Metallurg starts with a win. April 3 playoffs
Goals from Alexander Petunin and Pavel Akolzin helped Magnitka edge a 2-1 verdict over Avtomobilist in the opening game of their 2024 KHL semi-final series. Danil Romantsev grabbed a last-minute tally for the visitor, robbing Ilya Nabokov of back-to-back shut-outs for the second time in this year’s playoffs, but he couldn’t salvage the verdict for his team.
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 1 (0-0, 1-0, 1-1)
Metallurg leads the series 1-0
The second of the 2024 Gagarin Cup semi-finals sees Metallurg, two-time champion, take on an Avtomobilist team making its first appearance at this stage of the competition. The Motormen never previously reached the last four in the top division of any Soviet or Russian championship, while the Steelmen are regulars at this stage.
Meanwhile, this season is also a big opportunity for Andrei Razin. Magnitka’s head coach has long been viewed as a rising star behind the bench and his work with Severstal earned great respect. However, this is the first season when Razin has worked at a club with serious cup-winning potential – a new challenge, and a chance to confirm his potential.
For this semi-final match-up against one of his former clubs, Razin was without experienced forward Maxim Karpov. Maxim Mukhametov, who has been in and out of the team in post season, took his place. Avto, meanwhile, welcomed back captain Sergei Shirokov. The veteran forward missed the last four games of the series against SKA. However, the visitor missed leading defenseman Nick Ebert.
Much of Metallurg’s success in the playoffs has come from a solid defense. In its second-round series against Spartak, the Steelmen had three shut-outs in six games. Today, Ilya Nabokov came within 42 seconds of posting a second successive shut-out before he was finally beaten in the last minute. By then, though, his team had a big enough lead to claim the first victory of the series.
Going forward, though, it took the home team some time to settle into its game. Metallurg had a great opportunity midway through the first period when penalties for Maxim Osipov and Denis Barantsev reduced the visitor to three skaters. However, the power play didn’t hit its stride and the home team struggled to test Evgeny Alikin in the Avtomobilist net.
Magnitka’s advantage – both territorial and in terms of shots – was clear. However, it took some time to convert it into a goal. Indeed, midway through the second period there were warning signs for the home team when Danil Romantsev’s low shot was padded onto Alexeyev’s stick. On this occasion, though, the visiting forward fired wide of the target.
Metallurg made the most of that reprieve in the 35th minute. In contrast to the puck possession the home team enjoyed for much of the game, this goal came on the counterattack. A swift raid down the right wing set Alexander Petunin on his way to the slot, where his shot bounced into the net off Nikita Tryamkin’s skate.
It was a highly-disciplined performance from Magnitka. The home team completed the whole 60 minutes without a single penalty. In the first two sessions, it also had Avtomobilist struggling to create much offense. And if the home power play had managed to make more of its opportunities, this might have been a more comfortable win.
However, the final frame saw the Motormen begin to ask more difficult questions of Nabokov. After killing two more penalties early in the session, Avtomobilist created its best chance of the game when Romantsev set up Tryamkin for a dangerous shot. The 21-year-old goalie shrugged that one away, but the pressure on his net only intensified. Brooks Macek made a nuisance of himself in the Metallurg zone, and Barantsev unleashed a testing shot from the circle that Nabokov grabbed at the second attempt.
The pendulum seemed to be tipping the visitor’s way, but when Alikin went to the bench to allow for a sixth skater, Metallurg snatched a second goal. Igor Geraskin won possession in center ice and set up Pavel Akolzin in front of an empty net. That insurance policy proved its value in the last minute when Romantsev finally beat Nabokov. The goal was too late to save this game, but who knows what psychological impact it might have when the teams meet again on Friday?
