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Gusev breaks Mozyakin’s record. February 24 round-up
With an assist on Dynamo’s winning goal against Admiral, Nikita Gusev moved to 86 points for the season, and bettered Sergei Mozyakin’s single-season scoring record set in 2017. The win also puts the Blue-and-Whites top of the overall KHL standings with one game to play. In the East, Metallurg is a point clear at the top after beating Vityaz. Second-placed Avangard lost to Traktor in a shoot-out. We saw a playoff rehearsal as Spartak defeated Severstal 5-3, and Ak Bars downed Amur 4-2 to secure fourth place in the East. On a busy Saturday, there were road wins for CSKA at Torpedo, Lada at Barys and Sibir at Salavat Yulaev.
CSKA leapfrogs Torpedo into sixth
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 1 CSKA Moscow 2 (0-0, 0-2, 1-0)
CSKA edged in front of Torpedo to take sixth place with one game of the season to play. A tight victory for the defending champion puts it on course for a first-round match-up with Lokomotiv, while Torpedo would look likely to face Dynamo Moscow or SKA next week.
However, this is something of a “phoney war” period for many KHL teams as they look to complete the regular season while keeping more than one eye on the upcoming playoffs. As such, the tempo was sluggish early on, although CSKA looked the more threatening of the teams. A goalless first period offered few clues as to what we could expect from either opponent when playing at full post season intensity.
After the intermission, Torpedo managed to inject some pace into the game and gained a more even share of the puck. CSKA continued to probe methodically for an opening and eventually gained its reward midway through the session. Maxim Sorkin won an attacking face-off, then got into position to apply a redirect to Fredrik Claesson’s deflected point shot. Vitaly Abramov had an assist on that play, and got another four minutes later when Torpedo lost possession in center ice. Abramov set up Yegor Bryutov, who celebrated his first KHL goal.
Torpedo began the third period killing the final seconds of a penalty. After surviving that test, the host quickly found itself on the power play and Bobby Lynch made it 1-2 on 40:50. However, that was the end of the scoring as CSKA closed out the win.
Shumakov leads Lada to victory
Barys Astana 1 Lada Togliatti 4 (0-0, 1-2, 0-2)
Lada recorded its second win in three days, banishing memories of a seven-game skid. Barys, meanwhile, seems to be subsiding to the foot of the Eastern Conference after losing a fourth successive game and finding itself on the wrong end of a 4-1 scoreline for the third time in that unhappy run.
It might have turned out differently if Barys had made more of its first-period pressure. The home team outshot Lada 9-3 but could not find a way past Vladislav Podyapolsky. The visiting goalie was celebrating his 300th KHL appearance today.
Lada punished that wastefulness with two goals early in the second period. A counterattack in the first minute was initially repelled, but Artyom Borodkin joined in the second phase of play and thumped a powerful shot past Andrei Shutov. A few minutes later, 20-year-old defenseman Karim Vafin scored his first KHL goal to double Lada’s lead. Pontus Aberg got one back with a shorthanded tally for Barys, but the Motormen held their advantage to the intermission.
Both teams had chances on the power play at the start of the third, but the scoring came later in the frame. In the closing stages Sergei Shumakov – who also had two assists in the game – made it 3-1 before Alexei Volgin made the final score 4-1 to Lada.
Avangard loses ground in race for the summit
Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 Avangard Omsk 2 SO (1-1, 1-1, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0)
A second successive loss for Avangard means that the Hawks need Metallurg to slip up if they are to clinch top spot in the Eastern Conference. With one game to play, Magnitka is one point ahead of its Siberian rival. Traktor, meanwhile, remains sixth after today’s win and is likely to face Salavat Yulaev at the start of the playoffs.
The home team dominated much of the first period, yet went to the intermission locked at 1-1. Traktor fired in 21 shots, but Ilya Proskuryakov stopped 20 of them. He was beaten in the 11th minute by Ilya Karpukhin’s one timer after Sergei Telegin’s slick feed pulled the goalie out of position. That goal cancelled out Tomas Jurco’s opener at the other end, a goal against the run of play in the 8th minute.
At the start of the second period, Avangard got the puck away from its net for a time. A power play helped, but even at equal strength the Hawks continue to threaten. Nikolai Prokhorkin opened up his box of tricks in the 28th minute to take three opponents out of the game and put the visitor in front for a second time. Once again, though, Traktor responded quickly. Viktor Antipin found space in front of the visitor’s net and converted Vladimir Zharkov’s feed.
After that, Traktor once again had the better of the game but could not turn its advantage into goals. That pattern was often seen in the third period as well, with the impressive Proskuryakov keeping Avangard in the game and taking us to overtime.
In the absence of Reid Boucher, Avangard could not withdraw the goalie during the extras. Traktor had a slight edge playing three-on-three, but the action inexorably went to a shoot-out. Home forward Maxim Shabanov was the hero, converting two of his three attempts to give Traktor the win.
Sibir shoots down Salavat Yulaev
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 1 Sibir Novosibirsk 2 (0-0, 1-2, 0-0)
With little riding on this game, Salavat Yulaev changed things up following its 3-0 win over Admiral. Ilya Ezhov returned in goal, while the top line comprised Nikolai Kulemin, Alexander Chmelevski and Ivan Drozdov. Mikhail Naumenkov returned on defense.
Naumenkov and Ezhov were busy in the first period with Sibir having the better of the play and looking more likely to open the scoring. However, the opening goal went to Ufa at the start of the second. A great feed from Denis Orlovich-Grudkov set up Alexander Sharov for a goal against his former team.
Sibir did not buckle despite falling behind. The visitor quickly tied the scores thanks to a kind bounce off Drozdov’s skate, with Nikita Korotkov credited with the goal. Then Andy Andreoff’s power play goal made it 2-1 in the 35th minute.
That was the end of the scoring. Salavat Yulaev looked for a way back in the third period, but could not find a way through as Sibir collected a third win in four games.
Steelmen struggled past Vityaz
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 Vityaz Moscow Region (0-1, 1-0, 1-0)
Although Vityaz is stuck at the foot of the Western Conference and Metallurg is top of the East, this was not a straight forward win for the Steelmen. The home team had to come from behind to secure a verdict that puts it a point clear of Avangard with one game left of the regular season.
The first period was evenly matched, but Vityaz surprised the home team late in the session when Vladislav Tsitsyura got the opening goal. After that, the visitor dug in to resist an attacking surge from Metallurg. Although the home team dominated the second period, Artyom Minulin’s 28th-minute goal was the only reward.
With the scores level at the second intermission, Vityaz believed it could get something from the game. The visitor arguably had the better of the final frame, outshooting Magnitka 19-12 and asking plenty of questions for home goalie Ilya Nabokov. However, a power play goal from Yegor Yakovlev proved crucial, giving Metallurg the lead on 48 minutes. That proved to be the winner, and possibly a pivotal goal in the race to finish on top in the East.
Galiyev ends goal drought
Ak Bars Kazan 4 Amur Khabarovsk 2 (0-1, 4-0, 0-1)
With victory over Amur, Ak Bars ensured it would finish fourth in the Eastern Conference. That means a home start in the playoffs, most likely against Avtomobilist. Amur remains in eighth, and will face the top seed when post season begins on Thursday.
The Tigers claimed a first-period lead in this game, with Jan Drozg opening the scoring when his shot deflected into Timur Bilyalov’s net. However, even the most generous Amur fan would struggle to argue that the visitor looked the better team in that opening frame.
In the middle frame, the home team set about proving its superiority and produced four unanswered goals. Stanislav Galiyev tied the game in the 29th minute, converting a one-on-one breakaway for his first goal in 27 games. Then, late in the session, the floodgates opened. Maxim Bykov put Ak Bars ahead with a well-taken individual effort and triggered a run of three goals in three-and-a-half minutes. Galiyev potted his second of the night, then Kirill Semyonov made it 4-1. The hooter brought a fight after Nikita Dynyak took exception to Vyacheslav Gretsky’s hit on one of his team-mates.
In the third period, Ak Bars continued to create chances. However, the home team did not add to its tally and the final contribution went to Amur. Kirill Slepets grabbed a short-handed goal to make the final score 4-2.
Success for Spartak in playoff warm-up
Spartak Moscow 5 Severstal Cherepovets 3 (1-2, 1-1, 3-0)
These two teams are set to meet again in the first round of the playoffs, and it promises to be a highscoring encounter. Spartak is the KHL’s most prolific team this season with 231 goals, while Severstal brought up 200 goals in this game. Only 10 clubs have produced 200-goal seasons in the KHL, with Andrei Kozyrev’s Steelmen the latest to join that role of honor.
In the early stages, the visitor managed to keep itself in front of the Red-and-Whites. Dmitry Moiseyev and Adam Liska’s first-period goals came either side of Demid Mansurov’s effort for Spartak and Severstal had the lead at the intermission. Spartak replied once more through Pavel Poryadin in the 29th minute, but Danil Aimurzin struck just before the second break to make it 3-2 for the visitor.
Victory here would be a handy psychological boost ahead of the playoffs, but the home team was in no mood to offer any favors. Nikolai Goldobin tied the scores for a third time at the start of the final frame, and this time Spartak went on to take control. A power play goal from Yegor Savikov put the Red-and-Whites up for the first time in the 54th minute, and Yegor Zaitsev’s empty-net goal sealed the deal.
Dynamo goes back to the top
Dynamo Moscow 4 Admiral Vladivostok 3 OT (1-1, 1-1, 1-1, 1-0)
Nikita Gusev claimed his 86th point of the season to set a new KHL record. He topped the 85 points Sergei Mozyakin compiled in the 2016-2017 campaign and becomes the most productive player in a single regular season since the KHL began.
More importantly, his helper saw Jordan Weal give Dynamo a win that returns it to the top of the Western Conference. The Muscovites are a point clear of SKA and both teams have one game to play. If the Petersburg club loses to Kunlun Red Star in regulation tomorrow, Dynamo would secure the Continental Cup with a game to spare.
However, Admiral was close to doing SKA a big favor in that race. The Sailors are long out of playoff contention, but produced a battling performance in Moscow to take the game to overtime. Despite falling behind to an early goal from Brennan Menell, Admiral recovered to tie the scores through Nikita Makeyev in the 19th minute. There was more to come: right after the intermission, Giovanni Fiore put the visitor ahead. Dynamo tied it up once again late in the frame, but the game remained deadlocked until deep into the third.
In the 58th minute, Dynamo got back in front. Dmitry Rashevsky’s goal looked to be good enough to win the game, but Admiral refused to surrender. The visitor tied it up with 17 seconds on the clock when Alexander Gorshkov scored. That forced the game into overtime, when Gusev finally had his say to set the record and set up the winner.
