Gatiyatulin leaves Traktor, Loko goes top in the West. October 4 round-up
The first big news of the day came from Chelyabinsk, where Traktor’s 0-4 loss at home to Salavat Yulaev spelled the end of Anvar Gatiyatulin’s tenure as head coach. The late game brought more headlines, with Lokomotiv winning at Dynamo to go clear at the top of the western standings. However, Metallurg remains ahead of the Railwaymen in the overall standings after a 3-1 win over Neftekhimik. Elsewhere, Vityaz bounced back from a 1-9 loss to beat Kunlun Red Star under the guidance of interim head coach Alexei Tertyshny. SKA let slip a 2-0 lead in Minsk to lose against Dinamo, Spartak overcame Sibir and CSKA eased to victory at home to Barys.
Heavy home loss spells the end for Gatiyatulin
Traktor Chelyabinsk 0 Salavat Yulaev 4 (0-1, 0-1, 0-2)
Salavat Yulaev’s big win in Chelyabinsk brought the end to Anvar Gatiyatulin’s time as Traktor head coach. He left his post following the 0-4 loss, his eighth in 15 games this season. It’s the end of his second spell behind the bench at his hometown club: in 2018 he left to join the staff at SKA, having led Traktor to the Conference final that season. He returned home in 2020 and repeated that run to the Conference final in 2022. However, Traktor did not make the playoffs last season, and made an inconsistent start this term.
Gatiyatulin’s final game was Buddy Robinson’s first. The American forward joined Sergei Kalinin and Anton Burdasov on the first line, while Traktor’s leading goalscorer Semyon Der-Arguchintsev was out injured and Nikita Soshnikov replaced him. However, visiting forward Artyom Pimenov was destined to outshine the newcomer.
Pinemov opened the scoring in the seventh minute, squeezing the puck home from a dead angle in the eighth minute. That was the only goal of the first period, and Salavat Yulaev doubled its lead after the intermission. Evgeny Biryukov, the KHL’s appearance leader, scored his first goal since Sep. 13, 2020 to make it 2-0.
Early in the third, Yegor Suchkov created the chance for Vyacheslav Leshchenko to add a third goal, prompting Gatiyatulin to send Sergei Mylnikov into the net in place of Zach Fucale. That change injected some energy into the home team, and young defenseman Artyom Shchuchinov dinged a shot against the post. However, there was no way back, and Pimenov wrapped it up with his second of the goal on the power play.
After the game came news of the coaching change. Alexei Zavarukhin, who had a brief spell as Spartak’s interim head coach last season, will take temporary charge after returning to Traktor as an assistant in the summer.
Magnitka sinks Neftekhimik again
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 (1-1, 1-0, 1-0)
Two days ago, Magnitka scored eight on Neftekhimik. Today, the visitor restored some pride but was unable to gain full revenge for that loss. Metallurg, meanwhile, made several changes despite that big win on Monday. Alexander Sudnitsin got the start in goal – the first time he played a full game for his new club. Vladislav Yeryomenko, Valery Orekhov, Mikhail Grass and Danila Kvartalnov all returned to the team, with Artyom Zagidulin, Danil Gololobov, Makar Khabarov, Yegor Yakovlev and Semyon Koshelev all making way. Oleg Leontiev made fewer changes after Monday’s loss. Filipp Dolganov continued after finishing the previous game in goal, while forward Anthony Camara and defenseman Nikita Khlystov were scratched.
After such a mauling last time, Neftekhimik got a huge lift today with a goal against the run of play. Midway through the first period, defenseman Ilya Khokhlov sent a routine clearance out of his zone. However, a slice of good fortune and an uneven bounce saw him wrongfoot Sudnitsin to open the scoring.
The home goalie was not greatly disconcerted by that misfortune, and did not allow another goal all evening. At the other end, Metallurg tied the game just before the intermission when 19-year-old Grass got on the end of Nikita Grebyonkin’s feed from behind the net.
For much of the second period, the home team dominated. Alexander Petunin passed up a great chance before Metallurg got ahead for the first time with a power play goal from Danila Yurov. Without a courageous effort from visiting goalie Dolganov, the scoreline would surely have been more decisive, but there was just one goal between the teams after 40 minutes.
The third period brought no significant change. Metallurg continued to dictate the game and the burgeoning partnership between Grebyonkin and Jean-Sebastien Dea saw the import add a third. The Canadian’s slow start to life in Russia looks to be a thing of the past: he had a short break and has picked up points in both games since returning to the team. Metallurg’s win keeps it on top of the overall KHL standings, a point ahead of Lokomotiv.
Coaching change boosts Vityaz
Vityaz Moscow Region 2 Kunlun Red Star 1 (2-0, 0-1, 0-0)
The home team, rooted to the foot of the standings, hoped that a change in coaching would give a much-needed lift. Against the Dragons, interim head coach Alexei Tertyshny took charge for the first time. He guided the team to a 2-1 victory, bouncing back from a 1-9 drubbing at CSKA on Monday.
The opening stanza belonged to the host. Vityaz spent almost twice as long on the attack, and even though the teams were tied for goal attempts, the home team scored two unanswered goals. Nikita Goncharov served an early warning when he got clear in the third minute but failed to beat Matt Jurusik in the Red Star net. Then Kunlun had to kill a penalty before Vityaz got in front midway through the frame on a delayed penalty. Vladimir Galuzin was the scorer, and his redirect survived a video check for a high stick.
Red Star was not out of this, and Luke Lockhart nearly tied the scores right away with a chance on the breakaway. However, he was denied by Maxim Dorozhko, and late in the opening stanza Alexander Yaremchuk doubled the Vityaz lead with a powerful shot into the far corner.
In the middle frame, Kunlun enjoyed a greater share of the territory and managed to pull a goal back through Devin Brosseau. The Dragons’ forward found the net for the third game in a row but his team could get no closer. The two goalies were named the best players of the game as the final frame was goalless, giving Vityaz a narrow verdict.
SKA stumbles again
Dinamo Minsk 4 SKA St. Petersburg 2 (0-2, 2-0, 2-0)
SKA’s trip to Sochi was dominated by players facing their former club. Today, once again, the ex-factor struck. Once again, though, SKA suffered a defeat. After a four-game winning run, Roman Rotenberg’s team once again finds itself outside the playoff places and drops two points behind tonight’s host.
The mood around Dinamo is very different. Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team did not make a flying start to the season, but has recovered and tonight’s win makes it three from four, and four from six.
The Belarusians had to do it the hard way. Monday’s 4-5 loss left SKA fired up, and the first period saw the visitor make a good start. There was a helping hand after 22 seconds when Alexander Volkov took a penalty – the Minsk forward gifted his former club a flying start, moments after Valentin Zykov missed the first big chance of the game.
Despite the action-packed opening, the scoreboard remained blank until the 17th minute. Than Vladimir Alistrov, a former Dinamo Minsk player, marked his return with a goal when he emerged from behind the net and shot the puck into the net via Kodie Curran’s skate. Then came a foul from Dinamo’s former SKA defenseman Nikita Smirnov and the power play was converted by Alex Galchenyuk, an American with Belarusian heritage.
Down by two at the intermission, Dinamo rallied in the second period. Smirnov drew a foul from Zykov and Roman Gorbunov made it 1-2 with a 22nd minute power play goal. Then Vitaly Pinchuk, one of Dinamo’s key players this season, tied the scores when he caught SKA on the counterattack and put a rising shot behind Artemy Pleshkov just before the midway point. Tempers began to fray, and amid a string of minor penalties, Sergei Kuznetsov and Svyatoslav Grebenshchikov battled each other to a standstill and collected majors for their pains.
In the final frame, both teams went out to grab the win. Attacks came at both ends, but midway through the session, the ex-factor returned. Volkov, who handed the early initiative to his former club, now grabbed an assist as Yanni Kaldis put Dinamo up for the first time. There was still eight minutes to play, but Dinamo went from strength to strength. A shot against the post rattled SKA, and then a double power play sank the visitor as Gorbunov potted his second of the night.
Goldobin heads the scoring race
Spartak Moscow 5 Sibir Novosibirsk 2 (1-0, 1-1, 3-1)
Two goals from Nikolai Goldobin put him clear of Barys’ Riley Barber in the early stages of this season’s KHL scoring race. The Spartak man took his goal tally to 11, before adding a late assist to move to 20 points in 15 games.
Goldobin also helped Spartak snap a two-game skid, although it took a strong finish to see off Sibir. The Red-and-Whites went in front early, with Goldobin quickly converting the first power play of the game. That ushered in a one-sided first period, with the shot count reading 10-1 at the intermission.
However, the scoreboard still said 1-0, and Sibir realized it could get into the game in the second period. From the start, the visitor was more competitive and a five-on-three power play saw Vladimir Butuzov tie the game. Goldobin restored Spartak’s lead before the intermission off a wonderful Pavel Poryadin feed, but this was no longer a parade for the home offense.
Sibir reminded everyone of its presence right at the start of the third when Taylor Beck made it 2-2. But Spartak hit back fast and Ivan Morozov restored the home lead. Dmitry Vishnevsky’s assist on that one moves him to 91 points for the club, overtaking Ivan Baranka to become the top-scoring defenseman for the Muscovites in the KHL era. The game remained in the balance until late, when Maxim Tsyplakov finally gave Spartak some breathing space. In the last minute another power play saw Goldobin set up Michal Cajkovsky for 5-2.
CSKA blanks Barys, posts third straight win
CSKA Moscow 4 Barys Astana 0 (1-0, 1-0, 2-0)
The CSKA bandwagon is picking up speed. For the third game in a row, the defending champion enjoyed a comfortable win. This wasn’t quite the powerful offensive display that rocked Sochi (7-1) and Vityaz (9-1), but a shut-out success brings its own satisfaction. Ivan Fedotov made 20 saves, but Barys will be concerned after failing to score for the second game in a row and the third time this season.
Tonight, though, there were also defensive failings to contend with. Too often in the first period, Barys handed CSKA the opportunity to threaten and Pavel Karnaukhov took advantage of one of those to open the scoring. At the other end, Joey LaBate spurned the visitor’s best chance.
The first penalty of the night came in the second period. Mikhail Rakhmanov left Barys shorthanded and Mikhail Grigorenko converted the power play to double CSKA’s lead. Although the visitor was doing well on the draw, it could not make that into any kind of platform and goalie Andrei Shutov was working hard to keep his team alive in this game.
In the end, his efforts were in vain. Former Barys favorite Darren Dietz added a third at the start of the final frame and the Muscovites always looked the more dangerous team. Konstantin Okulov completed the scoring: CSKA has 20 goals in its last three games and moves to sixth in the West.
Loko goes out in front
Dynamo Moscow 2 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 5 (1-2, 1-3, 0-0)
This clash of the Western Conference leaders would put the winner clear in the West after barely a month of the season. Dynamo came into the game with nine wins from its last 10, but it was Lokomotiv that stretched its hot streak to five games to underline its credentials this season.
The outcome was decided by a flurry of goals either side of the first intermission. The teams traded first-period goals through Yaroslav Likhachyov and Eric O’Dell. Then, seconds before the break, Maxim Shalunov pounced for a power play goal to restore Loko’s lead.
That seemed to deflate Dynamo, and Loko scored two more in the first four minutes of the second period. Daniil But made it 3-1, claiming his first KHL goal since he was selected in the first round by the Coyotes during the summer when he converted Georgy Ivanov’s feed. Then the 18-year-old added a helper as Denis Alexeyev scored the fourth to put Lokomotiv in command. As a result, Ilya Konovalov came off the bench to face his former club as starting goalie Konstantin Volkov left the game.
Dynamo’s hopes briefly flickered when Yegor Martynov pulled a goal back, but Shalunov responded with his second of the night, swiftly dousing any home optimism and punishing Jordan Weal’s face-off misdemeanor.
There was another disappointment for Dynamo at the start of the third. Brennan Menell’s shot cannoned off the boards, and O’Dell battled away on the slot before Ivan Bocharov got his glove over the puck. The Blue-and-Whites thought – hoped? – the puck had snuck over the line, but a video review ruled otherwise and it remained 5-2.
The game ended on a sour note when O’Dell went flying into Ivanov and was ejected for a check to the head. As the Lokomotiv man struggled to return to the locker room, his team-mates got involved in a scuffle with the perpetrator, and Alexander Yelesin picked up a roughing minor.
