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Dynamo in front on day of fightbacks. November 4 round-up
Dynamo Moscow maintained first place in the KHL standings with a 3-0 win at Lokomotiv. In the East, leaders Metallurg and Ak Bars both won, seeing off Dinamo Minsk and Barys respectively. Ak Bars came from 0-3 to win that one, and there were similar recoveries elsewhere. SKA returned from 0-2 to win in a shoot-out at Vityaz, while Avangard did the same thing to beat Sochi in overtime. Spartak trailed at times in its roller-coaster game against Torpedo before prevailing 4-3. Salavat Yulaev blanked Sibir, and Avtomobilist edged past Neftekhimik.
Assured win for Metallurg
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 5 Dinamo Minsk 1 (1-0, 4-1, 0-0)
After snapping a five-game skid, Metallurg was unchanged for the visit of Dinamo. The home team had reason to be confident, having defeated the Bison here in each of the last four seasons.
That confidence led to a fast start, and Magnitka opened the scoring in the fifth minute. The home team generated plenty of traffic in front of Alexei Kolosov’s net and Robin Press took advantage to wire a wrister past the visiting goalie.
Dinamo responded with some dangerous attacks of its own, and Ilya Nabokov twice denied Vitaly Pinchuk as the Belarusians adopted a strong press and cut of much of Metallurg’s offense at source. The Steelmen only threatened on the power play, although Nikita Mikhailis hit the crossbar during one of those situations.
The middle frame began with Dinamo on the PP, and Nikita Smirnov tied the game with a one-timer off Vladislav Kodola’s feed. The visitor then enjoyed more possession, leaving Metallurg to play on the counter. The change in tactics, enforced or otherwise, suited the home team: a two-on-one breakaway saw Pavel Akolzin restore his team’s lead. Then came a tricky penalty kill, followed almost immediately by a goal from Yegor Korobkin to make it 3-1.
Alexander Petunin struck on the power play to take the game away from Dinamo, and Akolzin potted his second to make it 5-1. That was despite Minsk playing better in the second period than the first, and visiting head coach Dmitry Kvartalnov opted to replace Kolosov with back-up goalie Yegor Velmakin.
The 20-year-old rookie kept Metallurg at bay in the third period. By then, though, it was already too late for Dinamo to save the game.
Sibir blanked in Ufa
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2 Sibir Novosibirsk 0 (2-0, 0-0, 0-0)
There are signs that Salavat Yulaev’s season is starting to come together. Today’s win made it three in a row, including a psychologically important success over Ak Bars in the Green Derby. It also puts Viktor Kozlov’s team back in the top four in the East.
The home team made a confident start to the game, and soon converted that into goals. In the fifth minute, Nikolai Kulemin opened the scoring. His goal survived a bench challenge from David Nemirovsky, giving Ufa a power play. That helped Alexander Chmelevski make it 2-0.
Surprisingly, there was no further scoring. The teams compiled 14 penalty minutes between them in the first period, but no more power play goals were forthcoming. Salavat Yulaev enjoyed the bulk of the play, but Sibir tightened up its defense to stay in contention.
In the second period, the visitor managed to get the puck away from its net more effectively, but struggled to parlay that into chances at the other end. Ilya Ezhov had just two saves to make. By contrast, Ufa was close to building on its lead: Nicolas Meloche hit the bar, and Sergei Shmelyov fired a good chance straight at Anton Krasotkin in the Sibir net.
As the game edged towards a close, Salavat Yulaev managed the final stages well. Sibir rarely had a chance to flex its attacking muscles and never seriously threatened a fightback.
Winning return for Da Costa
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 2 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 (1-0, 0-1, 1-0)
Stephane Da Costa returned from injury and immediately contributed two assists in a hard-fought victory over Neftekhimik. The Frenchman joined another fan favorite, Anatoly Golyshev, on the third line alongside Danil Romantsev.
Da Costa was quick to make his presence felt. In the fourth minute, his emphatic shot from the right-hand circle was too hot for Neftekhimik goalie Filipp Dolganov to handle. The rebound went to Yefim Gurkin, who found the open corner to make it 1-0.
That was a bit hard on the Wolves, who began the game brightly. And the visitor continued to compete, matching the Motormen almost shot-for-shot until hitting penalty trouble midway through the session.
The second period was similarly end-to-end, and Neftekhimik found a tying goal in the 23rd minute when Vladimir Bryukvin’s technique took him away from his opponents before picking the moment to get a shot off past Vladimir Galkin.
After early goals in the first two periods, Dolganov faced a flurry of shots at the start of the third. The Neftekhimik man stood up well, keeping his team in the game at 1-1. At the other end, Galkin also had work to do, including a stand-out save to quell an odd-man rush. That proved to be a game-changing moment: Avtomobilist revived and forced a couple of power plays in the closing stages. The second of those saw Alexei Makeyev on target with just under three to play. Da Costa again had a helper, and the home team had enough to win the game.
Ak Bars rallies from 0-3 to win
Ak Bars Kazan 5 Barys Astana 3 (1-3, 1-0, 3-0)
A stirring fightback saw Ak Bars come from 0-3 to defeat Barys in an absorbing encounter in Kazan. The home win puts Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s team level with Metallurg at the top of the Eastern Conference. Barys, meanwhile, could not build on Thursday’s shoot-out win at Avtomobilist and remains 11th in the conference after losing five of its last six games.
Despite the Kazakh team’s struggles this season, it made a great start here. Pontus Aberg opened the scoring in the first minute, and that paved the way for a powerful first period from the visitor. Joey LaBate and David Sklenicka (PP) extended that lead to 3-0, although there was a warning note late in the session when Dmitrij Jaskin pulled one back for the host.
In the second period, Dmitry Yudin made it 2-3. However, despite having the better of the play, Ak Bars could not tie the scores before the break.
However, a flying start to the third period turned the game around. Jaskin potted his second on 40:57, then Yudin matched his team-mate’s two-goal haul within two minutes to put the home team in front for the first time in the game. When Dmitry Katelevsky added a fifth in the 55th minute, the game was settled.
Dynamo stays out in front
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 0 Dynamo Moscow 3 (0-0, 0-1, 0-2)
Dynamo secured its position at the top of the KHL standings with a shut-out win at Lokomotiv. This was a big day for Ilya Konovalov, who returned to the club where he made a splash at the start of his KHL career and stopped 34 saves to backstop his team’s success. At the other end, ex-Dynamo netminder Ivan Bocharov also featured. However, in a goaltending duel he blinked first, allowing the opening goal late in the second period.
That goal went to Nikita Gusev, who got on the end of Anton Malyshev’s stretch pass and produced a fine shot from the left-hand corner to give Bocharov no chance. The goalie’s view was obstructed by a covering defenseman and Dynamo was in front. Lokomotiv may feel that was rough justice. The home team had the better of the first period without finding a goal. However, Dynamo looked stronger in the middle frame and got its reward on 38:58.
In the 47th minute it was 2-0. Cedric Paquette’s willingness to chase a lost cause made life difficult for the home defense. After the Canadian brought the puck out of the corner, Jordan Weal laid it off for Brennan Menell, arriving to shoot home from between the hash marks.
Lokomotiv again had the better of the game in the third, but continued to struggle to create good chances. Late in the third, Paquette got the goal his performance deserved, potting an empty netter to wrap up a 3-0 verdict.
Hawks recover for OT win
HC Sochi 2 Avangard Omsk 3 OT (1-0, 1-1, 0-1, 0-1)
Sochi blew a 2-0 lead to lost in overtime at home to Avangard. The Leopards fell to a fourth straight loss, while the Hawks made it four wins from five games.
Things started well enough for the home team. Artur Tyanulin opened the scoring late in the first period. Matvei Michkov assisted on that play, then added a second goal himself. That came on a power play at the end of the second period, but there was still time for Vladimir Tkachyov to pull a goal back before the intermission.
Tkachyov then turned provider as Ryan Spooner tied the scores in the 45th minute. Now it was anyone’s game, but the momentum was with the visitor. It went into overtime, and Avangard gambled with the departure of the goalie for a couple of minutes. Escaping unharmed, Vityaz gained possession and forced Andrei Mishurov to resume his position. That made little difference in the end: Reid Boucher set up Spooner for a second and, 11 seconds from the end his second of the game ensure a more relaxed finale for the visiting fans.
Shoot-out win gives SKA a boost
Vityaz Moscow Region 2 SKA St. Petersburg 3 SO (2-0, 0-0, 0-2, 0-0, 0-1)
SKA battle back to claim a shoot-out win in Balashikha. Despite trailing by two, the visitor dug deep to save the game in regulation before Alex Galchenyuk decided matters in the shoot-out.
Despite winning just one of its last four games, Western Conference basement club Vityaz made a fast start against SKA. The visitor, admittedly, is not at its best: three straight losses left the team out of the playoff places and head coach Roman Rotenberg was suspended for today’s encounter.
SKA’s problems soon intensified. In the fourth minute, Yegor Voronkov opened the scoring after a break down the right. Four minutes later, it was 2-0. This time the goal came from a former SKA prospect, Vladislav Tsitsyura, who angled his shot around Alexander Nikishin. There was no head coach on the SKA bench, but there was still a decisive response: Nikita Serebryakov left the crease to be replaced by Pavel Moisevich.
Moisevich kept Vityaz at bay, helped by an improvement from his team-mates all over the ice. By the intermission, SKA was on top in terms of shots and attacking possession, but still trailed by two goals.
The visitor’s hopes of improving things at the start of the second were hampered by penalties on Mikhail Pashnin and Nikolai Polyakov. Vityaz could not add to its lead, although Vladimir Galuzin went close, as did Tsitsyura. However, it was only late in the frame that SKA posed a serious threat to the home net when Marat Khairullin tested Maxim Dorozhko with a one-timer.
SKA needed a good start to the third, and Alex Galchenyuk delivered. He took advantage of a power play to convert Nikishin’s feed and make it a one-goal game. Soon after, Khairullin again went close and then Pashnin unloaded after a face-off. Dorozhko stopped those, and denied Borna Rendulic on the rebound. Vityaz was grateful to Nikita Kamalov’s foul, giving a much-needed power play and some respite for its overstretched defense. However, the home team could not hold on until the end. In the 54th minute Sergei Sapego tied the game for SKA, and that was enough to send us to a shoot-out.
In that shoot-out, Galchenyuk was the key figure. He scored back to back attempts, the last in the opening sequence, then the first in sudden death. Tsitsyura, who converted his first effort, missed the chance to keep Vityaz in the contest and SKA escaped with a hard-fought win.
Poryadin’s late strike sinks Torpedo
Spartak Moscow 4 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 (1-1, 2-1, 1-1)
This always had the look of an intriguing encounter. Spartak had a point to prove after a 0-3 derby loss to CSKA, while Torpedo remains a tricky opponent despite a slowdown from its blistering early season form. Anticipation was high, and the teams did not disappoint.
The lead would change hands frequently, but Torpedo got things started when Vladislav Firstov struck after seven minutes. That came from the first power play of the game. However, the play was even, and it was no great surprise that Spartak managed to tie it up before the break. Shane Prince was the scorer.
After the intermission, Torpedo killed the remainder of a penalty on Daniil Bokun. At equal strength, the teams traded quick goals. Alexander Belyayev’s wrister put Spartak up for the first time in the game, but it took just a couple of minutes for Vasily Atanasov to tie it up at 2-2.
Spartak would not be denied for long. Andrei Loktionov won the puck on the boards and went behind the net before popping up a feed for Maxim Tsyplakov to shoot home from the slot. This time, the lead endured an the Red-and-Whites took a 1-0 advantage to the second intermission.
The tying goal came in the 48th minute. There wasn’t much on when Alexei Kruchinin picked up the puck in center ice. However, he turned on the gas to surge into the danger zone, get away from the covering defenseman and beat Patrik Rybar in the home net.
For a long time, it seemed that goal would take us to overtime. In the last minute, Spartak cancelled those plans. The prolific top line clicked with 36 seconds on the clock, Nikolai Goldobin setting up Pavel Poryadin for a last-gasp gamewinner.
