All square in Eastern final. April 3 playoffs
Avangard made an impressive start to Monday’s game in Kazan and opened a 3-0 lead. Ak Bars replied with two goals in the final frame, but could not save game two of the series.
Ak Bars Kazan 2 Avangard Omsk 3 (0-1, 0-2, 2-0)
(Series tied at 1-1)
After a fightback on Saturday fell short in overtime, Avangard managed to get its first win in the Eastern Conference final today. The Hawks opened a 3-0 lead in the first two periods and withstood a home fightback to ensure that the series moves to Omsk with the scores level.
The visitor produced a great first period. Ak Bars was limited to just three shots at Vasily Demchenko’s net, a testament to the effectiveness of Avangard’s play. At the other end, Sergei Tolchinsky dinged the piping early in the game, but it wasn’t until late in the frame that Viktor Svedberg opened the scoring after Arseny Gritsyuk’s hard work on the slot opened up a shooting lane from the Swedish defenseman.
The middle frame bought a first full power play of the night for Avangard (in the first, the visitor had a few seconds with an extra man due to a couple of overlapping infringements). That advantage produced the second goal, when Vladimir Tkachyov picked his moment to weight a pass to the top of the left-hand circle, where Reid Boucher was waiting to fire home a wrister.
After that, Ak Bars began to boost its offense. Dmitry Kagarlitsky hit the post, Ilya Safonov saw a shot deflected narrowly over the crossbar and Stanislav Galimov flashed another effort narrowly wide of the target. However, the next goal went to Avangard after another promising home attack broke down. Tolchinsky released Alex Broadhurst, and the forward raced clear to beat Timur Bilyalov and make it 3-0.
Bilyalov did not return after the second intermission, with Amir Miftakhov stepping in for his first taste of playoff action. Avangard showed little inclination to test the incoming goalie, being content to preserve its three-goal lead rather than seek further rewards. At the other end, Ak Bars continued to push for a way back into the game, and there was some hope for the home team when Artyom Lukoyanov pulled a goal back in the 47th minute with a well-placed wrist shot.
However, the Hawks were unruffled. Avangard might even have wrapped up the game with a few minutes to go, but Tkachyov hit the post in the closing stages. That kept Ak Bars’ hopes alive and, with Miftakhov replaced by a sixth skater, there was one more goal to come. Ironically, it came on 59:57, the same time as Corban Knight’s late goal for Avangard in the opening game. But unlike Knight’s overtime-forcing tally, Dmitry Yudin’s marker was a mere consolation effort for the home team as Avangard clinched a 3-2 victory.
