Ak Bars rallies from 0-2, wins in OT. April 5 playoffs
Vadim Shipachyov came up with the overtime winner for Ak Bars after Avangard blew a 2-0 lead in game three of the Eastern Conference final. The first action of the series in Omsk looked to be going the way of the home team until two goals in the closing stages saved Ak Bars from defeat.
Avangard Omsk 2 Ak Bars Kazan 3 OT (0-0, 1-0, 1-2, 0-1)
(Ak Bars leads the series 2-1)
Ak Bars’ Vadim Shipachyov picked the perfect moment to break his goal drought with the overtime winner in Omsk. Shipachyov had gone six games without a goal since he got his team’s winner in a 2-1 victory against Admiral on March 18. Indeed, Shipachyov had just one assist during his untimely cold streak.
But all that was forgotten in the 13th minute of today’s extras. Shipachyov won a defensive face-off then, as Nikita Yevseyev’s long pass found Dmitry Kagarlitsky on the entrance to the Avangard zone, Shipachyov skated down the ice to get on the end of a feed from his fellow forward. A single touch was enough to steer the puck past home goalie Vasily Demchenko and put Ak Bars up 2-1 in this series.
That was a bitter blow for Avangard, which had played well for much of the game and really should have closed out the win after opening a 2-0 lead. In a goalless first period, the Hawks enjoyed the better of the play and outshot Ak Bars 12-4. The visitor was hamstrung by early penalty trouble, collecting three infringements in the first five minutes to hand the initiative to the home team.
In the second period, ironically, play was more even and Ak Bars arguably created the better chances. However, the opening goal came at the other end when Vladimir Tkachyov circled around the visitor’s zone and set up Damir Sharipzyanov for a point shot. Timur Bilyalov stopped the first effort, but Sharipzyanov followed up with a perfectly-weighted feed for Reid Boucher to rifle home a one-timer.
In the third period Tkachyov was involved again. This time Boucher returned the favor, playing the puck to the slot where his team-mate was on hand to convert a quick counterattack and double the home lead in the 47th minute.
If Avangard thought it had the game won, Ak Bars had other ideas. The visitor found two late goals to salvage the situation and force overtime for the second time in three games. With five minutes left, Nikita Yevseyev gave the visitor hope when he fired home from the blue line after good work from Alexander Radulov behind the net. Kazan forward Dmitry Voronkov got right into Vasily Demchenko’s face to obscure the goalie’s view of the shot.
Then came a penalty for Viktor Svedberg and Ak Bars tied the scores on the power play. With the visitor camped out in Avangard territory, Dmitry Yudin fired the puck to the slot and Radulov applied the finish. Almost immediately, Voronkov had a chance to win it when he raced onto a Kirill Petrov feed. However, Demchenko managed to keep his pads behind the shot and ensured that the game would go to the extras.
At the start of overtime, Avangard got a power play after Radulov was called for delay of game. The home team could not fashion a big chance with the man advantage, but went close a few moments later when Ivan Telegin tested Bilyalov on the counter. However, the decisive moment was destined to come at the other end when Shipachyov settled the outcome.
