Kamenev’s late tally puts CSKA on the brink. April 23 playoffs
Ak Bars made CSKA wait, but a 56th-minute goal from Vladislav Kamenev sealed a third win for the Muscovites in this year’s final.
CSKA Moscow 2 Ak Bars Kazan 1 (1-1, 0-0, 1-0)
(CSKA leads the series 3-1)
A late deflected goal gave CSKA a hard-earned victory in Moscow, helping the defending champion to a 3-1 lead in the 2023 Gagarin Cup final. Sergei Fedorov, who has yet to lose a playoff series as head coach, is now one game away from making it back-to-back titles. If CSKA can finish the job, it would also join Ak Bars on three championships while becoming only the third team to secure back-to-back crowns.
However, the Muscovites know better than most that nothing is certain at 3-1 in a series. This time last year, CSKA rallied from 1-3 to defeat Metallurg in game seven and lift the cup. That memory should ensure there is no complacency from Fedorov and his team when the action continues in Kazan on Tuesday.
For Ak Bars, the pressure was on ahead of Sunday’s game. Anything less than victory here would see Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s team facing a long road back into contention.
However, the need for a fast start might have over-excited the players. On the first shift, Alexander Radulov took a slashing minor and handed the initiative directly to the defending champion. However, CSKA was unable to take advantage of that early opportunity and soon found itself on the PK. Back-to-back home penalties gave Ak Bars the chance to test Adam Reideborn’s reflexes and, midway through the opening frame, the visitor went in front. The teams were already back to equal strength when Sergei Plotnikov’s wayward pass gifted the puck to Stanislav Galiyev in the CSKA zone. Galiyev’s shot found Reideborn’s pad, but the rebound went to Kirill Semyonov who put it behind the goalie.
The Muscovites drew level with a power play goal in the 15th minute. The home team quickly set up camp in Ak Bars territory and when Konstantin Okulov fired in a shot from the top of the circle, Anton Slepyshev redirected the puck in mid-flight to steer it past Timur Bilyalov.
The second period was goalless, although both teams had chances. The most intense action came midway through. First, Darren Dietz advanced on the Ak Bars net but his angled shot flew just beyond the top corner. Then play broke to the other end as Radulov battled his way to doorstep only for Reideborn to shut the door.
For much of the third period, it felt like the game was destined to go to overtime. Clear-cut chances were hard to come by, and even a CSKA power play failed to really ignite the offense. However, with four minutes to play, the home team got in front for the first time. Okulov got the puck to the slot, where Vladislav Kamenev lost out in his initial battle to get a shot off. However, he didn’t give up on the play and chased a rebound to the boards. Then, as he attempted to get the play back to the danger zone, he enjoyed a generous deflection off Bilyalov’s pads and into the net.
