KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
Milestones and records on a day of drama. November 16 round-up
A busy day of KHL action saw Nikolai Goldobin match Spartak’s club record for goals in a KHL regular season. He scored first in a 6-2 win over Salavat Yulaev that took his team two points clear at the top of the standings. Dynamo lost ground with a 1-4 loss at Ak Bars, where Vadim Shipachyov got his 900th career point in the KHL. And Kunlun scored its 1,000th KHL goal in an entertaining 4-5 loss at Lokomotiv. Sochi snapped a nine-game losing streak to edge Lada in a shoot-out, helping Metallurg tighten its grip on top spot in the East with an OT win at Sibir. Vityaz moved off the foot of the Eastern Conference with a win at Dinamo Minsk, Traktor’s Maxim Shabanov improved his club record streak to 11 games in a 2-0 victory over Barys and SKA equalled its best run of the season with a victory at Severstal.
Metallurg wins six in a row
Sibir Novosibirsk 2 Metallurg Mangitogorsk 3 OT (1-0, 0-2, 1-0, 0-1)
Eastern Conference leader Metallurg recorded a sixth successive win, knocking over Sibir for the third time this season. But this was a closer game than the previous two meetings between the sides, with Denis Zernov’s overtime strike eventually making the difference following a 2-2 tie.
Sibir came into the game boosted by a shut-out victory against Torpedo and went with an unchanged D-core after that game. However, the home team could not prevent Magnitka from starting on the front foot. There were decent early looks for Nikita Mikhailis and Luke Johnson, but when the American center went to the box, Sibir got its chance on the power play. Yegor Alanov found the net and Sibir led at the first intermission.
That encouraged the home team to press at the start of the second. However, an error from young defenseman Alexander Lukin presented the puck to Maxim Karpov, whose wrister was too good for Anton Krasotkin in the Sibir net. Then came a Metallurg power play and Johnson, whose first-period penalty cost his team a goal, made amends within five seconds of the restart to give the visitor the lead.
At the start of the third, Alanov thought he had tied the game. However, the officials wanted another look at the play. They were happy with a possible high stick from Andy Andreoff, but upheld a bench challenge for interference on goalie Artyom Zagidulin and Alanov was denied a second goal. There were more problems for the home team when top-line forward Georgy Belousov left the game injured. For much of the third period, Sibir struggled to create chances but after withdrawing Krasotkin for a sixth skater the home team found salvation. Ilya Morozov beat Zagidulin to send the game to overtime.
In the extras, Metallurg got on the power play. Razin swapped out his goalie to play five-on-three but his team could not capitalize. However, with Zagidulin back in position, Zernov popped up to give the visitor the verdict.
Shabanov keeps up hot streak
Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 Barys Astana 0 (0-0, 1-0, 1-0)
Zach Fucale recorded his third shut-out in the KHL as Traktor bounced back from two successive losses. For Barys, meanwhile, there was disappointemtn as the Kazakhs failed to build on victory over Severstal last time out. That’s the only win in five for today’s visitor.
Much of this game was a goaltending duel between Fucale and his opposite number Eddie Pasquale. The pair were flawless in the first period, making 22 saves between them as the two teams produced some entertaining hockey. Barys was slightly more efficient in creating chances, while Traktor showed better control of the puck.
The pattern did not greatly change in the early part of the second period, with the home team continuing to have more possession but both goalies mopping up everything that came to them. However, the gamebreaking moment arrived in the 36th minute. Anthony Camara, playing his first game for Barys since leaving Neftekhimik earlier this month, took a major penalty for boarding. That gave the home power play its first real chance and Vladimir Tkachyov obliged with the opening goal on 37:02. Maxim Shabanov assisted on the play, improving his club record hot streak to 11 games.
Camara’s penalty continued into the start of the third period, and Traktor grabbed a second goal right after the restart. Under the new rules, the opening face-off was in the visitor’s zone and it wasn’t long before Sergei Telegin thumped home an unstoppable slap shot for 2-0.
Even though Barys had to chase the game, the home team continued to enjoy greater control of the puck. As a result, the visitor struggled to generate big chances and not even a final storm could breach Fucale’s defenses.
Clinical finishing gives Ak Bars the edge
Ak Bars Kazan 4 Dynamo Moscow 1 (0-0, 3-0, 1-1)
A classy performance from Ak Bars saw Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s team snap a three-game losing streak. It also moved his men back into the top three in East, while Dynamo fell to a third loss in four. This was also a first regulation defeat for the Muscovites since Oct. 13, a run of 13 games that had Alexei Kudashov’s team sharing the overall lead in the KHL standings.
Yet few would have called this outcome at the end of a first period dominated by Dynamo. Timur Bilyalov almost single-handedly kept Ak Bars in the game, stopping 15 shots in the opening frame. At the other end, the home forwards managed just two efforts on target and could consider themselves fortunate to be level at the intermission.
However, in the 24th minute, Eric O’Dell took Dynamo’s first penalty of the game. Forty seconds later, Dmitrij Jaskin opened the scoring against one of his former clubs and Ilya Safonov quickly doubled the advantage. When Vadim Shipachyov, another ex-Dynamo man, made it 3-0, the home team was celebrating for the third time in less than four minutes. Ilya Konovalov was a virtual spectator in the first period; now he was a literal spectator in the second as Maxim Motorygin left the Dynamo bench to replace the starting goalie.
Shipachyov, meanwhile, had his 900th point in KHL play. Only Sergei Mozyakin has more as the Kazan forward continues to reach new personal milestones.
Despite that setback, Dynamo continued to look for a way past Bilyalov. Eventually, Andrei Mironov found it at the start of the third period. The visitor continued to dominate the stats, and finished with 81 goal attempts, 43 of them on target, and 21 minutes of time on the attack. However, it could only muster one goal, while Kirill Petrov added a fourth for Ak Bars late on. The difference in conversion rates was striking: while the visitor had one goal from 43 shots, the host managed four from just 17.
Loko digs deep to get past the Dragons
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 5 Kunlun Red Star 4 (1-2, 2-1, 2-1)
Kunlun scored its 1,000th goal in the KHL, but lost out to late Lokomotiv goal in a barn-burner of a game in Yaroslavl. The teams traded nine goals, and Kunlun led three times in the game but could not finish the job. Sergei Andronov put the home team ahead in the 56th minute and that was the first time the Railwaymen got in front.
Kyle Wood opened the scoring in the second minute, and the visitor’s lead doubled on the power play midway through the first period. Tyler Wong’s tally was a significant one – it was the 1,000th goal for KRS in the club’s history.
Lokomotiv had enjoyed plenty of the play in the first period, but had to wait until the 15th minute to get on the board through Denis Alexeyev. In the second frame, the home team continued to press and eventually got its reward when Stepan Nikulin tied the scores. However, Loko failed to consolidate and instead took a penalty that brought a power play goal for Zac Leslie. Maxim Shalunov’s tying effort late in the middle session was a big moment in this game.
So was Teemu Pulkkinen’s kneeing major, issued on the hooter. That gave Lokomotiv a five-minute power play at the start of the third period and brought another goal. However, it was the short-handed Dragons who found the net, Andrei Sergeyev carelessly tossing away possession to “assist” on Jack Rodewald’s tally.
This time, the response came quickly: Daniil Tesanov made it 4-4 and penalty trouble for the visitor saw Andronov score on a five-on-three power play to win it late on.
SKA posts fourth straight win
Severstal Cherepovets 2 SKA St. Petersburg 5 (1-1, 0-2, 1-2)
SKA secured its fourth successive victory, equalling its best series of the season to date. For Severstal, meanwhile, a fourth loss on the spin reverses a recent run of stronger form and sees Andrei Kozyrev’s team miss the chance to consolidate its place in the top eight.
After the teams made a cautious start, SKA gradually raised the tempo. The visitor’s first power play of the game turned into a five-on-three advantage and that, in turn led to Borna Rendulic opening the scoring.
However, Severstal did not buckle. Adam Liska fashioned a great shorthanded chance as the second penalty continued, then the Steelmen tied it up in the last minute of the period. Another one-on-one rush sent Danil Aimurzin on his way to meet Johan Mattsson, and Severstal’s forward beat the Swede.
Mattsson was playing only his sixth game for SKA, having missed a chunk of the season due to injury. His last appearance came on Sep. 15 in a 1-3 home loss to Dynamo Moscow, although he was an unused back-up in the last three games. His return proved to be a winning one. SKA took a stranglehold on the game in the second period with two unanswered goals and never looked back. Stepan Falkovsky restored the visitor’s lead midway through the session, and Nikolai Polyakov made it 3-1 after Vladimir Alistrov forced a turnover and released his team-mate.
Severstal had few chances in the second period, and the home team could make little of a power play at the start of the third. SKA extended its lead thanks to Alistrov, and even though the Steelmen responded immediately through Yegor Stepanov there was no way back. Marat Khairullin’s empty-netter finished the job.
Vityaz keeps up winning run
Dinamo Minsk 1 Vityaz Moscow Region 2 (1-1, 0-1, 0-0)
The Vityaz improvement continues, and today’s win – the fourth in a row – moves Dmitry Ryabykin’s team off the foot of the Western Conference. There’s still some way to go: eight-placed Severstal is five points clear. But at last the trajectory is promising for the Balashikha-based team.
The same cannot be said for Dinamo right now. Today brought a third successive loss for Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team, which remains in seventh in the conference. The home team had chances to save the game in the third period, outshooting Vityaz 16-6 in that session, but could not find a way past Maxim Dorozhko when the game was on the line.
Earlier, Vityaz opened the scoring in the eighth minute through Ruslan Pedan. The defenseman got his fifth goal of the season. At the other end, Nick Merkley tied it up before the intermission.
The game-winner arrived at the start of the second period through Vladimir Galuzin. Like Pedan, he celebrated his fifth goal of the campaign. With the top eight moving into view, Vityaz goes on to play back-to-back games at Severstal, with the chance to close on a playoff place.
Sochi ends nine-game losing streak
HC Sochi 5 Lada Togliatti 4 SO (1-1, 1-3, 2-0, 0-0, 1-0)
Sochi came into this game on the back of nine successive losses, and was clearly determined to make sure it didn’t get to 10. Lada, meanwhile, was looking to stay in touch with Metallurg at the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Leopards were the first to show, with Matvei Michkov opening the scoring in the fourth minute. Sochi continued to have a slight advantage through the first period, but in keeping with the team’s season so far, could not hold its lead until the break. Vladislav Chervonenko tied it up 17 seconds before the hooter.
At the start of the second, Lada grabbed two quick goals. Georgy Solyannikov scored a power play tally, then Dmitry Kugryshev made it 3-1. That ushered in an incident-packed session. We had a fight between Mikhail Fisenko and Danila Galenyuk. Kugryshev missed a penalty shot with his team on the penalty kill, then Timur Khafizov pulled a goal back for Sochi on the same power play. Within two minutes, another round of pushing and shoving brought five separate roughing calls and left Lada on the power play; Kugryshev took advantage to pot his second of the night and make it 4-2.
Given Sochi’s miserable form of late, it would have been little surprise to see heads go down in the third period. Instead, Dmitry Kokorev’s team showed great resilience to battle back. Marat Khusnutdinov reduced the deficit, then Jeremy Bracco tied the game with 10 to play. Neither the closing stages, nor overtime, could produce a winner, so the game went to a shoot-out. Bracco was on target again before Kirill Rasskazov produced the decisive play and ended the Leopards’ long losing streak.
Spartak moves clear at the top
Spartak Moscow 6 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2 (2-1, 1-1, 3-0)
A convincing home win over Salavat Yulaev sees Spartak move two points clear at the top of the overall KHL standings. The Western Conference leader has five wins from its last six games, with only an OT loss at Lada to spoil that run. Viktor Kozlov’s visiting team continues to alternate wins and losses.
Spartak opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a power play goal from Nikolai Goldobin. That’s his 22nd of the regular season, matching a club record first set by Stefan Ruzicka in 2011-2012 and later equalled by Ryan Stoa (2016-2017) and Sergei Shirokov (2020-2021).
In the 11th minute, the Red-and-Whites doubled their lead when Salavat Yulaev failed to clear its lines and Alexander Pashin’s interception opened a path for him to score. However, the visitor got back into the game when Ivan Drozdov quickly converted a power play in the 18th minute.
The home team had another PP at the start of the middle frame but could not add to its lead before Vyacheslav Leshchenko served his time. However, at equal strength Ansel Galimov punished Ufa for coughing up the puck in center ice, skating to Alexander Samonov’s net and scoring a third goal.
Late in the middle frame, Dinar Khafizullin finished off a counterattack for the visitor to give hopes of salvaging the game in the third period. But Spartak had other ideas. The Muscovites weathered an early storm and, helped by Nikita Zorkin’s second penalty of the night, got back into the game. Midway through the frame, Ivan Morozov made it 4-2 and increased the pressure on Salavat Yulaev. The visitor refused to give up, but its attacking efforts could not trouble the Spartak defense and Maxim Tsyplakov added two late goals to wrap up the win.
