Late goals in it for Amur. October 13 round-up

Two goals in the third period gave Amur victory in Sunday’s only KHL game. The Tigers defeated Lada 2-0, extending a winning run over the Motormen that dates back 15 years on home ice. The visitor’s last win in Khabarovsk was a 4-1 success in Jan. 2009, but it has a chance to end that run on Tuesday when the teams meet again.

Amur Khabarovsk 2 Lada Togliatti 0 (0-0, 0-0, 2-0)

In the first period, Lada struggled with penalties and Amur had the initiative. The best chance went to Gizdatullin in the seventh minute when he got clean through on goal, but Alexander Trushkov snuffed out the opportunity.

In the second period Amur began with a high press that kept Lada pegged back. However, a penalty on Evgeny Grachyov in the 24th minute enable the visitor to move play away from its net and gradually the Motormen came to have slightly the better of the middle frame. Ostap Safin had a decent opening but fired wide of the target with only Igor Bobkov to beat.

The deadlock endured until midway through the third period. However, young defenseman Sergei Ryzhikov picked a timely moment for his first goal of the season, putting the Tigers in front in the 50th minute. Vyacheslav Gretsky’s empty-netter sealed the win for Amur, lifting the home team ahead of today’s opponent and into ninth place in the East.