Zernov goal gives Magnitka the win. April 20 playoffs
Metallurg survived a last-second drama to claim a second victory in the Gagarin Cup final series. Denis Zernov’s goal 21 seconds into the third period was all that separated Magnitka and Lokomotiv in game two, with Ilya Nabokov making 32 saves. The home goalie was beaten by Georgy Ivanov in the final second, but a video review spotted a hand pass in the build-up and the Steelmen took the tightest of wins.
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 1 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 0 (0-0, 0-0, 1-0)
Metallurg leads the series 2-0
Metallurg went with the same team that won the opening game of the series. Captain Yegor Yakovlev, as expected, missed out due to injury for the second time and Danila Palivko continued on defense in his absence. Lokomotiv made two changes. Maxim Shalunov picked up a knock in the first game, forcing him out of this one. Yaroslav Likhachyov took his place. In addition, Igor Nikitin made a now familiar switch, replacing Ivan Chekhovich with Daniil Tesanov.
As in Thursday’s opening game, the teams played out two goalless periods. However, unlike game one, the pattern of play was rather different. The first meeting saw Metallurg dominate play in the first period. Today, though, Lokomotiv’s offense was more visible, generating more on the counter even as the home team enjoyed more possession. Nonetheless, neither side could break the deadlock, although Metallurg got the puck in the net thanks to Alexei Maklyukov’s point shot in the 13th minute. However, that effort was whistled back after a video review spotted an offside.
At the start of the second, Magnitka was on the power play – its second of the game. Lokomotiv killed Alexander Yelesin’s penalty and then carved out the first big opportunity of the session when Maxim Beryozkin got clear and bore down on goal. This time, though, Ilya Nabokov denied the Railwaymen’s leading scorer in this year’s playoffs.
Metallurg responded with a breakaway chance of its own when Alexander Petunin forced a turnover on his own blue line and raced down the ice, only to be halted by Daniil Isayev. After that, the teams traded unsuccessful power plays as the second period ended in stalemate.
It took the home team just 21 seconds to change all that at the start of the third. The play started behind Nabokov’s net, where three Lokomotiv players were drawn into an unsuccessful battle for possession. Dmitry Silantyev sent Denis Zernov away on a two-on-two rush and, while Roman Kantserov drifted to the back door, Zernov got around Andrei Sergeyev. Moving into the space created by his team-mate, Zernov produced a perfect finish into the top corner for his 11th goal of this year’s playoffs.
Five minutes later, the scorer almost added to his tally on another breakaway. This time, though, Isayev made the save after Zernov’s pace took him away from Martin Gernat. For all Lokomotiv needed a goal, the visitor struggled to retain puck possession and rarely threatened Nabokov’s net until the closing stages. In the last 10 minutes, gradually, the Railwaymen began to pose more questions. Even so, the first big opportunity had to wait until the 56th minute when Sergeyev ran onto Artur Kayumov’s feed down the right wing and bore down on goal, only to find Nabokov in place to make the save.
The closing moments were tense. Metallurg focussed on protecting its slender lead, and Lokomotiv began to pose more questions. In the last minute, with Isayev replaced by a sixth attacker, the visitor was unfortunate not to capitalize on a huge scramble in front of Isayev’s net. Sergeyev’s shot from the boards caused untold confusion on the slot, but the puck would not drop for a Lokomotiv stick and Magnitka survived that scare.
But there was still time for one more surge, and Georgy Ivanov managed to get the puck in the net with just one second left on the clock. That wasn’t the end of the drama, with the officials reviewing the play, concerned about a hand pass in the build-up. There was no issue about Ivanov’s close-range finish, but earlier in the play Gernat was spotted using his hand to send the puck towards Sergeyev on the boards. The goal was ruled out, and Metallurg hung on to take a 2-0 lead as the series moves to Yaroslavl.
