SKA back on top. February 23 round-up

The race to top the Western Conference is now down to two contenders. SKA is back on top thanks to a comfortable win at Dinamo Minsk. As a result, Lokomotiv cannot finish higher than second despite today’s overtime success at Neftekhimik. At the foot of the table, Sochi goes back ahead of Kunlun following a 6-3 victory on home ice.

Gernat gives Loko OT win

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 3 OT (0-1, 2-0, 0-1, 0-1)

An overtime win for Lokomotiv made four victories in succession for the Railwaymen. But SKA’s success at Dinamo Minsk later in the day ends any chance for Igor Nikitin’s team to finish on top of the Western Conference as it remains two points adrift of SKA with one game to play and fewer wins in regulation.

Neftekhimik, no longer able to make the playoffs, only had pride to play for. Loko, meanwhile, needed a win to maintain any hope of taking first place in its race with SKA and Dynamo Moscow at the top of the Western Conference. That did not exactly motivate either team to produce a scintillating display of offensive hockey from the off. The first period saw just eight shots on target for the two sides, but one of them proved memorable for Raul Akmaldinov. The 21-year-old forward has yet to establish himself in the KHL with Lokomotiv, but today he scored his first goal in the big league to give the visitor and eighth-minute lead.

The home team responded in the second period. Dmitry Sokolov’s power play goal tied the game in the 29^th minute before Grigory Seleznyov made it 2-1 before the second intermission.

Despite that turnaround on the scoreboard, the balance of play still slightly favored Lokomotiv. In the third period, that helped the Railwaymen tie the game at 2-2 through Georgy Ivanov, taking matters to overtime. Those extras did not last long, with Martin Gernat getting the winner 39 seconds after the restart. Loko can still battle for second place with Dynamo Moscow if the Blue-and-Whites prove unable to catch SKA.

Lively evening for Michkov

HC Sochi 6 Kunlun Red Star 3 (2-1, 3-1, 1-1)

Sochi, looking to end a run of five losses against the Dragons this season, made a fast start. The Leopards opened the scoring in the fourth minute through Michal Kristof and extended that advantage before the midway point of the first period on a goal from Gleb Koryagin. However, Red Star matched the home team for shots and possession. The visitor pulled one back 46 seconds before the intermission through Tyler Wong.

At the start of the second period, Sochi took the game out of reach. Matvei Michkov scored early in the session, amid protests that the game should have stopped when Turner Ottenbreit fell injured behind the Dragons’ net. Then further tallies from Nikolai Chebykin and Artur Tyanulin opened a 5-1 lead for the home team.

Michkov was never far from the action and when he took a slashing penalty late in the middle frame, Red Star took advantage with a power play goal from Parker Foo. However, at the start of the third he potted his second of the night to make it 6-2. Red Star had the last word when Colin Campbell struck late on, but the game went to Sochi and the Leopards returned to ninth place in the Western Conference.

SKA storms past Dinamo

Dinamo Minsk 1 SKA St. Petersburg 5 (0-3, 0-2, 1-0)

This game could prove to be a dress rehearsal for the opening round of the playoffs. Dinamo is sure to finish eighth in the west, and SKA returned to top spot with a comfortable victory in Belarus. However, while this game proved straightforward, it’s worth noting that the Bison have been an awkward opponent for SKA this season, winning two of the three previous encounters between the teams.

There was little danger of Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team completing a third success, though. Although Nikita Serebryakov was the first goalie called into action, it wasn’t long before the visitor had the lead. Vasily Glotov struck in the third minute, scoring on SKA’s first attack after Artyom Sergeyev’s shot rebounded to him.

Midway through the session, Sergei Tolchinsky hit the post on the counterattack and Sergei Sapego put away the rebound. Then Tolchinsky found the net for himself, completing another breakaway after SKA forced a turnover close to its own net. That prompted Dinamo to replace starting goalie Alexei Kolosov with Dylan Ferguson, but the home team already had too much ground to make up.

In the second period, the visitor extended its lead further. Nikolai Polyakov scored on a delayed penalty, then Tolchinsky weighed in with his second of the game. That effort was helped by a kind bounce off Nick Merkley’s skate as SKA made it 5-0 inside half an hour.

The third period brought some good news for the home team. Brett Richie scored his first KHL goal after intercepting an attempted pass from Ivan Vydrenkov in the 48^th minute. It was little more than a consolation effort for the Canadian forward, whose time in Minsk so far has been hampered by injuries. Vydrenkov later got into a fight with the home team’s Alexander Volkov.