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Seventh heaven for SKA, Sochi surprises Lokomotiv. January 24 round-up
The highest scoring game of the day saw SKA beat Barys 7-0, with Arseny Gritsyuk collecting five points. HC Sochi made it three wins from four, claiming a bottom-vs-top victory at Lokomotiv by a 2-1 margin. The same scoreline saw CSKA past Dinamo Minsk and Admiral overcome Metallurg. Torpedo and Salavat Yulaev both recovered from 0-2 to win in overtime at Neftekhimik and Amur respectively. There were also two 4-1 road wins, with Ak Bars defeating Avtomobilist and Sibir winning at Vityaz.
Tigers blow lead, lose to Salavat Yulaev
Amur Khabarovsk 2 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 SO (1-0, 1-1,0-1, 0-0, 0-1)
Amur suffered a third successive overtime loss, hitting the Tigers’ hopes of closing on the top eight in the East. To make matters worse for the home team, this one saw Amur blow a 2-0 lead before falling to Salavat Yulaev for the second time in four days.
Amur welcomed back Evgeny Kulik and Kirill Slepets for this game, while Andrei Martemyanov put Alexander Khokhlachyov and Alex Broadhurst on the same line for the first time since the start of the season. The visitor deployed forward Daniil Ogirchuk for the first time since October, putting him on a line with Yegor Suchkov and Alexander Sharov.
Jan Drozg got the opening goal in this game with just three minutes played, shooting from mid range as Dmitry Shevchenko screened Alexander Samonov in the Ufa net. Shevchenko also won the face-off that started the play.
Lifted by that goal, Amur had the better of the first period. The home team extended its lead at the start of the second, scoring a power play goal just 24 seconds after the restart. Shevchenko was involved again, tipping a Yefim Gurkin shot into the net.
However, Salavat Yulaev responded fast. The visitor got a power play of its own, and Josh Leivo took advantage to halve the deficit. Leivo has picked up points in eight of his last nine appearances.
The third period followed a similar pattern to the first two. Again, Amur started strongly. However, this time there was no goal, and Salavat Yulaev steadily gained the initiative. The Tigers hung in there until the dying moments, but a late time-out, a move to six-on-five and a goal from Alexander Chmelevski sent the game into overtime.
On the hooter, Kulik took a major for a cross-check on Suchkov, handing Salavat Yulaev a power play for the whole of the extras. Igor Bobkov came under intense pressure, and Leivo almost won it with a shot that dinged the bar. However, Amur took the game to a shoot-out before finally succumbing: the ever-active Leivo potted the decisive attempt.
Fiore fires winner for Admiral
Admiral Vladivostok 2 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 1 (0-0, 0-1, 2-0)
Metallurg arrived in the Far East with a chance to confirm its place in the playoffs. However, that box will have to be ticked another time: Admiral came from behind to take a 2-1 victory in the first meeting between the sides this week.
The visitor made several changes from the team that beat Severstal last time out: Danila Kvartalnov and Maxim Mukhametov returned from injury, Arkhip Nekolenko and Danil Gololobov also returned. Nikita Mikhailis and Alexander Petunin were rested. Last week Admiral suffered a 2-5 loss in Magnitogorsk and Leonids Tambijevs responded by replacing Vasily Demchenko with a new starting goalie, youngster Sergei Ivanov. That proved to be a key decision.
Ivanov, and his opposite number Ilya Nabokov, were the stars of a goalless first period. Between them, they stopped 25 shots. Metallurg had more of the puck, but Admiral arguably created the better chances.
The second session saw Metallurg offer more going forward. Ivanov made a big save to stop Danila Yurov’s one-on-one, then Mukhametov went close to marking his return with a goal. Finally, a well-worked three-man play saw Yurov set up Yegor Yakovlev for the opening goal: the defenseman marked his 700th game by giving his team the lead in the 36th minute.
However, Admiral was not sunk. The home team made a bright start to the third period and quickly tied the score on a goal from Libor Sulak. Daniil Gutik almost put the Sailors in front on the next shift and chances kept arriving at both ends. Neither team showed any inclination to tighten up on defense and Admiral’s boldness was rewarded with 84 seconds left when Giovanni Fiore wired a wrister past Nabokov to win the game. The teams meet again on Friday.
Avtomobilist stalls at home to Ak Bars
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 1 Ak Bars Kazan 4 (1-1, 0-1, 0-2)
Ak Bars recorded a third successive victory on the road in Yekaterinburg. However, the battle was closer than the final scoreline might suggest: the visitor scored two empty net goals to give the result a lopsided look.
Ak Bars started well. The first shift saw Vadim Shipachyov’s line spend a full minute pressing Avtomobilist back into its own zone. That ended with a foul on Alexander Radulov, adding to the visitor’s momentum. Avto killed the penalty, but could not prevent Semyon Koshelev from opening the scoring in the fifth minute as all that pressure led to its logical conclusion.
For a time, it seemed that the Motormen would struggle to get out of first gear. However, midway through the opening frame the game opened up. Radulov, victim of the evening’s first foul, went to the box to give Avtomobilist its first PP of the night and Brooks Macek quickly cashed in with a goal from his favored spot in the left-hand circle.
The second period could not match the first for action. Nonetheless, it brought the game’s decisive moment after 35 minutes when Daniil Zhuravlyov joined the attack. The defenseman got to the slot in time to get on the end of a Koshelev feed and steer the puck into the net.
In the third, Ak Bars mopped up the last few seconds of a penalty on Slava Voynov then adopted an active forecheck to protect its advantage. That limited Avtomobilist to long-range efforts and little success.
On 57:16, the home team called a time-out and replaced goalie Vladimir Galkin with a sixth skater. However, that played into the visitor’s hands. Riley Barber found the empty net, then Dmitry Katelevsky repeated the trick to wrap up the win.
Torpedo rallies from 0-2, wins in OT
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 OT (2-0, 0-1, 0-1, 0-1)
Neftekhimik picked up another point in its battle to secure a playoff spot. However, the Wolves will feel it should have been two after blowing a 2-0 lead and losing in overtime.
The home team made a great start. A power play in the first minute saw Nikita Setdikov open the scoring, and the same player doubled the lead midway through the first period. The 28-year-old moves to 12 goals for the season, but was not destined to celebrate a win today.
The turnaround owed much to Nikita Shavin. He’s another of Torpedo’s exciting youngsters, albeit without the profile of the likes of Vasily Atanasov or Nikita Artamonov, both absent from today’s line-up. Nonetheless, the 22-year-old made a big impact in Nizhnekamsk. He had an assist as Andrei Belevich reduced the deficit, then scored the tying goal himself midway through the second period. That sent the game to overtime, where Igor Larionov Jr settled the outcome.
Sochi’s late revival continues
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1 HC Sochi 2 (0-1, 0-1, 1-0)
Sochi moved off the foot of the Western Conference thanks to this win, a third in four games for the Leopards. The upswing in form is surely too late to give Dmitry Kokorev’s team any realistic chance of getting into the playoff picture, but it at least give some comfort after another difficult season beside the Black Sea.
For Lokomotiv, currently leading the conference, this was another uncomfortable evening against something of a bogey team this season. The first encounter between the two, back in September, saw Sochi win 5-0 – albeit a Sochi team that still had the likes of Borna Rendulic available. More recently, December’s game in the 2014 Olympic Arena went to overtime before Loko snuck a verdict and today the visitor posted its second win of the season in Yaroslavl.
It started with a goal from import defenseman Jesse Graham in the seventh minute. The Canadian moved to 24 (7+17) points for the season and served notice that the Railwaymen should not expect a routine victory. Loko had the better of the play, but could not force an equalizer in the opening frame.
The second period was more evenly matched, and Sochi got its second goal late in the session. Leading scorer Artur Tyanulin did the damage, with Matvei Michkov picking up an assist on his return to action for the first time since Jan. 7. Lokomotiv responded by upping the tempo in the third period. The home team outshot Sochi 20-7, but could not beat Mikhail Berdin until 17 seconds from time when Andrei Sergeyev made the final score 1-2.
Sibir stays in playoff contention
Vityaz Moscow Region 1 Sibir Novosibirsk 4 (1-0, 0-1, 0-3)
Sibir moved back to ninth place in the East, just three points away from a playoff spot, thanks to good road win. Vityaz, meanwhile, failed to make any inroads into the 12-point gap that separates it from eighth in the West, suggesting that Balashikha’s playoff hopes are fading fast.
Yet for much of the game, Vityaz looked capable of getting a result. The home team took the lead early on thanks to Vladimir Galuzin’s power play goal. A solid first-period performance preserved that advantage to the intermission with little alarm. However, things started to go astray in the second as Sibir took control of the play. The tying goal came from Andy Andreoff in the 37th minute, setting up a big battle in the third.
That battle tipped decisively in the visitor’s favor midway through the session. Nikolai Timashov was called for checking to the head, and the power play saw Vladimir Butuzov put Sibir in front for the first time. A couple of minutes later, teenage prospect Vladimir Mikhalyov extended the lead and Vityaz sent the goalie to the sidelines with a full 3:15 to play. The gamble did not pay off: in Maxim Dorozhko’s absence, Nikita Korotkov found the empty net to complete a good win for the visitor.
Kamenev double downs Dinamo
CSKA Moscow 2 Dinamo Minsk 1 (0-1, 1-0, 1-0)
The defending champion came from behind to defeat Dinamo despite the absence of head coach Sergei Fedorov. He was unable to attend today’s game due to injury, but his players recovered from losing a goal at the end of the first period to edge the verdict.
Dinamo was looking to follow up an overtime win at SKA with another victory over a Western Conference big hitter. The first period saw the visitor acquit itself well: although CSKA had more possession, the better chances went to Minsk and the opening goal arrived just before the intermission. Tanner Fritz got away from Fredrik Claesson down the left and placed his wrist shot into the far corner for his first KHL goal.
CSKA tied it up midway through the second stanza. It started with a Mikhail Grigorenko shot flashing just wide. Darren Dietz collected the rebound and returned it to Grigorenko, whose pass eventually made its way to Vladislav Kamenev, wide open at the back door. Dylan Ferguson had no chance with the shot and the scores were level.
The winner arrived midway through the third, with Kamenev again the scorer. His initial effort was beaten away by Ferguson, but Grigorenko kept the play alive and set up Kamenev once again for the decisive shot. Dinamo continued to press, but its hopes of saving the game were fatally undermined in the closing minutes when Sam Anas took a penalty. The visitor could not release a sixth skater until there were just 28 seconds, and CSKA closed out that threat with little drama.
Five points for Gritsyuk as SKA thrashes Barys
SKA St. Petersburg 7 Barys Astana 0 (2-0, 1-0, 4-0)
Tripped up by Dinamo Minsk last time out, SKA hit back in style to demolish lowly Barys. Vasily Glotov and Marat Khairullin had two goals apiece, Arseny Gritsyuk enjoyed a five-point game and the Kazakhs were crushed.
The game followed a predictable pattern from the off. SKA was on top right away, and went ahead in the sixth minute when Alex Galchenyuk redirected Gritsyuk’s one-timer. The game’s first power play saw Gritsyuk involved again, setting up Glotov to make it 2-0 at the first break.
At the start of the second period, Alexander Nikishin and Anthony Camara dropped the gloves. While they watched on, SKA added a third goal when Glotov brought the puck out from behind the net to set up Khairullin’s first of the game. After that, Barys had a few power play chances but could not find a way back into the game and it remained 3-0 through 40 minutes.
If SKA was becalmed towards the end of the second, the home team awoke in the third. Gritsyuk’s tip took Sergei Sapego’s shot beyond Eddie Pasquale, and within a minute Khairullin’s second of the night made it 5-0. Now it was a question of how many, and the last thing Barys needed was another penalty. The extra man saw Gritsyuk set up Glotov: 6-0 and Pasquale off to the bench to be replaced by Andrei Shutov for the last 15 minutes.
Shutov was beaten just once during his time in the game, with Gritsyuk collecting his fourth assist on a Stepan Falkovsky effort. Oddly, despite the lopsided scoreline, Barys outshot SKA in the game, with Nikita Serebryakov making 44 saves for his shut-out while the home team scored seven goals off 39 shots.
