KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
Change of leadership. December 21 round-up
Both conferences have new leaders tonight. In the East, Avangard moved ahead of Metallurg with an 8-3 thrashing of Sochi. In the West, Dynamo’s shoot-out win over Traktor takes it clear of Spartak. Elsewhere, SKA defeated CSKA 6-2, Avtomobilist denied Ak Bars despite a landmark goal from Alexander Radulov, and Lokomotiv found its scoring touch against Vityaz. Thursday’s other games brought victories for Torpedo, Neftekhimik and Lada.
Boucher inspires Avangard victory
Avangard Omsk 8 HC Sochi 3 (1-0, 4-1, 3-2)
Avangard moved to the top of the Eastern Conference thanks to a powerful attacking display at home to Sochi. Reid Boucher led the way for the home team with 5 (2+3) points as the Hawks recovered fast from a 0-4 loss against Ak Bars on Tuesday.
On that occasion, Avangard failed to score. Today, it took just two minutes from Ivan Igumnov to open the scoring. Sochi had a power play chance soon after that, but generated little to trouble Andrei Mishurov in the home net. Subsequently, the home team had the better of the game but it took some time before that superiority was reflected on the scoreboard.
After the intermission, the Hawks took complete control. Boucher assisted a power play goal for Valentin Pyanov, then had a helper as Ryan Spooner made it 3-0 with the teams back at equal strength. In the 34th minute, Alexander Filatyev added a fourth and it looked like a long road back for Sochi.
To the visitor’s credit, it kept battling. Sergei Popov pulled a goal back, but Sergei Boikov struck late in the frame to make it 5-1 after 40 minutes.
That was effectively game over. However, the third period saw the teams share five goals as the Leopards at least maintained some pride. Boucher scored twice for Avangard, and got his third assist of the night as Spooner completed his double. In between, Jeremy Bracco had a goal and a helper for Sochi.
The result lifts Avangard two points clear of Metallurg at the top of the East. Sochi suffered a sixth successive loss but remains a point clear of Vityaz at the foot of the West.
Radulov’s landmark isn’t enough for Ak Bars
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 2 Ak Bars Kazan 1 (0-0, 1-1, 1-0)
Ak Bars was impressive in its 4-0 win at Avangard, but could not build on that as it continued its road trip in Yekaterinburg. Instead, Avtomobilist improved on Tuesday’s OT loss to Traktor. The home team picked up a third victory in four games despite falling behind early in the second period.
The visitor’s goal, which came on the power play in the 25th minute, was a milestone moment. Alexander Radulov was the scorer, collecting his 685th point in KHL play. In the process, he drew level with Danis Zaripov in the league’s all-time scoring charts. Radulov’s goal was a fine demonstration of his fantastic technique, ripping home a perfectly-placed snipe from a tight angle. At the time, Ak Bars was fair value for its lead, having started the game brightly in a goalless first period. The Ak Bars captain remained a focal point throughout the middle frame. As well as scoring, he was on the receiving end of a video review over a possible major penalty (not assessed), then won his team another power play.
However, Avtomobilist survived that second examination and then tied the game once back at full strength. Sergei Zborovsky made a timely contribution to the offense and pinged in a shot at an awkward height for Timur Bilyalov in the visitor’s net. Radulov’s involvement continued, sending Dmitry Kagarlitsky clean through on Vladimir Galkin’s net but the home goalie won that duel to keep the game level at the second intermission.
The third period began with Riley Barber dinging the Avtomobilist crossbar. Then Artyom Galimov hit the post as the home goal led a charmed life. However, Galimov’s key contribution was not to his team’s advantage: his foul gave the Motormen a penalty and Sergei Shirokov took advantage to grab the winning goal.
Ak Bars pushed to the very end, with Galkin forced into several big saves to preserve his team’s lead. However, a too many men penalty in the closing stages deflated the final surge and Avtomobilist took the verdict.
Motormen climb to third in the East
Lada Togliatti 4 Sibir Novosibirsk 1 (1-1, 1-0, 2-0)
Lada moved into third place in the East after handing Sergei Krivokrasov his first loss as acting head coach of Sibir. The home team is now two points behind Metallurg, but has played more games than most of its immediate rivals in the standings.
The teams were already familiar with one another: on Tuesday, Sibir claimed an OT verdict here. Today, the visitor brought back Nikita Korotkov for his first action since September. For the home team, defenseman Alexei Volgin made his first appearance since leaving Lada almost seven years earlier.
In the first period there was little to choose between the teams. Midway through the session, Sibir opened the scoring with a swift and effective breakaway. Vladimir Butuzov set up Artyom Mikheyev to make it 1-0. Lada responded almost immediately when Andrei Altybarmakyan found Sergei Shumakov on the doorstep and he steered the puck home.
The game-breaker arrived midway through the second period. Pavel Koltygin robbed Sibir of possession as the visitor tried to clear its lines. The puck went deep and Altybarmakyan retrieved it before picking out the top corner.
After that, Sibir outshot the home team but could do nothing to erode Lada’s control of the game. Evgeny Groshev added a third shortly after the second intermission and Shumakov’s empty-net goal sealed an impressive victory.
Wolves get the better of Barys
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 3 Barys Astana 2 (2-0, 0-1, 1-1)
Games between Neftekhimik and Barys this season brought plenty of goals. Before today, they also brought wins for the Kazakhs, including an impressive 8-0 drubbing in September and a 6-5 OT thriller.
Today, though, Neftekhimik got its first win over the Eastern Conference’s basement club. The home team handed a debut to Canadian center Jean-Sebastien Dea, recently arrived from Metallurg, putting him alongside Evgeny Mityakin and Bulat Shafigullin on the first line.
It took Dea just 22 seconds to celebrate his first goal with his new team-mates. Nikita Khlystov dumped the puck into the Barys zone and Mityakin got to the rebound to score from close range. Midway through the opening frame, Alexander Dergachyov doubled the home lead and fans in Nizhnekamsk began to hope cautiously for an end to their team’s losing streak.
However, things are rarely easy for a team out of form. The Wolves were close to allowing a power play goal late in the first when Nelson Nogier hit the post. At the start of the second, Dea was denied a debut goal by the same piping, but a penalty on Shafigullin offered Barys a way back. The visitor could not convert the power play, but Daniil Apalkov pulled a goal back shortly after the penalty elapsed.
It remained a one-goal game until midway through the third. However, Kirill Urakov got a third goal for Neftekhimik in the 49th minute, potting his first since joining the club from Torpedo in November. At the other end, former Wolves man Anthony Camara gave his former colleagues a jolt to make it 3-2 during a late push, but the remaining 29 seconds were not enough to save the game.
Railwaymen steamroller struggling Vityaz
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 5 Vityaz Moscow Region 2 (1-1, 1-1, 3-0)
Loko handed Vityaz a sixth successive loss, bouncing back from its 0-1 loss at home to Severstal thanks to a strong third period.
The home team looked to put things right early in this game and made an aggressive start. The Railwaymen quickly took charge of the puck and enjoyed a big territorial advantage, creating frequent chances in front of Maxim Dorozhko’s net. The visiting goalie was in great form, while Maxim Shalunov, Yaroslav Likhachyov and Andrei Sergeyev all wasted good opportunities to open the scoring.
At the other end, Vityaz was limited to just five shots at Daniil Isayev, but nonetheless grabbed the lead late in the frame on a short-handed goal from Vladislav Tsitsyura. Stung, Lokomotiv responded on the same power play with Rushan Rafikov tying the scores on 19:17. However, the home team’s problems in front of goal continued: one marker from 27 shots on target represented a poor return for Loko.
Not much changed in the second. Lokomotiv dominated, Vityaz hung on grimly and looked for chances on the counter. Once again, the visitor took the lead, this time through Vladislav Kara. Once again, Lokomotiv had plenty of chances but could only muster one more goal, scored by Maxim Beryozkin.
However, in the third period the home team rediscovered its scoring touch. After two goals from 44 shots, Lokomotiv produced three from nine in the final stanza. Artur Kayumov got two of them, Alexander Polunin added one more to make the final score 5-2.
Torpedo too strong for Severstal
Severstal Cherepovets 1 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 (1-1, 0-2, 0-0)
Torpedo bounced back from a home defeat to Spartak, defeating Severstal with a couple of quick goals in the second period. The visitor made a few changes after that loss, including a return for goalie Ivan Kulbakov. Vasily Atanasov was available once again despite needing a check for concussion after a collision against Spartak.
Severstal goalie Dmitry Shugayev continued between the piping after recording his first shut-out of the season in Yaroslavl. Today, though, he was beaten after five minutes as Torpedo scored on almost its first meaningful attack of the game thanks to Vladislav Firstov.
In the closing moments of the opening frame, Gleb Ivanov brought the Steelmen level. That was Ivanov’s first goal since joining Severstal from Torpedo. However, it did not greatly help his new team. Severstal was under pressure from the start of the second period and eventually cracked towards the end of the frame. Barely a minute separated goals from Nikita Artamonov and Denis Yan, giving the visitor a commanding lead.
In the final frame, Severstal focused on offense and battled hard to find a way back into the game. However, there was no way past Kulbakov as Torpedo closed out the win.
Blue-and-Whites edge in front
Dynamo Moscow 4 Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 SO (0-0, 1-1, 2-2, 0-0, 1-0)
The battle for KHL leadership is a Moscow affair at the moment. Today, Dynamo forged ahead thanks to victory over Traktor; tomorrow Spartak has the chance to regain top spot, possibly helped by a debut for one Ilya Kovalchuk.
Traktor went to OT for the second game in a row, but was lifted by the return of Vladimir Zharkov to the team after almost two months injured. He went into the third line, while Dynamo welcomed back Jordan Weal.
The teams produced an entertaining game. After a goalless opening frame, Dynamo broke the deadlock thanks to Nikita Gusev after 25 minutes. Traktor responded with a power play goal from Semyon Der-Arguchintsev. That would be a frustrating sight for home head coach Alexei Kudashov: in the first part of the season, the Blue-and-White penalty kill was underwhelming, but in Tuesday’s derby win over CSKA his team successfully stifled four power plays.
After 40 minutes of evenly matched play, the teams continued to produce a well-balanced contest in the third. Dynamo’s power play, unlike its PK, is among the best in the league. Cedric Paquette reminded us of its prowess when he restored the home lead in the 48th minute. This time, though, the lead lasted just 45 seconds before Nikita Soshnikov tied it up. Then, a fifth power play chance for the visitor saw Sergei Telegin put Traktor in front for the first time in the game.
With six minutes to hold on, the visitor could ill afford any lapse of discipline. Unfortunately, Ilya Karpukhin shot the puck over the boards and the power play saw Gusev tie it up for Dynamo with his second of the game. Overtime could not separate the teams, and Dynamo sent understudy goalie Maxim Motorygin into the game for the shoot-out. That decision paid off, with Gusev and Paquette both on target as the home team edged the verdict.
In-form SKA shoots down CSKA
SKA St. Petersburg 6 CSKA Moscow 2 (1-0, 3-1, 2-1)
CSKA suffered a second painful defeat this week, following up a derby reverse against Dynamo with a heavy loss against perennial rival SKA. The home team, much criticized after a poor start to the season, moves to 55 points and is just five behind conference leader Dynamo.
This was SKA’s third win of the season against the defending champion. The home team started well, and got the only goal of the first period when Artyom Sergeyev scored on the team with whom he won two Gagarin Cups.
That was the only goal of the first period, but at the end of the session SKA got two power plays in a row. That led to another goal as Marat Khairullin delivered a blistering wrister. Sergei Plotnikov pulled one back for the visitor, but that could not inspire a fightback. Instead, the Petersburg team increased its lead thanks to Maxim Fedotov and Pavel Dedunov, going into the second intermission with a 4-1 advantage.
Dedunov’s clinical finish in a solo rush seemed to spell the end for CSKA in this game. And so it proved. Another PP early in the third saw Khairullin set up Arseny Gritsyuk to make it 5-1 and Borna Rendulic got a sixth for the host. In between, 19-year-old defenseman Artyom Barabosha scored his first KHL goal for CSKA, but that proved scant consolation for Sergei Fedorov after another heavy loss.
