Conference leaders consolidate their positions. October 12 round-up

It was a good day for the Conference leaders. In the East, Traktor beat Torpedo in OT, moving clear of Avtomobilist as the Motormen fell to SKA. In the West, Lokomotiv has a six-point lead over second place thanks to a road win in Sochi. Loko’s closest challenger is now Spartak, 3-0 winner over Ak Bars, but there’s a six-point gap between the two. Elsewhere, Dynamo returned to the playoff spots with a 4-2 win over Salavat Yulaev and Metallurg beat Avangard by the same scoreline.

Traktor goes clear in the East

Traktor Chelyabinsk 5 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 4 OT (1-0, 1-1, 2-3, 1-0)

In a game between two teams in fine form, it took overtime to produce a winner after an entertaining battle. Torpedo managed to solve Traktor’s miserly defense, scoring four times on a team that had allowed just five goals in its previous five games. However, the visitor could not extend its six-game winning streak as Andrei Svetlakov potted the decisive goal in the extras.

Under Benoit Groulx, Traktor has established a good habit of scoring early. Today that pattern continued with Maxim Shabanov making it 1-0 on 1:53. The goal came during a spell of four-on-four play after each team took an early penalty. However, after that action-packed start, things slowed a little. The rest of the first period was cautious, with most of the play in center ice. Traktor claimed a second goal late in the session, but a bench challenge saw that one called back.

The second stanza also brought an early goal, this time for Torpedo. A strong press from the visitor set up a chance for Vasily Atanasov to beat Sergei Mylnikov. Traktor responded fast, regaining the lead barely a minute later thanks to a somewhat freakish goal from Nikita Tertyshny. He was merely playing a pass to the Torpedo slot, but the puck bounced of Ivan Kulbakov’s stick and into the net. Once again, after a lively start to the stanza, things quickly quieted down and there was no further scoring before the intermission.

Yet again, the third period brought a quick goal as Torpedo tied the scores through Atanasov’s second of the game. And, once again, Traktor found a quick – and seemingly decisive – response with two goals in the 47th minute. Alexander Kadeikin and Vladimir Tkachyov found the net to open a 4-2 lead. In the context of a close game, that felt like it might be enough to win it.

Torpedo had other ideas. Within three minutes, Bobby Lynch got a vital goal back. That kept the game alive until the final seconds, when Torpedo called Kulbakov to the bench and grabbed a tying goal 18 seconds before the hooter thanks to Evgeny Svechnikov’s point shot.

However, that stirring fightback was not enough to save the visitor from defeat. The extras lasted less than two minutes before Svetlakov completed a sixth successive win for Traktor.

Nikolayev blanks Ak Bars

Spartak Moscow 3 Ak Bars Kazan 0 (1-0, 1-0, 1-0)

Dmitry Nikolayev produced his first shut-out of the season as Spartak defeated Ak Bars for the first time since Feb. 2020. His 36 saves backstopped a victory that moves the Red-and-Whites to second place in the Western Conference.

After losing the two previous games by the same 2-5 scoreline, head coach Alexei Zhamnov made a few changes to the Spartak line-up. This included recalling Yegor Filin to the team after a two-game absence. And it was Filin who made the breakthrough in the first period with a memorable goal. Standing with his back to Amir Miftakhov’s net, he managed to steer the puck into the goal through his own legs with a backhanded redirect.

That goal came a couple of minutes before the intermission and was only the home team’s fourth shot on goal. Ak Bars began the game more impressively but could not turn its early pressure into a goal.

Although the goal lifted Spartak, the visitor regrouped in the intermission and made a good start to the second period. Kirill Semyonov forced Nikolayev into a spectacular save early on, and midway through the frame the goalie pulled off a double stop to deny Semyon Koshelev after an odd-man rush. Much as in the first period, Spartak soaked up the pressure and scored late in the session, this time through Adam Ruzicka.

Spartak began the third period from a position of strength and had little difficulty preserving its advantage. In the 51st minute, the home team completed the scoring thanks to German Rubtsov’s goal. He was assisted by Ansel Galimov, who scored his 200th KHL point.

Avangard’s troubles continue in Magnitogorsk

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 Avangard Omsk 2 (2-1, 1-0, 1-1)

Neither of these teams have lived up to expectations in the early part of the season. Metallurg’s defeat at home to Torpedo interrupted a winning run that seemed to have the defending champion returning to its best form, while Avangard’s inconsistent results are keeping the Hawks outside of the top eight.

Avangard suffered a catastrophic start to this game. Inside two minutes, the visitor was down 0-2, prompting Sergei Zvyagin to replace starting goalie Pavel Khomchenko with Ilya Proskuryakov. Alexei Maklyukov and Nikita Mikhailis did the damage, and Danila Yurov almost added a third with a shot that beat Proskuryakov and hit the post.

Gradually, the visitor managed to move the play away from its net. Before the intermission, Avangard even got a goal back when the third line launched a swift counter and Ivan Igumnov overpowered Yegor Yakovlev to beat Ilya Nabokov in the home net.

In the second period, Metallurg continued to threaten Proskuryakov’s net and possibly deserved to extend its lead before a 34th-minute marker from Daniil Vovchenko. Igor Geraskin missed a good chance when clean through on goal, but a power play was enough to put Vovchenko on the scoresheet.

For much of the game, Avangard struggled to gain a foothold in Magnitka territory and posed a greater threat on the counter. Reid Boucher had a good chance at the start of the third period, only for Nabokov to beat his shot away. Finally, the visitor took the initiative and began to press Metallurg back. That led to Damir Sharipzyanov pulling a goal back with a long-range effort that took a deflection on its way into the net.

With one goal still to find, the Hawks continued to play the game in the final third. Nabokov found himself by far the busier goalie, but he kept the visitor at bay. It was getting tense in the closing stages, even after Avangard suffered a too many men penalty. However, Luke Johnson’s empty net goal wrapped up the win for the home team.