Johnson goal lifts Magnitka to OT win. April 7 playoffs
Avtomobilist grabbed a last-minute goal to save this game in regulation. But Danil Romantsev’s late effort was in vain as Metallurg recovered to regain the lead in this Gagarin Cup semi-final series thank to an overtime tally from Luke Johnson.
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 2 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 OT (1-1, 0-0, 1-1, 0-1)
Metallurg leads the series 2-1
Metallurg made one change from the team that lost on Friday. Maxim Mukhametov paid a heavy price for his game-breaking major penalty, losing his place on the team to Maxim Karpov. In Friday’s action, Avtomobilist scored twice during that five-minute power play.
The home team, meanwhile, continued without center Curtis Valk. Defenseman Denis Barantsev also missed out. Yegor Alexeyev came into the team as 13th forward and the Motormen reverted to playing with seven on defense.
In the early stages, the teams traded chances. The first real opening fell to Metallurg in the sixth minute when Vladislav Yeryomenko drove through the center and set up Luke Johnson at the back door. The American forward’s low shot forced Evgeny Alikin into a smart pad save.
At the other end, Magnitka was almost caught out on a turnover, but Stepan Khripunov’s redirect flashed wide of the target.
Midway through the opening frame, Robin Press opened the scoring for the visitor. Danila Yurov broke down the right wing before turning to set up his Swedish colleague. Press unleashed a powerful shot into the top corner, giving Alikin no chance. However, the lead was short-lived. Barely a minute later, Andrei Obidin’s rush down the right saw him fire in a shot that Ilya Nabokov could not hold. Khripunov reacted fastest to stuff the puck into the net and tie the game.
Late in the frame, a swift Avtomobilist counterattack saw Nick Ebert find space on the slot. However, the defenseman could not beat Nabokov and the game remained tied through 20 minutes.
After the intermission, Metallurg enjoyed far more possession. The home defense had to soak up the pressure, blocking nine of 25 attempts but allowing 10 shots on goal in the process. In particular, Magnitka was dangerous on the power play and the last couple of minutes of the middle frame were tough for Avtomobilist. When Ebert sat in the 38th minute, the visitor piled on the pressure. A flurry of long-range efforts could not brute-force a way through, then Igor Geraskin was muscled away from a scoring chance on the slot after Alexander Petunin fired the puck into the danger zone. The hooter handed the home team a reprieve and the session ended with no further scoring.
At the start of the third, though, Metallurg made the breakthrough. Roman Kantserov released Dmitry Silantyev down the left and he deked his way past Obidin before placing a wrister on the top shelf. It was a quality play deserving of giving his team the lead.
However, it was not enough to secure the win in regulation. Avto’s Danil Romantsev has a habit of scoring late goals. In the opening game, his effort on 59:18 was merely a consolation; game two saw him seal a 4-2 win with a 59th-minute empty netter. Today, he grabbed a hugely meaningful marker with 48 seconds on the clock.
Avtomobilist had already built on some pressure on a power play and, after Metallurg returned to full strength, Alikin went to the bench. The six-on-five gambit paid off with Romantsev redirecting Stephane Da Costa’s shot to the slot and tying the game in dramatic fashion.
Delayed but not denied, Metallurg started the extras with added intensity. In the first minute, Kantserov got clean through on goal but put his backhand shot over the top. Then Press joined the attack and saw his shot from boards deflect just wide. At the other end, Brooks Macek forced Nabokov into a save, but in the 63rd minute the visitor grabbed the winner.
Karpov was the architect, taking Pavel Akolzin’s pass to the doorstep and faking a shot on Alikin. As the goalie dropped to his pads, Karpov sent the puck by to Johnson who had a straightforward finish into an open net to win the game and put Metallurg back in front in the series.
