalies had to remain alert, but there was a solid look to the systems deployed by each coach as the first period continued with no further scoring.
Early in the middle frame, Daniil Isayev made a big stop to deny CSKA the lead. An awkward bounce presented Vladislav Kamenev with a great chance to stuff the puck into the net, but Isayev got behind it to keep his goal intact. Indeed, with the exception of a flurry of home offense around the middle of the session, CSKA enjoyed the better of the second period and outshot Loko 14-5 through 20 goalless minutes.
It felt like the home team might need something special to change the course of this game, and Alexander Polunin provided it at the start of the third period. He started by claiming a loose puck on his own blue line, then sped through center ice before jinking his way between two defensemen and zinging a wrister over Reideborn’s shoulder.
That gave Lokomotiv something to defend, while CSKA posed plenty of questions for the home team in the closing stages. However, this was very much Isayev’s day. Although the visiting offense saw plenty of the puck, and outshot Lokomotiv 34-17, there was no more scoring. The Yaroslavl defense blocked a further 11 shots in a gritty third period display to keep the opposition at bay. Isayev made the necessary saves when called upon, and the Railwaymen held on to take a 2-1 verdict and tie up the series.
The action goes all the way to game seven, scheduled for Wednesday evening in Moscow. The winner will advance to face SKA in the Conference final, due to start on April 2.
