Spartak wins 15-goal thriller, returns to Western summit. December 5 round-up
Spartak and Dynamo went goal crazy in a Moscow derby for the ages. A pulsating clash in the capital finished 7-7 in regulation. In the end, an OT win sent the Red-and-Whites to the top of the Western Conference. Elsewhere, Metallurg suffered a third straight loss, going down 0-3 to CSKA. SKA saw its 11-game hot streak end in a shoot-out at Avtomobilist, while Vladimir Tkachyov’s productive run reached 16 games with two assists in a 5-1 win over Barys. On a packed day with 10 games, there were also victories for Dinamo Minsk, Traktor, Torpedo, Salavat Yulaev, Severstal and Kunlun.
Minsk fights back with two super-quick goals
Sibir Novosibirsk 2 Dinamo Minsk 3 (0-0, 2-0, 0-3)
Two goals in 12 seconds at the start of the third period turned this game around for Dinamo. The Bison wiped out a two-goal deficit and went on to secure a second successive victory. Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team is showing signs of turning a corner after a run of four losses, while Sibir fell to a fourth home defeat in the space of a week.
Sibir welcomed back Vladimir Mikhalyov after his Challenge Cup exploits on Sunday. The youngster earned a trip to the KHL All-Star Game this coming weekend and was back with his club to add to his experience in the big league. However, in a first period with few chances, he and his fellow forwards struggled to make an impression.
Andy Andreoff was the man to change that in the second period. The Canadian forward moved to 12 goals for the season after scoring twice in two minutes midway through the session. His first came on a five-on-three power play; his second was with the teams already back to full strength. However, at the end of the middle frame, Artyom Mikheyev and Timur Akhiyarov went to the box and Dinamo took full advantage.
The visitor started the third period with an attacking face-off. Vitaly Pinchuk won the puck, Kodie Curran dished it off for Roman Gorbunov just above the right-hand circle, and his one-timer ripped past Denis Kostin on 40:04. It’s the first time anyone has scored a KHL goal within four seconds of the start of any period. Then, eight seconds later, Minsk made it 2-2. This time Gorbunov turned provider, finding Pinchuk on the slot to tie the game.
Rocked, Sibir struggled to regain its composure. Nonetheless, a rare shot from the home team almost restored the lead when Dinar Khamidullin’s effort saw the puck come back off the post. Gradually, the home team evened up the balance of play and overtime seemed inevitable. However, six seconds before the hooter Dinamo grabbed a winner through Alexander Volkov.
No Boucher, no problem for Avangard
Avangard Omsk 5 Barys Astana 1 (2-0, 0-1, 3-0)
Vladimir Tkachyov’s productive streak moves to 16 games after he had two assists in Avangard’s latest win. Although he was without his regular strike partner, Reid Boucher, Tkachyov continued to impress as the Hawks overpowered Barys.
For the visitor, Evgeny Rymarev scored his second goal in successive games. That’s a far more modest streak than Tkachyov’s, but it comes after a wait of more than seven years since the Kazakh forward’s previous KHL goal, scored at Neftekhimik on Oct. 27, 2016.
Rymarev’s goal got Barys back to 1-2 in the second period, but proved to be nothing more than a consolation effort. Avangard went in front early, with Ivan Igumnov opening the scoring in the third minute. Ten minutes later, Tkachyov had a helper as 19-year-old Alexander Filatyev got his first in the KHL.
The home team was good value for its lead at the intermission and was not greatly ruffled after allowing one back in the 25th minute. The second period continued with Avangard having the better of the play but failing to add to its two goals.
In the third, the Hawks put the game out of reach to record a second win in two days. Damir Sharipzyanov made it 3-1 with a power play effort early in the frame. Ivan Nikolishin added a fourth, then a five-on-three power play saw Semyon Chistyakov complete the scoring, assisted by Tkachyov as he moves to 55 (15+40) points for the season.
Comfortable win for Traktor
Traktor Chelyabinsk 4 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 (2-0, 1-1, 1-0)
Neftekhimik’s slump continued after slipping to a sixth successive loss away at Traktor. The pre-game ceremonies featured a “cosmic” trio: Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitry Petelin and Andrei Fedyayev did the honors not long after returning from a stint on the International Space Station. Once into the game, it was Traktor who hit the heights right away. Just 25 seconds in, Danil Yurtaikin was cleared for take-off and he opened the scoring. Chelyabinsk, we have lift-off! There was more to come: Alexander Sharov’s backhand effort doubled the lead in the 12th minute.
The visitor briefly threatened to bring Traktor back down to Earth. Andrei Belozyorov pulled one back early in the second when he got clean through on Nikita Podskrebalin and beat the home goalie. Then the host ran into penalty trouble and had to kill a three-on-five situation as mission control watched anxiously from the bench. Once back on course, Traktor regained control of the game, repeatedly testing Filipp Dolganov in the Wolves’ net. Eventually, the pressure paid off and Ilya Karpukhin celebrated his 300th game by making it 3-1.
The final frame saw Charles Robinson give the home team more space on the scoreboard, wrapping up a quick counterattack with his sixth goal of the season. That effectively settled the game, and the teams played out the remaining time with little incident as Traktor safely landed the points.
SKA rallies from 0-2 but can’t stretch its streak
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 3 SKA St. Petersburg 2 SO (2-0, 0-1, 0-1, 0-0, 1-0)
After a disappointing loss to Kunlun Red Star, Avtomobilist needed a big performance on its return home. A visit from SKA, on an 11-game winning streak, probably wasn’t ideal for under-fire head coach Nikolai Zavarukhin. He took decisive action, scratching captain Sergei Shirokov and bringing back fit against Vladimir Kuznetsov after a month out of action. SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg tweaked his winning line-up, welcoming back Mikhail Pashnin after a month and recalling Nikita Kamalov.
Full of confidence, SKA started with its impressive pressing game and fired in shots from any position. However, the visitor’s early dominance did not translate into goals. Instead, Avtomobilist went ahead. Andrei Obidin had already fired a great chance against the post, but he atoned for that miss with a power play goal in the 15th minute. Ninety seconds later, Kuznetsov celebrated his return to action with Avto’s second goal and the host took a lead to the intermission despite Vladimir Galkin facing 22 shots in 20 minutes.
That lead might have calmed the home team’s nerves. Certainly, the second period saw Avtomobilist playing its best hockey of the game. SKA struggled to get time in the O-zone and understudy goalie Pavel Moisevich made some big saves to keep his team in the game. However, against the run of play, SKA pulled one back late in the frame. Borna Rendulic shaped to shoot, but his pass fooled everyone and set up Zakhar Bardakov for a simple finish.
That gave SKA a lift ahead of the third period, and the visitor was even more dominant here than in the first. The shot count was 13-3 in SKA’s favor and Sergei Tolchinsky tied the game in the 46th minute. Now the goaltending heroics came at the other end, with Galkin keeping Avtomobilist in contention through regulation and overtime. He finished with 42 saves, and went unbeaten in the shoot-out. SKA restored starting goalie Nikita Serebryakov for the post-game shots, but at the 13th attempt Anatoly Golyshev got the better of him to give the Motormen a hard-fought win.
Magnitka suffers third straight loss
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 0 CSKA Moscow 3 (0-1, 0-0, 0-2)
After a long winning streak, Metallurg seems to be suffering something of a hangover. This was a third straight loss for the Steelmen, and it sees Avangard take a share of the Eastern Conference lead.
CSKA, meanwhile, continues to alternate wins and losses with Sergei Fedorov’s team struggling for consistency during an injury crisis. The defending champion is drawing on its juniors right now, and the gamble is paying off. Yegor Solovyov, a leader for Krasnaya Armiya in the JHL, made his debut today and the 18-year-old scored with his first shot in KHL play. Remember the name.
However, CSKA’s ‘old guard’ is not forgotten. Goalie Ivan Fedotov returned to the team and produced a fine performance to blank the league leader. He came under increasing pressure as the second period drew on, and finished the game with 28 saves to deny the home offense. Nikita Grebyonkin and Valery Orekhov were closest to beating him, but Fedotov kept coming up with the answers while his defense continued to make the big blocks in front of him. The home team will be hoping that Daniil Vovchenko, familiar to head coach Andrei Razin from their time together at Severstal, can add some pep to the offense following the departure of Jean-Sebastian Dea.
In the third period CSKA stepped up its attacking efforts, perhaps sensing that Magnitka lacked the firepower to really hurt the visitor. Fredrik Claesson added a second in the 49th minute with assists from two 19-year-olds, Kirill Dolzhenkov and Artyom Barabosha. Only the post denied Maxim Sorkin a third goal for the visitor, but in the closing moments Konstantin Okulov completed the scoring into an empty net.
Torpedo shoots down Lada
Lada Togliatti 2 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 4 (2-1, 0-1, 0-2)
After a difficult road trip, Lada was hoping for better things at the start of December’s long home stand. However, despite a bright start, the Motormen could not get the better of Torpedo.
The host got a big boost today with the return of leading forward Troy Josephs, who resumed his accustomed role centering the second line. That triggered a flurry of changes in Lada’s lines, while Torpedo was unchanged for the third game in a row.
Lada scored its quickest ever goal in a KHL game, breaking the deadlock after 11 seconds. Mikhail Fisenko won the puck on the boards and set up Sergei Shumakov, who scored with the first shot of the game. However, Torpedo was not easily distracted and steadily worked its way back into the game. A five-on-three power play helped Maxim Letunov tie the scores in the 15th minute. Once back to full strength, Lada launched a new wave of attacks and Vladislav Chervonenko forced a turnover in the visitor’s end and picked out Evgeny Groshev to make it 2-1 at the intermission.
The middle frame turned out to be an even battle. Denis Yan wasted a couple of good chances for Torpedo midway through the session, and Lada responded with a breakaway for Ostap Safin which forced a save from Adam Huska. Late in the session, Alexei Kruchinin tied it up, bursting into the zone and surprising Alexander Trushkov with a shot while under pressure from a defenseman.
In the third, Torpedo was visibly the stronger team from the opening moments. That led to Bogdan Konyushkov giving the visitor the lead for the first time with a wrist shot midway through the frame. In the closing stages, Nikolai Kovalenko looked to finish it off. Although his effort flashed wide of the target, the rebound dropped kindly for Kruchinin to get his second of the night and seal a 4-2 verdict.
Severstal Cherepovets 4 Ak Bars Kazan 1 (1-0, 2-1, 1-0)
Severstal defeated Ak Bars for the second time this season. The win ensures some breathing space for the Steelmen, who remain seventh in the Western Conference. However, Ak Bars loses ground at the top of the East as a four-game winning streak comes to an end.
The first half of the game was all about Severstal. Undaunted by Ak Bars’ recent return to form, Andrei Kozyrev’s team pushed from the start. The reward was almost immediate: Alexander Radulov was penalized for high sticks after 34 seconds and Ruslan Abrosimov converted the power play on 50 seconds. Subsequently, the home team continued to enjoy plenty of time in the Ak Bars zone, with Radulov’s frustrations seeing him back in the box on an unsporting conduct call.
Pressure brought more goals in the second period. Dmitry Moiseyev added a second, assisted by Abrosimov, then Ak Bars took back-to-back penalties. The visitor never had to cope with just three skaters, but the long penalty kill took its toll and Adam Liska made it 3-0 midway through the game.
Then things began to change. Ak Bars posed a greater attacking threat and when Christian Jaros took a double minor for high sticking, the visitor got on the board. Dmitry Kagarlitsky, who numbers Severstal among his many previous clubs, made a big breakthrough in the 36th minute.
There was more encouragement for the visitor with power play chances either side of the intermission. However, Severstal resisted both of them. Then Andrei Churkin, penalized late in the second, popped up to score a fourth goal for the home team in the 46th minute. That put the game out of Ak Bars’ reach. Zinetula Bilyaletdinov turned to the ‘crisis’ playbook, and went six-on-four in the 53rd minute after a delay of game penalty for Jaros. But the gamble did not pay off, and a foul by Nikita Dynyak stifled the visitor’s efforts to launch a late surge.
Salavat Yulaev hits consistent streak
Vityaz Moscow Region 2 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 5 (1-3, 0-1, 1-1)
Salavat Yulaev’s inconsistent form seems to be a thing of the past. The Ufa team reeled off a fifth successive victory in Balashikha, overtaking Ak Bars and Lada to climb to third in the Eastern Conference.
The game got off to a fast start, with three goals in the first 10 minutes. Grigory Panin put Salavat Yulaev in front, but Ivan Savchik quickly tied it up for Vityaz. However, Sergei Shmelyov restored Ufa’s lead on 9:47 and his team never looked back. Alexander Chmelevski added a third before the intermission to chase starting goalie Maxim Dorozhko from his net.
In the second period, Alexander Sharov beat understudy goalie Dmitry Shikin to make it 4-1. However, Vityaz hit back at the start of the third when Ivan Vorobyov scored within a minute of the restart. That raised hopes of a comeback, but the home team was unable to make further inroads. Ilya Ezhov stopped 10 shots from his former club in the third period, his team-mates blocked eight more and Josh Leivo’s empty net goal finished the job for Ufa.
Red-and-Whites edge out Dynamo in derby thriller
Spartak Moscow 8 Dynamo Moscow 7 OT (2-3, 3-3, 2-1, 1-0)
This battle had everything. The stakes were high: not just local pride, but also top spot in the Western Conference would go to the winner. Dynamo could even overtake Metallurg for the overall KHL leadership with any kind of win on the night. And the teams served up a classic that will be fondly remembered by most – save perhaps for two sets of beleaguered defenses.
The 15-goal epic burst into life in the first minute when Ivan Muranov put the Blue-and-Whites ahead. Then came a period of relative calm before Spartak’s Maxim Tsyplakov tied the scores in the ninth minute. A couple of minutes later, the home team was ahead thanks to Pavel Poryadin. The Spartak forward missed one good chance, but scored on his next attack.
That set up a trend of goals coming in pairs. Late in the first period, Dynamo scored twice in a minute as Daniil Pylenkov and Eric O’Dell turned the game around to give the visitor an intermission lead.
After the break, Spartak swapped goalies and Dmitry Nikolayev replaced Andrei Kareyev. Muranov was the focus of attention at the start of the second period as well, but this time he got a double minor penalty instead of a goal. However, the Red-and-Whites have been vulnerable to shorthanded goals this season and Yegor Petukhov punished an error on the blue line, advancing to welcome Nikolayev to the game with Dynamo’s fourth goal.
Next, Dynamo got its second power play chance of the night. Spartak held on, but 12 seconds after Tsyplakov returned, Yegor Rimashevsky made it 5-2. That triggered a cascade of goals – four in less than three minutes. Daniel Usmanov was on target, Poryadin potted his second of the night and in between Dmitry Rashevsky got a sixth for Dynamo. In the last minute of the period, Tsyplakov joined Poryadin on two goals, making it 5-6 at the second intermission.
Now it was Dynamo’s turn to change goalies, with Ilya Konovalov replacing Konstantin Volkov. However, Konovalov soon fell victim to the curse of quickfire goals. Nikolai Goldobin tied the game at 6-6 – an ominous sign for the Blue-and-Whites since the prolific forward hasn’t scored and lost since Sep. 8. Parity lasted less than a minute before Yegor Filin put Spartak back in front for the first time since the 18th minute.
That was not to be the end, though. Tsyplakov took another penalty – interference on O’Dell, his second of the game. And, for the second time, O’Dell punished the Spartak forward with a power play goal. Igor Ozhiganov’s shot flashed wide of the goal and bounced back to the post where O’Dell was waiting with Cedric Paquette. Nikolayev stopped the first effort, but could not prevent the bouncing puck from entering the net as O’Dell jumped in for the rebound.
With eight minutes left, there was plenty of time for a winner in regulation but neither team could find a 15th (!?) goal in this game. Instead, it went to overtime before Alexander Belyayev settled an unforgettable encounter and lifted Spartak back to the top of the Western Conference by the narrowest of margins.
Yip gives Dragons an OT win
Kunlun Red Star 5 HC Sochi 4 OT (2-1, 2-2, 0-1, 1-0)
On another day, this nine-goal thriller would take top billing. Today, an entertaining battle between two Western Conference strugglers was somewhat overshadowed by events at Spartak. Nonetheless, an exciting game saw KRS continue its good run of form tganks to an OT winner from the captain.
Sochi, on a run of just one win in its last six, is in danger of falling to the foot of the standings after a promising start to the season. Today the Leopards took an early penalty, but survived that and grabbed the opening goal thanks to Anton Sagadeyev in the fifth minute. Red Star also made a bright start to the season before tumbling down the table. In recent weeks, though, the Dragons have improved. Lifted by four wins from five games, the home team turned the game around to lead 2-1 at the intermission thanks to Luke Lockhart’s power play goal and an effort from Doyle Somerby five seconds before the break.
Early in the second, Parker Foo made it 3-1, but Kunlun could not hold that advantage for long. Ildar Shiksatdarov pulled one back, and the teams traded further goals through Austin Wong and Amir Garayev in the middle frame.
The scoring slowed in the third period, but Sochi’s pressure paid off in the 55th minute when Shiksatdirov got his second of the night.
That took Sochi to overtime for the second game in succession. However, the Leopards ended up on the losing side once again when Brandon Yip scored to make it five wins from six games for KRS as the Dragons go into the All-Star break on a high.
