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Reversing the formbook. September 11 round-up
It was something of a manic Monday in the KHL, with a series of surprise results. Undefeated Avangard suffered a 1-5 drubbing at home to an Amur team that lost its last three. Winless Neftekhimik got off the mark, denying Avtomobilist the chance to go top of the table. HC Sochi stunned Lokomotiv with a 5-0 win in Yaroslavl. Barys came close to its first win of the campaign at Dynamo Moscow, but blew a 3-1 lead to lose in overtime. That all left the way clear for Metallurg to go top of the table thanks to a 2-1 victory at Salavat Yulaev.
Hawks mauled by Tigers
Avangard Omsk 1 Amur Khabarovsk 5 (0-1, 1-2, 0-2)
Nobody saw this one coming. Avangard was one of just two teams yet to taste defeat this season, while Amur had lost three in a row after winning its opener at Vityaz. Yet as the Tigers move eastwards in advance of their home opener, their bared their claws to rip the Hawks’ winning start to shreds.
The visitor shrugged off the absence of former Avangard center Alex Broadhurst and first-choice goalie Janis Kalnins. It also coped with a tough start: just nine seconds into the game, Evgeny Grachyov took a double minor penalty after his stick caught Reid Boucher in the face. There were two more power play chances for Avangard, but the home team could make little of them and, with Boucher unable to return to the game, struggled to generate much offense throughout the opening frame.
That failure was punished late in the session when Dmitry Shevchenko converted Amur’s first power play of the game. The same player repeated that trick in the 26th minute, with a second power play goal forced home from the slot.
As the midway point approached, Vladimir Tkachyov’s solo effort got Avangard on the scoreboard and gave the home team hopes of turning the game around. However, that was as good as it got for the Hawks. Amur did not allow the setback to disrupt its gameplan and added a third goal when Artur Gizdatullin scored. It was another one from the slot, highlighting a weakness in the center of the home defense.
Avangard’s day did not improve. The third period began with Vasily Demchenko giving up a big rebound from a routine Alexander Khokhlachyov effort, enabling Gizdatullin to score his second and Khokhlachyov to complete a hat-trick of helpers. Andrei Mishurov replaced Demchenko in the home net but he, too, was beaten: Jan Drozg completed the rout after a 54th minute turnover.
Magnitka moves clear at the top
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 1 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 (0-2, 1-0, 0-0)
The big game of the day saw two Eastern Conference heavyweights slug it out in Ufa. But before the action, there was a moving tribute to Rodion Amirov. The talented forward sadly passed away during the summer after suffering with a brain tumor: today the 21-year-old was commemorated by his hometown club, with his jersey raised to the rafters of the Ufa Arena ahead of the home opener.
However, Metallurg has long been a problem for Salavat Yulaev in Ufa. The Steelmen have not lost here since December 2020 and shrugged off the rigors of a five-game road trip to record a fourth victory of the season. The win also puts Magnitka on top of the table with nine points, one ahead of Kunlun Red Star and two clear of its closest rival in the East, Avtomobilist.
The game was decided by two goals late in the first period. The visitor looked to dictate the tempo from the start and got its reward when Nikita Grebyonkin scored on a 15th-minute breakaway. Within a couple of minutes, that lead increased as Luke Johnson beat Alexander Samonov short side.
Salavat Yulaev pulled a goal back in the second period when Alexander Sharov led an odd-man rush that saw Vyacheslav Leshchenko on target. However, that was the only success for Salavat. The third period saw some exemplary game management from Metallurg to close out the game with little danger to Artyom Zagidulin’s net. At the other end, Samonov kept Ufa in it to the end with some big saves to deny Dmitry Silantyev and Nikita Mikhailis on the power play.
Wolves get first win
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 0 (1-0, 0-0, 0-0)
Neftekhimik got its first win of the season, denying Avtomobilist the chance to join Metallurg at the top of the KHL standings.
This success was built on defense – and rarely was a shut-out so welcome. Emil Garipov was the key, stopping 31 shots. Considering Netekhimik had allowed five goals in each of its previous three games, this represents a big improvement in all areas of defensive play. Moreover, Avtomobilist scored six last time out to embarrass Sibir in its new arena.
However, while defense gives teams a chance to win, somebody needs to put the puck in the net at the other end. Neftekhimik did not exactly light up the world with today’s offense, but managed to do enough. Bulat Shafigullin, playing his 200th KHL game for his hometown club, showed great anticipation to race in front of Evgeny Alikin’s net. His presence distracted the goalie, who gave up a looping rebound from Lukas Klok’s point shot, and Shafigullin reacted smartly to bat the puck out of the air and into the net.
Subsequently, Neftekhimik had to absorb some pressure. Although the first period was fairly even, the Motormen steadily tightened the screws thereafter and the final frame was played almost entirely in front of Garipov’s net. But the home defense held firm and, for the first time this season, Neftekhimik could chalk up a W.
Leopards put the bite on Loko
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 0 HC Sochi 5 (0-3, 0-0, 0-2)
After last season’s struggles, Sochi already looks a better team this term. Summer recruitment beside the Black Sea is making a difference, and two of those acquisitions played a big part in a highly impressive win in Yaroslavl.
The home team had recorded an eye-catching victory of its own last time out, defeating SKA 3-2, but found itself unexpectedly overpowered by the Leopards. Sochi also proved that its win at Ak Bars last week was no fluke.
Croatia’s Borna Rendulic and Slovakia’s Michal Kristof were two of the big summer signings for Sochi, and they shared seven points between them to shunt Loko off course. Another newcomer, defenseman Jesse Graham, had two assists.
Rendulic opened the scoring with a power play goal in the eighth minute, assisted by Kristof and Graham. Midway through the first period, the Croatian returned the favor for Kristof to double the lead. The two imports combined again for Rendulic to add a third in a fantastic opening frame for the visitor.
Perhaps surprisingly, Igor Nikitin did not replace starting goalie Ivan Bocharov. However, it was clear that in the first intermission he stressed the need to get more pucks to the net. In the first period, although the teams had similar amounts of time on attack, Loko trailed Sochi for shots. In the second, as well as more possession, Lokomotiv did more with it and got 19 shots on target. However, Maxim Tretyak made 19 saves to preserve the lead in full.
And the final frame saw Sochi finish the job with two goals in the 49th minute. Artur Tyanulin proved that the visitor was not entirely reliant on its top line for goals, then 25 seconds later Kristof completed the rout on the power play.
Where there’s a Weal, there’s a way
Dynamo Moscow 4 Barys Astana 3 OT (1-1, 0-1, 2-1, 1-0)
On a day when several teams upset the form book, Barys was close to securing its first win after four successive losses. Andrei Skabelka’s team built a 3-1 lead in Moscow, but allowed two goals in the last six minutes before losing in OT.
The home power play saved the Blue-and-Whites, delivering all three goals in regulation. And forward Jordan Weal got his colleagues out of jail with two tallies late on to force the extras. Nikita Gusev had three helpers.
That was hard for Barys to take. The visitor opened the scoring through Pontus Aberg midway through the first period – fittingly, another power play goal. After Eric O’Dell tied the scores, the Kazakhs showed that the mid point of each frame was very much their preferred time to attack: Arkady Shestakov made it 2-1 in the 29th minute, then Nelson Nogier added a third on 50:40.
But when a team is out of form, even a winning position can evaporate fast. Penalties on Aberg and Alexander Borisevich enabled Weal to strike twice and rescue his team. Then, in overtime, Dynamo got a goal at equal strength as Daniil Pylenkov gave his team back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
