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SKA downs Spartak, Avangard’s run ends. November 23 round-up
It was a day of streaks. SKA recorded a seventh successive victory, beating league leader Spartak 3-2. Metallurg made it nine-in-a-row with a 6-3 verdict over Traktor, for whom Maxim Shabanov stretched his scoring run to 14 games. Avangard lost its 10-game winning streak in Ufa, but Vladimir Tkachyov’s personal hot streak move to 14 games after an assist on the consolation goal. Dynamo moves level with Spartak at the top of the table thanks to a tight verdict against Torpedo, Barys and Lokomotiv won in OT and Kunlun Red Star blanked Ak Bars to move off the foot of the Western Conference.
Kazakhs spoil Belozyorov’s day
Barys Astana 4 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 3 OT (1-1, 1-1, 1-1, 1-0)
Thursday was a big day for Neftekhimik’s Andrei Belozyorov. He made his 100th KHL appearance, and celebrated the milestone with two goals. However, that wasn’t enough to get him on the winning side in Kazakhstan, where Barys edged an overtime verdict to halt a three-game losing streak.
Belozyorov potted the opener in this game, scoring in the eighth minute on Neftekhimik’s second power play of the night. However, it wasn’t long before 19-year-old Ruslan Ospanov tied the scores with his first ever KHL marker. The teams created more chances, but went to the intermission locked at 1-1.
In the second period, Neftkehimik saw more possession but could not regain the lead. Instead, in the 33rd minute, Nelson Nogier scored a fantastic short-handed effort to put Barys up for the first time in the game. Belozyorov was the man to tie it up again just before the second break.
The third frame saw much of the play condensed into center ice, and when Kirill Savitsky made it 3-2 to the host with four minutes left it wasn’t easy to see how Neftekhimik would find a way back. His goal, meanwhile, was created by an unusual lofted pass from Batyrlan Muratov, whose assist took him to 6 (3+3) points from his last six games. Despite the limited time remaining, Belozyorov was determined to ensure the visitor would go down fighting: he added an assist to his earlier goals as Alexander Dergachyov sent the action into overtime.
Those extras saw Barys claim the win. Swedish forward Pontus Aberg got the vital goal – his sixth against Neftekhimik this season.
Magnitka wins ninth in a row
Metallurg Magnitgorsk 6 Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 (2-0, 2-0, 2-3)
Two streaks were on the line in Magnitogorsk. The home team had an eight-game winning run to defend, while Traktor was looking for a fourth successive derby victory over its South Ural neighbor.
In the two previous meetings of the teams, Traktor’s 25-year-old goalie Nikita Podskrebalin allowed just three goals. That got him the starting gig tonight, but he was beaten inside two minutes here. The home team caught Traktor as it tried to clear the zone and Robin Press was perfectly placed to finish off the play.
After that fast start, Magnitka’s third line came to the fore. For today’s game, Andrei Razin put together wingers Nikita Mikhailis and Alexander Petunin flanking center Danila Yurov. All three of them were involved as Yurov doubled the lead midway through the first period. The widemen sent their colleague through on goal and after Yurov's initial shot hit the bar, it bounced into the net off the back of the luckless Podskrebalin.
Early in the second, Vitaly Kravtsov hit the Metallurg bar but enjoyed no such fortune from the rebound. Instead, Petunin and Mikhailis extended the lead to 4-0, the latter converting a five-on-three power play. That fourth goal was already scored on Zach Fucale, who replaced Podskrebalin after Petunin’s tally.
The onslaught was not over. In the 45th minute, Petunin’s second of the game made it 5-0. But then, belatedly, Traktor stirred. The visitor had created chances throughout the game and finally found the key to Ilya Nabokov in the third period. Madison Bowey scored twice, the second coming late in the game on a six-on-four power play. In between, Maxim Shabanov assisted on a Kravtsov goal to stretch his hot streak to 14 games (the run began on Oct. 19 with an assist in a 2-1 win over Metallurg). However, the fightback was halted by that third line, with Petunin finding the empty net to complete his hat-trick and seal the home win.
Hawks’ hot streak ends
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 Avangard Omsk 1 (1-0, 2-0, 0-1)
Avangard’s 10-game winning run came to an end in Omsk, but Vladimir Tkachyov’s assist on Reid Boucher’s consolation goal kept his personal run going. The forward now has 24 (6+18) points from his last 12 games.
However, this game was all about Ufa. Viktor Kozlov’s team has alternated wins and losses over its previous nine outings but produced a great performance to shoot down the in-form Hawks. From the opening moments, Salavat Yulaev got on top. In the first period, the host outshot Avangard 15-4 and also made sure it stayed out of the box against an opponent with a ruthless power play. The opening goal came early, with Matvei Guskov finishing off a swift counterattack to record his first of the season.
The only flaw in the first period performance was the lack of any further scoring. At the start of the second, Vladislav Yefremov put that right when he made it 2-0, helped by a tennis-style assist from Josh Leivo. Avangard head coach Mikhail Kravets challenged the play, concerned about a high stick, but his only reward was to collect the first penalty of the game.
The home team continued to press and Pavel Koledov added a third with a point shot in the 28th minute. Only after that did we see Avangard begin to attack, and Ivan Telegin went close to reducing the deficit on the odd-man rush.
In the third period, Salavat’s rigid discipline began to crack. The home team took four penalties, and the third of them saw Avangard get on the scoreboard. Boucher, the KHL’s leading goalscorer this season, got the goal after another video review. However, despite one more power play and a late surge with a sixth skater, the Hawks had to accept a rare defeat.
Simashev ends Trushkov’s resistance
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2 Lada Togliatti 1 OT (0-0, 1-1, 0-0, 1-0)
The Railwaymen continued their good recent form with a hard-fought win over Lada, climbing into third place in the West. For the visitor, defeat meant the Motormen could not fully capitalize on Avangard’s loss but Oleg Bratash’s team remains third in the East.
Although this proved to be a low-scoring game, it might have turned out differently if Loko had converted a great early chance. Maxim Beryozkin got a great chance to open the scoring on the first shift, but his shot was straight at Alexander Trushkov. After that early excitement, though, the game settled into a cautious pattern with few chances at either end.
The play remained similar in the second period, but at last there were some goals. Dmitry Kugryshev opened the scoring for the visitor, redirecting a flying puck past Daniil Isayev. His productive streak now totals six games. However, Loko hit back fast and Daniil But tied the scores in the 34th minute. The 18-year-old scored for the second time in two games.
Lada’s progress in this game owed much to Trushkov. He faced 46 shots as Lokomotiv increasingly dominated, but allowed just one goal in regulation. That performance got his team to overtime, where Lokomotiv continued to impress and Trushkov continued to deny. However, when his team-mates blundered, Dmitry Simashev was finally able to beat the goalie and secure a second successive 2-1 victory for his team.
Dynamo gets revenge
Dynamo Moscow 3 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 (1-0, 1-1, 1-1)
The first two meetings between these teams went Torpedo’s way. Igor Larionov’s team powered to a 7-1 win in Moscow, then took a 3-1 verdict on home ice.
Today, though, the Blue-and-Whites got some revenge. Moreover, this win coupled with Spartak’s loss in St. Petersburg, puts Alexei Kudashov’s men level on points with the KHL’s leader.
The first period was full of good things. The teams adopted fast tempo and there were presentable chances at both ends. However, the only goal went to Dynamo in the 12th minute. Nikita Gusev moved down the left into the Torpedo zone before turning along the blue line and firing in a shot from the center point. On the slot, Jordan Weal got away from Mark Marin and applied the redirect to pot his fifth goal in four games.
Dynamo made the brighter start to the second period, only to find itself pegged back on Torpedo’s first meaningful attack of the frame. Vasily Atanasov came down the left wing and spotted Nikolai Kovalenko all alone in front of Ilya Konovalov’s net. Kovalenko needed no second invitation, taking full advantage of the lax defending to make it 1-1.
The teams displayed impressive discipline, with neither side taking a penalty. However, when Dynamo got a delayed penalty, it moved in front. Ivan Muranov was credited with the goal, but it took a big and fortuitous deflection off Donat Stalnov to beat Adam Huska in the visitor’s net.
A rush of penalties late in the second saw Dynamo start the final frame on the power play. Nikita Gusev took advantage of that, and Weal’s assist meant he had a hand in each of his team’s goals on the night. However, the two-goal cushion lasted less than a minute before Alexei Kruchinin pulled one back for Torpedo.
Subsequently, the game was pretty even in terms of possession. However, Torpedo, desperately seeking a tying goal, was more inclined to bang in shots. The closest of them was in the 55th minute when Denis Yan hit the post from close range off a feed from Vladislav Firstov. Dynamo worked hard to keep the puck alive, delayed Huska’s return to the bench until 45 seconds from time. During that six-on-five finish, Yan had a great chance to tie the game but Eric O’Dell stretched out his stick to deflect the shot over the top and secure the win for Dynamo.
Dragons add to Kazan’s woe
Kunlun Red Star 1 Ak Bars Kazan 0 (0-0, 0-0, 1-0)
There aren’t many times when Kunlun takes on Ak Bars with recent form in its favor. Today was one such occasion. In the past six games, the Dragons had three wins, compared with just one for their visitor. And the home team justified that form guide, avenging a 1-5 loss in Tatarstan earlier in the season to move off the foot of the Western Conference.
There wasn’t much between the teams for long periods, and goalies Jeremy Smith and Timur Bilyalov were the most prominent players in a low-scoring game. Ak Bars had the better of the first period, aided by three power play chances. Red Star came closest to breaking the deadlock in the second when Tyler Wong dinged the crossbar.
The crucial moment came just before the second intermission when Kirill Adamchuk took a penalty. The home power play continued after the break, with the third period starting in Ak Bars territory. Kunlun won that face-off and scored seven seconds later when Brandon McMillan jumped on the rebound from Spencer Foo’s shot. That was enough to win it, with the hard-working home team limiting Kazan to just six shots in the final frame.
Nikishin’s shorty sinks former club
SKA St. Petersburg 3 Spartak Moscow 2 (1-0, 1-2, 1-0)
In-form SKA faced table-topping Spartak in the day’s big game – and a roller-coaster battle lived up to its billing. Both teams led, but a short-handed goal from Alexander Nikishin gave SKA victory. Nikishin, of course, began his career at Spartak but today he sounded a warning that his current club’s slow start should not mean it can be discounted from contention before the end of the season.
Although SKA had made a sluggish start to the season, it got off to a flyer tonight. Buoyed by six straight wins, the home team pressed from the opening moments. That got a reward after five minutes when Vladimir Alistrov opened the scoring. The former Dinamo Minsk man has been a consistent feature in SKA’s recent run and today’s goal moved his productive streak to five games.
SKA went on to dominate the first period but could not add to its lead. In the second, Spartak offered far more of a threat and the home team began to run into penalty trouble. Shortly after the midway point, the action kicked up a notch. Marat Khairullin went to the box for the second time, and it took just 19 seconds for Maxim Tsyplakov to tie the game. Then Ansel Galimov went clean through on Nikita Serebryakov’s net and seemed to have the beating of the home goalie, only for him to recover and make the save even as he fell. However, he was beaten a minute later when Andrei Loktionov thumped home a one timer off Nikolai Goldobin’s feed. Roman Rotenberg challenged the play, citing a high stick in the build-up, but the video upheld the on-ice verdict and Spartak had the lead.
The home team survived its latest penalty kill, and managed to tie the scores right on the hooter. Sergei Tolchinsky swung the puck to Mikhail Vorobyov in the center of the zone. Vorobyov stepped forward and zinged a wrister just inside the post with Patrik Rybar powerless to react.
Early in the third, Spartak got on the power play again. This time, however, Goldobin’s passing went astray and Nikishin was the beneficiary as Alistrov sent the defenseman clear to restore SKA’s lead. Subsequently, the visitor pushed hard to find a tying goal, but could not trouble Serebryakov again. Indeed, at key moments the Red-and-Whites let themselves down: a Joey Keane penalty midway through the frame gave SKA a vital pause to regroup, and in the closing moments another promising opportunity was halted after Shane Prince strayed offside. SKA held on to record a seventh straight win.
