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Hawks soar to ninth straight win. November 19 round-up
Avangard beat Neftekhimik 4-1 to move within a point of Eastern Conference leader Metallurg with Vladimir Tkachyov among the points for the 10th game in a row. In the West, Vityaz avenged yesterday’s loss at Severstal, winning 5-3 to move off the foot of the standings. Earlier, Admiral took the honors in the first Far East derby of the season, winning 2-0 at Amur.
Sailors on top in Far East derby
Amur Khabarovsk 0 Admiral Vladivostok 2 (0-1, 0-1, 0-0)
Admiral came out on top in the first Far East derby of the season, leaving Khabarovsk with a shut-out victory and taking home a cup to mark the occasion. The result also snapped a four-game losing streak for the visitor, which remains at the foot of the Eastern Conference. Amur, meanwhile, missed the chance to move to within a point of the playoff spots.
The Sailors looked lively at the start, winning the game’s first power play and converting that opportunity. Pavel Shen was the scorer, doing the hard work on the slot to follow up Alexei Solovyov’s shot. After falling behind, Amur improved but could not find a way back into the game before the intermission.
After the break, the play was evenly-matched. Midway through the frame Admiral extended its lead thanks to an early shot from Semyon Pankratov that caught Igor Bobkov by surprise. Almost immediately, Amur created its clearest opening of the game when Kirill Slepets dropped off the puck for Evgeny Grachyov to advance and test Sergei Ivanov in the Admiral net. The visiting goalie got a pad behind the shot to keep his goal intact.
The third period saw more chances for Amur to get back into the game. A power play midway through the session put Yegor Korshkov beyond Ivanov, but the puck got away from his stick at the crucial moment and he could not slide it into the open net. Later, the post denied Nikita Anokhovsky a third goal for Admiral.
In the final minutes, Amur had one last power play and called Bobkov to the bench to play six-on-four. However, there was no way past Ivanov, who made 48 saves to record his first shut-out since moving to Vladivostok from SKA.
Avangard stretches winning streak
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 Avangard Omsk 4 (1-0, 0-2, 0-2)
Avangard arrived in Nizhnekamsk looking to extend an eight-game winning run and close to within a point of Metallurg at the Eastern Conference summit. This was also a chance to avenge an overtime loss in September’s visit, a result that formed part of a four-game losing streak that represents the low-point of the season so far for Mikhail Kravets and his team.
Neftekhimik could not match Avangard’s recent form, but managed to halt a three-game skid with Friday’s 4-0 win over Amur. Vladimir Bryukvin opened the scoring in that game, and did the same thing here with a 19th-minute effort to send the Wolves into the intermission with a 1-0 lead.
That didn’t last long into the second period, however. Vladimir Tkachyov continued his rich vein of form with a tying goal in the 22nd minute. Tkachyov’s current streak now extends to 10 games, and he has had at least one point in 19 of his last 20 appearances for the Hawks. And the visitor turned the game around midway through the middle frame thanks to a short-handed goal for Igor Martynov.
The Neftekhimik power play got into further problems in the third period, with Damir Sharipzyanov potted a second shorty as the visitor extended its lead in the 48th minute. Then a Reid Boucher power play effort extinguished any hope of a home recovery as the Hawks recorded a ninth successive victory.
Vityaz bounces back
Severstal Cherepovets 3 Vityaz Moscow Region 5 (1-2, 1-1, 1-2)
Vityaz rebounded from Saturday’s loss to Severstal, grabbing a win that lifts it above Kunlun Red Star at the foot of the Western Conference. However, despite a run of five wins in six games, Dmitry Ryabykin’s team remains four points adrift of a playoff spot.
Severstal was looking to build on yesterday’s 6-2 success and consolidate in seventh place. However, a recovery to tie the game from 0-2 was not enough for Andrei Kozyrev’s team. The host has now lost five of its last six.
It didn’t take Vityaz long to get in front in Sunday’s game. The visitor got the first power play of the afternoon on 5:51, and converted the chance six seconds later. Vladislav Tsitsyura was the scorer.
Severstal had a chance to respond midway through the opening frame when Vladimir Galuzin went to the box. However, a breakaway saw Ivan Savchik double the Vityaz lead with a shorthanded tally. Only after Galuzin’s return did the Steelmen reduce the deficit, with Ivan Podshivalov making it 1-2.
That goal lifted the home team and Severstal began the second period strongly. Early pressure brought a power play, and Nikita Korostelyov took advantage to tie the game in the 27th minute. However, Vityaz responded through Scott Wilson to lead 3-2 at the second intermission.
In the third, Nikolai Timashov took a double minor for high-sticking and Severstal tied it up once more when Kirill Pilipenko struck in the 53rd minute. That was quick enough for the second penalty to be served in full, but far from helping Severstal turn the game around, it brought at short-handed goal for Ivan Yezhov to restore the Vityaz lead with five minutes to play. Any hopes of a fightback ended when Severstal’s Alexander Skorenov was called for tripping in the last two minutes. Alexander Daryin scored on the power play to put the game out of reach, then Adam Liska went to the bench to leave the Steelmen shorthanded until the end.
