Polunin’s double gives Loko a winning start. April 2 playoffs
The first of this year’s KHL semi-final series got underway in Yaroslavl. Lokomotiv secured a 5-2 win, with Alexander Polunin scoring twice and Pavel Kraskovsky collecting 3 (1+2) points. Traktor’s problems were compounded by an injury to goalie Zach Fucale, who left the game late in the second period when the score was 2-1.
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 5 Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 (2-1, 2-1, 1-0)
Lokomotiv leads the series 1-0
This Gagarin Cup semi-final series sees Lokomotiv looking to return to the final for the first time since the KHL’s inaugural season. Igor Nikitin is the only one of the four remaining head coaches to lift the trophy and could join Oleg Znarok in winning it with two different clubs.
Traktor, meanwhile, is hoping to reach its first final since 2013 when it fell to Znarok’s Dynamo Moscow. Head coach Alexei Zavarukhin could match Ilya Vorobyov’s 2016 achievement of taking over behind the bench during the season and going on to lift the trophy.
Lokomotiv went with the same roster that wrapped up a game seven victory in Omsk on Saturday. Traktor, which enjoyed a long rest after sweeping Dynamo in the second round, welcomed back defenseman Sergei Telegin after he missed the whole of that series due to injury.
The game began with a couple of penalties in the first minute. Lokomotiv was called for too many men after 44 seconds, but the Traktor power play lasted just 11 seconds before Vladimir Tkachyov’s high stick evened the numbers. The disruption seemed to suit the visitor better. Traktor had the edge in four-on-four play and, once everyone was back to full strength, took the lead in the sixth minute. Charles Robinson got the goal, speeding down the right-hand channel and launching a powerful shot from the circle to beat Daniil Isayev.
After that bright start, things continued to look promising for the visitor when Maxim Beryozkin went to the box. However, this time Loko grabbed a short-handed goal to tie the game. The initial rush saw the Railwaymen outnumbered, but two of the defending players inexplicably eased off, leaving Albert Yarullin alone to face Pavel Kraskovsky and Alexander Polunin. The latter converted a pass from the former and it was 1-1 midway through the session.
Special teams made the difference again late in the frame. This time it was Yarullin in the box and Lokomotiv’s Martin Gernat on the scoresheet to put his team in front just before the intermission.
The second period followed a similar pattern to the first. Traktor looked better in the early stages before Lokomotiv started to assert itself as the frame went on. The visitor suffered a serious blow in the 35th minute when Maxim Shalunov collided with goalie Zach Fucale. That forced Zavarukhin to send Sergei Mylnikov into the game and he soon allowed Polunin his second of the game. Almost immediately, Yarullin was back in the box, but this time we saw another shorty from the pacey Mikhail Kotlyarevsky to keep Traktor in contention.
However, the power play continued, and a couple of seconds before the defenseman returned, Kraskovsky made it 4-2.
That action-packed finale to the second period meant that the visitor needed a fast start to the third. Instead, Loko increased its advantage in the 42nd minute. Alexander Yelesin had little difficulty getting away from the stickless Danil Yurtaikin before lazering a shot home from a tight angle.
There was some hope for Traktor when Ivan Chekhovich took a penalty, but Lokomotiv’s defense is too well-drilled to give much away once the Railwaymen enjoy a commanding lead. This time, wave after wave of pressure was diverted harmlessly to the perimeter and Isayev barely had a save to make as the PK did its job. Midway through the session, another Traktor power play was similarly frustrating: Yarullin’s blasts were the greatest danger the visitor could pose as Nikita Kiryanov sat for tripping.
The next penalty saw Robinson leave Traktor shorthanded, effectively ending the contest in the 55th minute. Lokomotiv could not add to its five goals, but did not need to. After a sluggish start, day one of the series emphatically ended in Yaroslavl’s favor.
