Leaders slip up. October 14 round-up

Both conference leaders suffered defeat in Monday’s action. In the East, Traktor went down 3-1 at home to Avangard, before Vityaz took a 2-1 home verdict over Lokomotiv. The other games both finished 5-0 and both would represent painful losses against fierce rivals. Metallurg suffered a home humbling at the hands of Ak Bars before Dynamo won the Moscow derby against Spartak.

Boucher snaps Traktor’s hot streak

Traktor Chelyabinsk 1 Avangard Omsk 3 (1-0, 0-1, 0-2)

The teams’ form could hardly have been in greater contrast. For Traktor, six straight wins secured top spot in the East, while Avangard’s inconsistent results left the team outside the playoff places.

Initially it seemed that the formbook would be respected. Traktor started well, creating good chances and getting ahead midway through the first period. Nikita Tertyshny got into a good position on the slot and converted an Alexander Kadeikin feed. Avangard tried to get its offense going, but there was no doubt that the home lead was justified at the intermission.

However, after the break the Hawks took off. Linden Vey tied the scores early in the frame, his wrist shot halting Zach Fucale’s shut-out streak after 176:50. Traktor tried to regain the initiative but already found it harder to make an impression on an Avangard team that had renewed belief.

At the start of the second period, Reid Boucher set up Vey for his wrist shot. At the start of the third, he scored Avangard’s second of the game. After that, the play was even. It was rare for either team to get long spells of attacking possession, and quick breaks were the order of the day. Vladimir Tkachyov might have brought Traktor level, but Ilya Proskuryakov preserved the Hawks’ lead. It wasn’t until Boucher found the empty net late on that Avangard secured the win and halted Traktor’s hot streak.

Semyonov double paces Ak Bars’ triumph

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 0 Ak Bars Kazan 5 (0-2, 0-2, 0-1)

After three straight losses, Ak Bars needed a boost against one of its biggest rivals. And a 5-0 win at the home of the defending champion was exactly the kind of boost Anvar Gatiyatulin might have asked for. The head coach scratched Mitchell Miller, Konstantin Luchevnikov and Yegor Korshkov, bringing in Alexei Marchenko, Yegor Babenko and Semyon Terekhov. Magnitka also shuffled its lines, albeit without switching up its higher profile players.

In the early stages most of the play was in center ice. It took a goal from Nikita Lyamkin to give Ak Bars the lead and inject some life into the game. The next shift saw Ak Bars get on the power play and it wasn’t long before we saw a second goal. A scrum on the paint saw the puck bounce into the net off Ilya Nabokov’s pads; Ilya Safonov claimed the goal. Within seconds, Nabokov was involved again to make a big save and deny the visitor a third goal.

However, that merely postponed the inevitable. Ak Bars defended strongly when required and even a mega-chance for Nikita Mikhailis and Danila Yurov at the start of the second period simply went begging.

After that, things calmed down until the visitor grabbed a pair of quick tallies late in the session. Kirill Semyonov and Artyom Galimov padded the lead with two goals in 80 seconds, and Nabokov made way for Alexander Smolin.

By now the game was done. Ak Bars played for the shut-out and it says much for the defensive performance that Metallurg was limited to 23 shots in the game. The final word went to Semyonov, who potted his second of the night midway through the third period to complete an emphatic win.

Barach’s 10th of the season helps Vityaz into top eight

Vityaz Moscow Region 2 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1 (2-0, 0-0, 0-1)

With a victory over table-topping Lokomotiv, Vityaz climbed into the top eight at the expense of Dinamo Minsk. Both teams came into the game in good form, with Loko winning seven out of eight and the home team taking four of the last five verdicts.

However, in a penalty-strewn first period it was Vityaz who took control. Between them, the teams collected 10 penalty minutes and the home PP did its job. On the first attempt, Jeremy Roy’s point shot deflected into the path of Derek Barach for his 10th goal of the season. That strengthens his position as the leading goalscorer in the KHL so far. Ivan Chekhovich collected an assist against his former club.

Later in the frame, Dmitry Buchelnikov got a one-on-one break and doubled the lead. He opted for an early shot, surprising Danill Isayev to make it 2-0.

At the other end, Lokomotiv enjoyed four consecutive minutes on the power play, but could produce nothing more threatening that Daniil But shot that flashed wide of an open net. The visitor had 14 shots on goal, but seldom managed to seriously test Maxim Dorozhko.

After the intermission, Lokomotiv dominated the game. The visitor spent almost nine minutes in the Vityaz zone but could not find a way back into the game. That pattern continued in the third period. Eventually, Artur Kayumov solved the Vityaz goalie in the 53rd minute, pulling it back to 1-2. However, not even a late Loko power play could produce a tying goal.

Paquette treble lifts Dynamo past Spartak

Dynamo Moscow 5 Spartak Moscow 0 (1-0, 3-0, 1-0)

After victory over Salavat Yulaev returned Dynamo to the top eight, Alexei Kudashov made just one change. Maxim Motorygin returned in goal, replacing Evgeny Yaroslavlev. Behind the opposite bench, Spartak head coach Alexei Zhamnov was missing due to illness. However, there was better news on the ice with Pavel Poryadin returning to the team.

It didn’t take long to break the deadlock in Monday night’s derby. In the fourth minute, Dynamo got ahead when Jordan Weal and Cedric Paquette banged in a flurry of shots at the Spartak net; Paquette found the target.

However, the home team could not immediately build on that start. Penalty trouble slowed the Blue-and-Whites, allowing Spartak to even the balance of play, if not the scoreline. At the first intermission, the visitor was up 13-7 in shots, but down 0-1 in goals.

However, the second period saw Spartak hit disciplinary issues. The visitor killed Andrei Mironov’s penalty, but when Poryadin sat for high sticking, Paquette got his second of the game. The double minor continued, and Nikita Gusev made it 3-0. Both goals were assisted by Weal and Brennan Menell. And Poryadin’s unhappy return to action continued when he found himself back in the box late in the frame, watching Maxim Dzhioshvili add a fourth Dynamo goal.

Spartak swapped goalies for the third period, but Patrik Rybar could not prevent Paquette from completing his hat-trick late in the game on yet another power play.