Kovi on target, Metallurg on top. December 24 round-up

The big games came early on Sunday: Ilya Kovalchuk crowned his second Spartak debut with a goal to help the Red-and-Whites return to the top of the KHL standings. In the East, Metallurg won at Avangard to open a two-point lead over its opponent at the top of the conference. Elsewhere, Vityaz ended a six-game losing streak with a 6-4 success over Dinamo Minsk, Avtomobilist romped to victory over Lada in the battle of the Motormen and Severstal won 3-1 at home to Admiral.

Debut goal for Kovalchuk

Spartak Moscow 5 Kunlun Red Star 2 (3-0, 1-1, 1-1)

Ilya Kovalchuk made his long-awaited KHL debut for Spartak. The 41-year-old Olympic Champion and multiple Gagarin Cup winner signed for his boyhood club before the international break. Today, he was ready to jump on the ice for his old, new team for the first time since 2001. Stranger still, it would be Kovi’s first regular season game for Spartak in Russia’s top flight: in his two seasons on the team around the turn of the century, Spartak was battling to win promotion from the second tier.

After the 2000-2001 campaign, Kovalchuk headed to the NHL and began the next stage of his glittering career. Yet, despite returning to Russia for two lock-outs, then joining SKA on a permanent basis, he never got the chance to suit up in Red-and-White again before this season. A close personal relationship with Spartak head coach Alexei Zhamnov undoubtedly helped seal the deal – Kovalchuk was GM for Team Russia when Zhamnov was head coach in 2021-2022, and on the night before Christmas (albeit the Catholic version, rather than the Russian one), Kovi made his return.

At first, he was overshadowed by Nikolai Goldobin. The KHL’s current scoring leader had a goal and an assist in the first period, moving him to a club record 57 points this season. Later, a touch of rustiness saw Kovalchuk cough up the puck on the blue line and present Jack Rodewald with a short-handed goal for Kunlun Red Star.

However, the home team was always in control of the game, despite swapping the Megasport Arena for the unfamiliar surroundings of Luzhniki. The victory required to return to the top of the standings was never really in doubt after jumping to a 3-0 first-period lead, and the day finished on a crowd-pleasing note when Kovalchuk completed the scoring with an empty-netter in the 59^th minute.

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Metallurg moves clear in the East

Avangard Omsk 2 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 (1-1, 0-1, 1-1)

While Kovalchuk was helping Spartak return to the top of the West, his former club Avangard faced Metallurg in a battle for leadership in the East. The teams’ recent form was contrasting: the Hawks had won five from six, while Metallurg’s OT win against Amur two days earlier snapped a four-game skid for Andrei Razin’s men.

Razin recently rejoined forces with Daniil Vovchenko, one of his key players at Severstal. After the head coach left Cherepovets in the summer, Vovchenko’s form suffered: he made just 10 appearances for the team and his only two points came with a couple of assists, ironically, against Metallurg in a shoot-out win in late September. Today, Vovchenko got his first goal of the season and his first for his new club, converting the first power play of the game to give Metallurg a seventh-minute lead.

It wasn’t long before the Hawks got their chance on the PP, and the home special team proved as effective as the visitor. Mikhail Belyayev found the net and the game was tied at the first intermission.

In the second period, Avangard made the brighter start, helped by another power play chance. However, Metallurg dug in and eventually managed to restore its lead. Once again, it was all about the PP: Artyom Chmykhov was called for delay of game, even though from some angles it seemed that the back deflected out of play via Vovchenko’s leg. Metallurg did not question the details of the call, and improved to two-from-two on the power play when Maxim Karpov combined impressively with Nikita Grebyonkin to restore Magnitka’s lead.

The visitor got another power play chance, which straddled the second intermission. Avangard managed to survive that, but in the 43^rd minute Luke Johnson gave Metallurg a 3-1 lead. That’s three in two games for the American center, who seems to be enjoying the festive period.

Avangard needed a quick response, and got one. Igor Geraskin, another player who did well for Razin at Severstal, returned to haunt his former coach when he put away the rebound from Filatiev’s shot to make it 2-3. Almost immediately, Metallurg faced a penalty kill and that set the tone for the remainder of the game. The home team bore down on Ilya Nabokov’s net, but the young goalie kept making the big saves to preserve his team’s lead and secure a two-point gap at the top of the Eastern Conference.

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Vityaz snaps losing streak

Vityaz Moscow Region 6 Dinamo Minsk 4 (2-1, 0-3, 4-0)

Four unanswered goals in the third period saw Vityaz snap a six-game skid in an enthralling game in Balashikha. Despite the victory, though, Dmitry Ryabykin’s men remain at the foot of the Western Conference. The gap to eighth-placed Dinamo is now reduced to seven points.

This was a battle that ebbed and flowed. Vityaz was the first to show, jumping to a 2-0 lead thanks to Ivan Vorobyov’s goal after 35 seconds and Ilya Arkalov’s marker in the 18^th minute. However, Dinamo pulled one back late in the first period when 18-year-old Yegor Borikov got his fifth of the season.

That inspired the visitor, and the middle frame was all about the Bison. Yanni Kaldis tied the scores, then two goals from Sergei Kuznetsov seemingly had Dinamo in control.

Alexander Yaremchuk pulled one back for Vityaz at the start of the third, but for a long time it seemed that Dinamo could close this one out. However, a power play saw Vorobyov tie it up with his second of the night in the 55^th minute and the momentum sent the home team charging to victory. Within a minute, Vladislav Kara got another on the PP to put Vityaz in front. Then Derek Barach sealed the result with an empty net goal.

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Penalty trouble sees Lada crash

Lada Togliatti 1 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 5 (0-1, 1-1, 0-3)

Avtomobilist is closing on the top four in the East, and today’s big win at fourth-placed Lada can only boost its cause. The visitor dominated this game from start to finish, going in front midway through the first period and never relinquishing it advantage.

The opening goal came from the day’s first power play. Ostap Safin sat for tripping and the Avto PP did its work. Sergei Shirokov was the scorer, with assists from Brooks Macek and Stephane Da Costa. In the second period, Anatoly Golyshev increased Avtomobilist’s lead, but late in the session a goal from Maxim Berezin gave Lada hope going into the final frame.

That hope was ruthlessly extinguished. Two penalties in the first minute of the third left Lada in trouble. Shirokov took advantage of the five-on-three power play to score his second of the game. The home team never recovered. Nick Ebert got a fourth goal, again on the PP, before Andrei Obidin wrapped up a big win in the last minute.

Skorenov double sinks Sailors

Severstal Cherepovets 3 Admiral Vladivostok 1 (1-1, 1-0, 1-0)

In recent weeks Severstal has alternated wins and losses, so it was perhaps no surprise that a 1-3 reverse at home to Torpedo on Friday was followed by a 3-1 victory against Admiral. Moreover, the Sailors are on a similar run and, sure enough, fell to defeat after an OT win at Salavat Yulaev last time out.

The visitor was first to show here, opening the scoring midway through the first period. Giovanni Fiore broke the deadlock with his first goal since Nov. 12. However, Severstal was able to tie the game on its first power play of the game, with Adam Liska scoring in the 19^th minute. Kirill Pilipenko’s assist extended his productive run to four games, or 13 from the last 14.

Alexander Skorenov is another player emerging as a key figure for Severstal this season. He went on to have a decisive influence today, grabbing the go-ahead goal in the 33^rd minute. Skorenov moved onto 14 goals for the season with an empty-netter to seal the result 29 seconds before the hooter.

The win moves Severstal 10 points clear of ninth-placed Kunlun Red Star, although the Steelmen stay seventh in the West. Admiral stays 11^th in the East, with only Barys lower in the standings.