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Spartak hits the heights, Ryabykin breaks his duck. October 18 round-up
Spartak moved to the top of the Western Conference for the first time this season thanks to a 3-1 win at Sochi. KHL scoring leader Nikolai Golobin kept up his form with an assist. Elsewhere, there were some notable comebacks. Neftekhimik scored four unanswered goals in the third period to beat Admiral 4-3, Sibir trailed throughout its high-scoring game at Torpedo but tied it up with 17 seconds to play and won in a shoot-out. And Dynamo recovered from 0-2 to beat Severstal in a shoot-out. Lada handed a Barys a third straight loss, while Vityaz celebrated its first win under new head coach Dmitry Ryabykin.
Barys slips to third straight loss
Lada Togliatti 2 Barys Astana 1 (1-0, 1-1, 0-0)
The new coach bounce has worn off for Barys. Interim head coach Galym Mambetaliyev won his first two games in charge, but today suffered a third successive loss at Lada.
The home team had a win and a loss from its two previous games, prompting Oleg Bratash to reshape almost every combination and recall Alexander Trushkov as starting goalie. That decision paid dividends, with Trushkov stopping 27 shots to secure the win.
The Motormen made the most of home advantage with a lively start. That led to Ivan Romanov opening the scoring in the seventh minute. But the play steadily evened out and there were no further goals before the intermission.
In the second session, Lada regained the initiative and had the Barys defense at full stretch. Reward came in the 34th minute when Ostap Safin converted a great feed from Sergei Shumakov to double the lead. However, late in the frame Barys hit back with a goal from Pontus Aberg. Despite a bench challenge, the goal stood and Lada finished the stanza on the penalty kill.
Much of the third period was cautious, with Lada happy to protect its lead to the end. Barys caused some problems on the power play, but not enough to change the final score.
Big comeback sinks Sailors
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 4 Admiral Vladivostok 3 (0-1, 0-2, 4-0)
Neftekhimik produced a huge fightback to turn a 0-3 deficit into a 4-3 win. The Wolves hit four unanswered goals in the third period to celebrate an unlikely victory over Admiral.
Initially, the visitor seemed set fair for the win. A good first period was rewarded with a goal for Dmitry Buchelnikov in the 18th minute. Then Daniil Gutik extended the lead on the power play, and Yury Pautov made it three late in the second period.
That sparked Neftekhimik into life. Despite an early PK in the third, the home team got on the scoreboard when Bulat Shafigullin scored in the 44th minute. Then came two goals in a minute as Nikita Setdikov and Dmitry Sokolov found the net. There was still 12 minutes to play, and Admiral called a time-out as it looked for a response after the lead evaporated. However, the home team continued to press and snatched a dramatic late winner when Sokolov grabbed his second of the game on 59:34.
Sibir snaps skid thanks to last-gasp goal
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 4 Sibir Novosibirsk 5 SO (1-1, 2-2, 1-1, 0-0, 0-1)
Sibir head coach David Nemirovsky returned to his former club with a six-game skid to contend with. Torpedo, meanwhile, was looking to bounce back after two losses. The result was an entertaining encounter, with a tying goal 17 seconds from time saving Sibir from defeat before the visitor claimed a shoot-out win.
There was no waiting for the action to start in this game. Sibir’s Taylor Beck took a penalty in the second minute, and Denis Yan immediately converted the power play to give the home team the lead. Vasily Atanasov was close to increasing the lead after a swift counter attack, but Sibir created chances of its own and tied the scores through Yegor Klimovich midway through the session.
In the second period, Torpedo opened a 3-1 lead only to see Sibir hit back and tie the scores. Anton Sizov restored the lead before Atanasov struck on the power play in the 32nd minute. The response came from Vladimir Butuzov, who completed a two-man rush led by Nikolai Prokhorkin, then Andy Andreoff, who converted a five-on-three power play.
Torpedo thought it had the lead again before the second intermission. Igor Larionov Jr had the puck in Anton Krasotkin’s net, but the video review found that he fouled the goalie before converting the rebound from Vladislav Firstov’s shot.
Firstov was on the scoresheet at the start of the third, though, with a legitimate tally. He broke through center ice and used a defenseman to screen his shot to Krasotkin’s top corner. Almost immediately, Sibir had a power play chance but could do little with it. Instead, the visitor had to wait for salvation, which arrived when Beck scored 17 seconds from time.
That goal was costly for Torpedo, which saw the chance to snap its skid evaporate even though it never trailed in the game. Neither team could breakthrough in overtime, and in the shootout Krasotkin denied all-comers while Georgy Belousov and Prokhorkin scored at the other end to end Sibir’s long losing streak.
Ryabykin gets first win over former club
Vityaz Moscow Region 5 Avangard Omsk 2 (0-2, 4-0, 1-0)
For Dmitry Ryabykin, recently appointed head coach of Vityaz, this game was a bit special. As a player, Ryabykin was a big star with Avangard. Last season, as a coach, he was fired early in the season and replaced by Mikhail Kravets, his opposite number today. In addition, Ryabykin was still seeking his first win since taking the hot seat in his new role.
It turned out to be a game of contrasts. In the first period, Avangard was much the better team. Greater control of the play was rewarded with a 2-0 lead, Denis Vengryzhanovsky and Valentin Pyanov (PP) finding the net.
However, the second period saw Vityaz hit back in some style. The home team scored four unanswered goals – off just 10 shots on goal – to push the Hawks into crisis. It was a triumph for the home imports. Jeremy Roy kicked it off, pulling one back in the 25th minute and tying the game with a shorthanded effort on 27:16. Next, Derek Barach put the home team ahead and chased visiting goalie Ilya Proskuryakov from the game. Incoming netminder Andrei Mishurov then allowed a fourth goal, this time from Scott Wilson. Kravets called a time-out on 32:06 with his team down 2-4, and the players responded by escaping any further damage before the intermission.
Vityaz was in no mood to let this advantage slip. It was no surprise to see the home team close down the ice in the third period and midway through the session the teams had managed just one shot on goal apiece. Avangard did not get another look at Maxim Dorozhko in the closing stages, but Vityaz added to its lead when Barach potted his second of the night.
Spartak goes top in the West
HC Sochi 1 Spartak Moscow 3 (1-1, 0-1, 0-1)
Two days ago, Spartak won 5-2 in Sochi to move to second place in the Western Conference. Episode #2 of this duel saw the Red-and-Whites hoping for a repeat that would put them top.
Sochi, meanwhile, was looking to arrest a recent slide that saw the early-season surprise package drop out of the top four. The Leopards handed a debut to Jeremy Bracco, who slotted into the space vacated by Borna Rendulic on the top line, playing alongside Michal Kristof and Dmitry Zavgorodny.
The home team went in front in the fourth minute. Amir Garayev won a puck battle on the boards, emerged from behind the net and fired across the slot for Artur Tyanulin to score. However, when Gleb Koryagin took the first penalty of the game, Sochi was pegged back. Michal Cajkovsky was the scorer, while free-scoring forward Nikolai Goldobin had an assist during a delightful passing combination.
There was little to separate the teams at the intermission but after the break Spartak began to enjoy more of the game. The visitor outshot Sochi and spent much more time on the attack. However, the go-ahead goal came on the penalty kill. Cajkovsky turned provider, forcing a turnover and releasing German Rubtsov to make it 2-1.
Spartak continued to press at the start of the third, making it difficult for Sochi to get back into the game. Two penalties on the home team also ate up substantial chunks of game time. But the knock-out blow only came after the Leopards called goalie Mikhail Berdin to the bench. Andrei Loktionov fired into the empty net to seal the win.
Dynamo hits back to beat Severstal
Dynamo Moscow 3 Severstal Cherepovets 2 SO (0-2, 1-0, 1-0, 0-0 , 1-0)
For the second time this season, Dynamo and Severstal went to overtime. On Oct. 9, an intense goaltending duel ended with the Blue-and-Whites taking a 1-0 verdict from Cherepovets. Today, the Muscovites had to recover from 0-2 to force the extras before snatching a shoot-out verdict.
It was a good first period for Severstal as Andrei Kozyrev’s team looked to build on its encouraging win at Torpedo last time out. The visitor got a big lift midway through the frame when Andrei Nikonov and Dmitry Rashevsky went to the box. The five-on-three power play saw Nikita Korostelyov open the scoring and as Rashevsky remained on the sidelines, Timur Mukhanov doubled the lead. For Korostelyov, that’s seven goals in 10 games since arriving from Metallurg; 18-year-old Mukhanov got his third of the season.
There was more penalty trouble to come for Dynamo when Andrei Mironov took a double minor late in the first period. This time, though, the PK was more effective. Then the fightback started. Rashevsky atoned for his untimely foul in the first period by scoring midway through the game after Eric O’Dell stripped a visiting defenseman of the puck. Then, as the third period moved into its closing stages, Maxim Dzhioshvili tied the game on the power play after some intense pressure on Dmitry Shugayev’s net.
Severstal wasn’t done, and Korostelyov came close to restoring the lead immediately with a shot that clanged into the crossbar. However, in overtime, Dynamo had the better chances with Shugayev doing well to deny Cedric Paquette and Jordan Weal.
Neither time could win it in the extras, and the shoot-out saw Paquette score the decider.
