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14-goal thriller in Omsk. February 6 round-up
There was no doubt about Tuesday’s top game: Avangard enjoyed a spectacular 9-5 victory over SKA. That puts the Hawks second in the overall standings, two points behind Metallurg. The Steelmen won 5-1 at home to Admiral. In the Eastern playoff race, Amur took a valuable win from Barys. Salavat Yulaev defeated CSKA by the same 2-0 scoreline. In the Western Conference, Vityaz became the first team to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention after losing at home to Sochi. Severstal won 4-2 at Dinamo Minsk and there were home successes for Torpedo over Traktor and Dynamo Moscow against Avtomobilist.
Tigers stay in playoff contention
Barys Astana 0 Amur Khabarovsk 2 (0-0, 0-0, 0-2)
Amur won in Kazakhstan for the second time in three games, moving back to within a point of eighth-placed Neftekhimik as the Eastern playoff race intensifies. For Barys, this was an eighth successive loss, and the fifth time in 11 games that the team failed to score. That lack of firepower came despite the return of Anthony Camara to the top line. The Canadian had been out for a week.
However, there was a long wait for a goal at either end in this game. In the first period, home goalie Eddie Pasquale was the busier of the two netminders, stopping 14 shots. That turned around in the middle frame, with Pasquale a virtual spectator and Igor Bobkov earning his pay with 19 saves.
Early in the third period, Amur got the puck in the net, but a video review called back the play due to Dmitry Shevchenko’s high stick. With the game still goalless, both teams became more cautious in their play: the potential price of any mistake got higher and higher, and eventually Barys cracked. Penalty trouble gave Amur a two-man advantage for a full minute. The home team survived with three, but the PK did not have the energy to continue after getting back to four men: Yegor Korshkov’s feed set up Vladislav Barulin for the opening goal with five to play.
With little time left to save the game, Barys blundered again. A misjudged change brought a too many men penalty. Despite the Amur power play, Oleg Bolyakin called Pasquale to the bench and hoped for a breakthrough in five-on-five play. However, the empty net was too inviting and Shevchenko wrapped it up with a second goal for the Tigers.
Boucher's hat-trick settles barn burner
Avangard Omsk 9 SKA St. Petersburg 5 (2-1, 1-2, 6-2)
In a season of high-scoring games, this was one of the most memorable. The 14 goals shared by Avangard and SKA could not quite match the 15 we saw when Spartak beat Dynamo 8-7 last month, but still served up a thrilling encounter. Avangard’s win complements its earlier 5-3 success in Petersburg and moves the Hawks to second in the overall KHL standings, two points behind Metallurg. SKA is one point further back.
The first chance went to SKA when Ivan Nikolishin took a high sticks minor. The visitor, whose power play was effective against Salavat Yulaev, again wasted little time in converting its first opportunity: Arseny Gritsyuk’s one-timer put Alexander Nikishin’s pass beyond Andrei Mishurov.
Avangard turned it around before the intermission, with goals from Ivan Igumnov and Igor Martynov making it 2-1. The first was created by a neat behind-the-back pass from Ivan Telegin; the second came after Nikita Kholodilin hit the crossbar. At the start of the second period, despite failing to convert its first power play of the night, Avangard added a third when a defensive error enabled Tomas Jurco to take the puck and chase Nikita Serebryakov from the net.
Pavel Moisevich replaced the visiting goalie and immediately had to face down a Martynov breakaway. The home team continued to press, but late in the frame SKA hit back with two quick goals. Marat Khairullin pulled one back on the counter, then Vasily Glotov tied it up with a fine display of individual skill.
The game-breaker turned out to be Avangard’s leading scorer Reid Boucher. He was quiet for two periods, but burst into life in the third. Boucher’s hat-trick moves him to 42 goals for the season, keeping him on course to beat Sergei Mozyakin’s record 48-goal haul in a regular season. More importantly, though, he lifted Avangard to 5-3 lead midway through the final stanza. That brought Serebryakov back into the game in place of Moisevich, but a minute later Igumnov potted his second of the night. Next, Jurco went to the box and SKA tried to force a six-on-four power play. However, Avangard stole the puck and Nikolishin found the empty net to make it 7-3.
Game over? Not at all. The visitor persevered with a sixth skater and Pavel Dedunov reduced the deficit. When Stepan Falkovsky made it 5-7 on 57:10, only a brave man would have been willing to predict the outcome of a crazy game. However, SKA’s surge ran out of steam and the last minute saw Boucher complete his treble on the power play before Mark Verba added another empty-netter at the end of a breathless battle.
Solid win for league leader
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 5 Admiral Vladivostok 1 (3-0, 0-1, 2-0)
Metallurg remains out in front in the overall KHL standings thanks to a comfortable victory over Admiral. The league leader took control of this game early on to collect a second win from three games against the Sailors within the past month.
A strong start from the home team set the tone. Igor Geraskin hit the post in the third minute, Metallurg got the first power play in the seventh and the opening goal arrived in the 10th. Nikita Mikhailis produced a baseball-style shot to beat Vasily Demchenko and his effort survived a video review to make it 1-0. There was more to come, with Nikita Grebyonkin and Roman Kantserov extending the lead to 3-0 before the intermission.
Overwhelmed in the first, Admiral improved in the second. Not only did the visitor slow Magnitka’s offense, it also managed to get a goal back through Anton Berlyov midway through the session. The next shift saw a second Admiral goal, but this was ruled out for offside.
Metallurg heeded the warning and calmed things down in the third. Demchenko came under more pressure, and he wasn’t helped by his team’s propensity for needless fouls. The biggest danger to the home team came from friendly fire – an error by defensive Robin Press almost brought a second Admiral goal. Instead, the remaining scoring came from Magnitka. Pavel Akolzin fired home the fourth in some style, then Maxim Karpov repeated the trick to make the final score 5-1.
Late goals sink CSKA
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2 CSKA Moscow 0 (0-0, 0-0, 2-0)
The home team secured its second win of the season over the defending champion, blanking CSKA in Ufa to remain clear in third place in the East. The Muscovites, again without head coach Sergei Fedorov, fell to a third straight loss and failed to score for the first time this year.
Ravil Yakupov, stepping in for Fedorov behind the CSKA bench, made changes after the shoot-out loss at home to Avtomobilist. Dmitry Gamzin replaced Ivan Fedotov in goal and 20-year-old Artyom Barabosha joined Darren Dietz on the second defensive pair. On the home roster, Mikhail Naumenkov was making his 600th KHL appearance.
Although the first period produced no goals, that owed much to powerful goaltending from Gamzin and his opposite number Alexander Samonov. Between them, they stopped 25 shots in the opening stanza.
At the start of the second, Ufa’s Yegor Suchkov wasted the best chance of the game to date. The next passage of play saw Vitaly Abramov squander a similarly clear opportunity for the visitor. That lack of precision in front of goal was becoming the game’s underlying trend, but in the 55th minute Josh Leivo changed all that. Alexander Sharov set up the Canadian, and his shot found the weakness in Gamzin’s armor.
The home team still had work to do. In the closing stages, Leivo sat for tripping and CSKA went six-on-four in a bid to save the game. Despite a storm in front of Samonov’s net, the home team held on and settled the outcome when Nikita Zorkin spotted his chance to shoot into the empty net and make the final score 2-0. Samonov finished with 32 saves.
Home loss ends Vityaz’ playoff prospects
Vityaz Moscow Region 3 HC Sochi 4 (0-1, 2-1, 1-2)
After suffering a home defeat to Sochi, Vityaz became the first team mathematically unable to make this year’s playoffs. Dmitry Ryabykin’s men are 16 points adrift of eighth-placed Dinamo Minsk, and even victories in all eight remaining games could not push them ahead in regulation-time wins. Sochi, meanwhile, maintains a theoretical chance but has 12 points to make up with eight games remaining.
The visitor took the lead here in the 14th minute and never trailed after Danil Avershin’s opener. In the second period, Vityaz twice tied the game on tallies from Alexander Daryin and Scott Wilson, but Matvei Michkov’s 15th goal of the season came between those two efforts.
Unusually, this game saw two assists from a goalie: Mikhail Berdin set up Michkov’s second-period strike, then that pair was involved again as Artur Tyanulin’s power play effort made it 3-2 at the start of the third. Another power play in the 56th minute saw Jesse Graham add a fourth, and even though Daryin scored his second of the night late on, there was no way back for the home team.
Torpedo snaps skid
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 Traktor Chelyabinsk 1 (0-0, 2-0, 1-1)
After five games without a win, Torpedo came out on top for the first time since Jan. 24. Tuesday’s success, built on second-period goals from Yegor Vinogradov and Andrei Belevich, sent Traktor to a second successive loss after the recent end of its winning run.
There wasn’t much to choose between the teams in the first period, although Traktor may feel it was doing more of the right things. The visitor got more of its shots on target (13 out of 21) and blocked more attempts at the other end (five against three) but neither team could force a breakthrough.
However, when Traktor took its first penalty at the start of the middle frame, Torpedo took advantage. Alexander Shepelev sat for tripping and Vinogradov opened the scoring in the 24th minute. That set up a second period where the home team had a clear advantage in all areas and Belevich doubled the lead midway through the session.
Traktor came out in the third period looking for a way to save the game. Jack Rodewald scored his first goal since joining the club from Kunlun Red Star in December to give the visitor hope. After that, there was plenty of pressure on the Torpedo net but Adam Huska held firm. An empty-net goal from Kirill Voronin wrapped up the home win with nine seconds on the clock.
Weal’s treble downs Avtomobilist
Dynamo Moscow 5 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 3 (2-0, 1-2, 2-1)
Avtomobilist’s second game in the capital was another high-scoring affair. This time, though, it ended in defeat as Dynamo moved to within a point of the Western Conference leader.
On Sunday, Dynamo saw Cedric Paquette score a hat-trick before blowing a 3-0 lead and losing at home to Lokomotiv. Today, Jordan Wealpotted a treble and that was enough to secure a 5-3 win.
The home team again made a strong start. Weal redirected a Nikita Gusev shot past Vladimir Galkin to open the scoring in the third minute. Then, late in the frame, another Gusev shot saw Yegor Rimashevsky get the crucial touch to double the lead.
Early in the second period, Yegor Petukhov received his second penalty of the game. Dynamo just about killed it, but two seconds after returning to full strength the home team saw Brooks Macek get the Motormen on the board. However, when Stephane Da Costa talked himself into trouble, a protracted home power play led to Weal’s second of the night. Almost immediately, Macek struck again to make it 3-2 at the second intermission.
The start of the final frame was a nervous time for Dynamo. The visitor had more of the play and was working hard to find a tying goal. However, when Curtis Valk was called for interference, the power play saw Weal complete his hat-trick and give his team-mates some breathing space. Nonetheless, on a day when both power plays were potent, the chance to play six-on-three was too good for Avto to resist and Da Costa got it back to a one-goal game with two-and-a-half minutes to go. The visitor continued on the power play, and continued to risk life without a goalie, but Dynamo held on and sealed the deal when Andrei Mironov found the empty net seven seconds before the hooter.
Steelmen ease to win in Minsk
Dinamo Minsk 2 Severstal Cherepovets 4 (1-2, 0-2, 1-0)
Severstal recorded a third successive victory with an assured display in Belarus. The home team, unable to build on Sunday’s 4-0 win over Admiral, slipped to a third loss in four games.
In the first period, the Steelmen proved far more clinical in front of goal. Although Dinamo had more possession and more shots, Severstal scored twice off seven attempts. Christian Jaros opened the scoring in the sixth minute, then Mikhail Ilyin doubled the lead. Late in the session, Sergei Kuznetsov’s marker gave Dinamo hope.
However, that hope was extinguished after the intermission. Severstal began creating more chances and took the game away with two goals late in the middle frame. Nikita Rozhkov made it 3-1 and, two minutes later, Nikita Sedov added a fourth.
At the start of the third period, Dinamo replaced Alexei Kolosov with backup goalie Yegor Velmakin. Early in the frame, Alexander Volkov pulled a goal back for the home team. However, Severstal had little trouble in holding on to record a third victory of the season against the Bison.
