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CSKA joins playoff pack, Spartak scores 200th goal. January 31 round-up
The big news came from Moscow. CSKA secured its playoff spot with a 3-2 win over Torpedo, coupled with Vityaz going down 0-2 at Kunlun Red Star. Across town, Spartak scored its 200th goal of the season but lost 1-2 at home to Lokomotiv. Traktor reeled off a fifth successive win, edging Avtomobilist in a shoot-out, while Avangard came from behind to win at Barys. In a day of close games, Sochi got past Dinamo Minsk by the odd goal in five.
Hawks hit back to win in Astana
Barys Astana 1 Avangard Omsk 3 (1-0, 0-2, 0-1)
Despite falling behind, Avangard had enough to beat Barys and move within a point of league leader Metallurg. The Hawks bounced back from a high-scoring loss against Traktor to record a third win in four games.
Barys, meanwhile, suffered a sixth straight loss and remains bottom of the Eastern Conference, a point behind Admiral. Despite those recent struggles, the home team started well and Arkady Shestakov was close to opening the scoring early on. At the other end, Vladimir Tkachyov hit the post before the game exploded into life in the 17th minute. Avangard’s Nikolai Prokhorkin forced a big save from Eddie Pasquale. In response, Barys surged down the ice and peppered the visitor’s net with shots before Shestakov put away the opening goal.
In the second period, Barys defended deep. Avangard found it hard to get the puck into dangerous areas, but gradually gained the upper hand. The tying goal came in the 27th minute when Prokhorkin set up Mikhail Gulyayev for a long-range effort that beat Pasquale. Then, midway through the game, Prokhorkin gave the Hawks the lead when he redirected Artyom Chmykhov’s shot.
Barys responded by trying to raise the tempo but, despite a power play chance, could not tie the game in the middle frame. Indeed, the score did not change until the closing seconds, even though both teams had chances. Finally, an empty-net goal from Sergei Boikov sealed the win for the visitor.
Traktor maintains winning run
Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 1 SO (0-0, 1-1, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0)
Traktor rolled out a fifth successive victory and Maxim Shabanov’s 23rd goal of the season took him to five points from his last five games in the sixth and final edition of this Ural derby. The result gives Traktor four victories in the series and moves the Chelyabinsk team up to fourth place ahead of the Motormen. It’s entirely possible that these two could meet once again in the playoffs.
There were no goals in the first period, but that had much to do with some great goaltending. Between them, Zach Fucale and Evgeny Alikin stopped 24 shots. There was also an anxious moment for Avtomobilist on a delayed penalty. After Alikin rushed to the sidelines, a misplaced pass sent the puck skidding back towards the visitor’s net, only for a defenceman to get back in time and save his team’s blushes.
Avtomobilist began the second half strongly. Persistent pressure on the Traktor net got its reward when Stephane Da Costa deflected Yury Zhuravlyov’s shot into the net. However, the lead didn’t last for long before Shabanov’s one-timer emphatically converted Albert Yarullin’s feed.
Both defenses tightened up in the final frame and there were relatively few chances. Vladimir Tkachyov was closest to winning it in regulation, but Alikin snuffed out his one-on-one break. That duel foreshadowed the decisive play of the evening: Tkachyov potted a shoot-out winner to give the home team the win.
Leopards edge past Minsk
HC Sochi 3 Dinamo Minsk 2 (1-1, 1-0, 1-1)
Back-to-back losses put the brakes on Sochi’s recent revival, and the Black Sea team came into this game 14 points adrift of eighth-placed Dinamo Minsk. In different circumstances, 10th vs 8th at this stage in the season could have been a real playoff showdown. However, while Dinamo is not yet mathematically certain of going to post season, it would take an astonishing collapse, coupled with an unlikely surge from one of the teams below, to deny the Bison now.
Nonetheless, Sochi has not given up on this season yet. The home team got ahead in the fifth minute thanks to Nikita Feoktistov, but had to settle for a 1-1 scoreline at the intermission after Rob Hamilton struck midway through the session.
The middle frame saw Sergei Popov restore the home lead, and shortly after that Alexei Kolosov came into the game to replace Dinamo’s starting goalie Dylan Ferguson. Kolosov was beaten early in the third when Nikolai Chebykin made it 3-1. There was still time for Nikita Pyshkailo to give the visitor hope in the last five minutes, but Sochi held on to take the win.
Jurusik denies Vityaz
Kunlun Red Star 2 Vityaz Moscow Region 0 (0-0, 1-0, 1-0)
The Dragons recorded a third successive victory to keep Vityaz at the foot of the Western Conference. It’s the home team’s best winning streak since Dec. 5, and the first shut-out since Nov. 23.
Vityaz, who surprised Dynamo Moscow with a 2-1 win in the previous game, was unable to build on that result and suffered a fourth loss in five outings.
Much of the credit for the home team’s success goes to goalie Matt Jurusik. He made 36 saves to frustrate the visiting offense. In the first period, even though Vityaz twice took penalties, Red Star was unable to assert itself in the game. However, neither team could break the deadlock.
The middle frame brought more penalty trouble for Vityaz, reduced to three skaters after Derek Barach and Yegor Voronkov followed each other into the box. The home power play could make little of that opportunity, but once at equal strength Red Star opened the scoring through Colin Campbell midway through the game.
In the third period, Vityaz picked up its attacking efforts. The shot count was firmly in the visitor’s favor, but from the four shots that KRS managed, Spencer Foo added a second, crucial goal.
Defending champ punches playoff ticket
CSKA Moscow 3 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 (1-1, 1-0, 1-1)
The anticipated clash between Sergei Fedorov and Igor Larionov did not go ahead as planned: Fedorov, once again, was unable to take his place behind the bench due to illness. Nonetheless, under the guidance of Ravil Yakupov, CSKA knew that victory – plus a loss for Vityaz in regulation – would seal a playoff place. The defending champion had to come from behind, but kept its side of the bargain with a win that avenges its overtime loss in Nizhny Novgorod 10 days ago.
Torpedo made a bright start, and got the opening goal in the third minute. CSKA got caught changing on the fly, Bogdan Konyushkov released Kirill Voronin and he fired home from the circle. Ivan Fedotov had to make a good save to deny Nikita Shavin when the Torpedo man was left all alone in front of goal a couple of minutes later, but gradually the home team got back into the game.
The tying goal came midway through the first period. Anton Slepyshev sent the puck down the left-hand boards, Andrei Svetlakov took it on and evaded the attentions of Anton Silayev to fired across the face of Adam Huska and into the top corner. Torpedo responded with a shot from Konyushkov that dinged the crossbar, but the teams were deadlocked at the intermission.
There wasn’t much to choose between the teams in the second period either. However, CSKA managed to inch ahead in the 39th minute. Nikita Nesterov’s shot was saved, the rebound went to Konstantin Okulov and he instantly fired in another attempt. The puck clipped Madison Bowey’s stick and found its way past Huska to make it 2-1.
Midway through the third, there was some comfort for the home team when Mikhail Grigorenko made it 3-1. And that cushion was needed: in the closing stages Torpedo went six-on-five and Kirill Kirsanov pulled a goal back. However, there was no time for the visitor to make it 3-3 and the news from Mytishchi confirmed that CSKA had clinched its playoff place.
Quickfire double puts Loko on top
Spartak Moscow 1 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2 (0-0, 1-2, 0-0)
Two quick goals in the second period were enough for Lokomotiv to snap a three-game losing streak and move up to second in the Western Conference. Spartak, looking for a fourth successive win, missed its own chance to move onto the shoulder of leader SKA as the teams jockey for position ahead of the playoffs.
The visitor had the better of the first period, outshooting Spartak 14-8 and enjoying significantly more attacking possession. However, home goalie Andrei Kareyev stopped everything that came his way.
Kareyev’s heroics were rewarded early in the second period when Spartak got in front. Nikolai Goldobin grabbed his 34th goal of the season, assisted by a swift interchange between Pavel Poryadin and Ivan Morozov. That Red-and-White trio has been deadly all season, and today’s goal took Spartak to 200 for the season. Only five teams have scored so many before.
However, that would not be enough to win this game. Lokomotiv dealt with adversity by continuing to press, but few would have expected a shorthanded goal to tie the game. Martin Gernat went to the box, and Alexander Polunin chased a clearance along the boards and beat Kareyev in a one-on-one. Then Gernat returned to the game, jumped on a loose puck in center ice and went through to make it 2-1.
In the third period, Spartak clearly wanted to take the game to the visitor. However, Lokomotiv is a master when it comes to closing out tight games. Igor Nikitin’s men strangled the home offense at source, limiting it to less than four minutes’ attacking possession. There wasn’t a whole lot more happening the other way, but with a lead to defend and time ticking down, that wasn’t so important. Loko held on for the win.
