Changing fortunes
There are signs that some of our early-season strugglers are beginning to pick up the pace. Also, some traditional powerhouses could be getting over uncertain starts. Meanwhile in Minsk the past week brought one milestone ... but left us waiting for another.
Third time’s the charm?
Barys is on to its third head coach of a turbulent season – and it might have found the right man at last. Since taking over from Vyacheslav Butsayev, Galym Mambetaliyev has steered the Kazakhs to back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Moreover, his victories at Dinamo Minsk and Sibir came with a roster shorn of its imports following a fundamental restructure of the club. The change of emphasis also reflects the shift in policy for Team Kazakhstan in recent seasons; the national team has dispensed with dual-national players and has played four successive seasons in the World Championship elite division while relying on homegrown talent.
Tyanulin sets club record
Barys isn’t the only struggling team to enjoy improved fortunes. HC Sochi moved off the foot of the Western Conference standings this week – and captain Artur Tyanulin is playing a big part in the Leopards’ revival. His assist in a shoot-out loss in Ufa completed a 10-game productive streak that began on Sep. 28 at Lokomotiv. That’s the longest scoring run in Sochi’s history, overtaking Sergei Kostitsyn’s record. The hot streak came to an end in a 1-2 loss at Neftekhimik on Thursday. Tyanulin had 14 (4+10) points through those 10 games, while Sochi is three points clear of Kunlun in the Western Conference.
Rapid rise
Ak Bars is not accustomed to dropping as low as eighth in the Eastern Conference, but that’s where Anvar Gatiyatulin’s team found itself early in the week. However, this year’s Eastern Conference is enormously congested and back-to-back wins over Admiral catapulted Kazan up the standings. As of Monday morning, Ak Bars is up to third, but is just five points clear of a Lada team trying to break into the playoffs.
Hawks win Sunday’s big meeting, Ak Bars continues to rise. October 27 round-up
Reinforcements for Avangard
One side-effect of the foreign exodus at Barys is the arrival of defenseman Alex Grant in Omsk. Grant moved to Astana after Butsayev took charge, but was deemed surplus to requirements when the head coach left. As a result, he moved to Avangard. The Hawks will be his fourth club in the KHL, having previously represented Jokerit, SKA and Barys. Grant, 35, also represented Canada at the 2022 Olympics while still with Jokerit. He’s not the only new face. Forward Nikolai Prokhorkin is no stranger to Avangard, having played 38 games there last season for 24 (12+12) points. Now he’s back on a one-year deal after beginning the season without a club. The Hawks are currently down in 10th after an uncertain start to the season, and are two wins back from eighth-placed Admiral.
Amur’s grim week
Played 3, lost 3. Scored 0, allowed 15. It’s fair to say this is a week that Amur would want to forget. The Tigers were on the road but got off to a rough start with a 0-7 loss at CSKA on Wednesday. Two days later, Lokomotiv was doing the damage in a 5-0 win in Yaroslavl. Then, on Sunday, Severstal celebrated its 1,000th game in the KHL by beating Severstal 3-0. It’s now more than 187 minutes since Amur scored on Spartak towards the end of a 4-5 loss on home ice on Oct. 19. Andrei Martemyanov’s team has lost six games in a row, leading to the head coach’s departure on Monday morning.
Kvartalnov’s milestone, Shipachyov still waiting
Minsk was the focus of the hockey world on Monday, but things didn’t go to plan for Dinamo and two men chasing major milestones. Head coach Dmitry Kvartalnov took charge of his 900th KHL game, more than any coach in the league’s history. However, finished on the losing side against Barys. A last-minute Kirill Panyukov goal gave the visitor a 2-1 verdict and spoiled Kvartalnov’s big day. There was frustration for forward Vadim Shipachyov as well after he failed to register a point in that game. He remains tied with Sergei Mozyakin on 928 KHL points and needs one more to claim the all-time record for himself. After four games without a point, his next chance is on Tuesday at Severstal.
Man of the Week: Vadim Shipachyov
