Late goal keeps Loko’s winning run, Torpedo blows 2-0 lead. November 9 round-up

Saturday’s top game saw Lokomotiv grab a 2-1 victory over Ak Bars to extend its lead at the top of the standings. A 58th-minute goal from Alexander Polunin settled the meeting in Yaroslavl. Salavat Yulaev came from 0-2 to defeat Torpedo in overtime in an entertaining game, and there was also OT in Vladivostok as Admiral defeated Eastern Conference top dog Traktor. Amur’s troubles continued with a loss at home to Avtomobilist, Metallurg won 4-1 at Sibir and Sochi moved off the foot of the Western Conference with a 3-1 success at Vityaz.

Another OT triumph for Admiral

Admiral Vladivostok 4 Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 OT (1-0, 0-1, 2-2, 1-0)

On the current home stand, Admiral has gone to overtime twice in two games. Today extended that run to three as the Sailors followed victory over Avangard with a win against Conference leader Traktor.

It took a little time for the game to get going. The first period brought relatively few dangerous moments save for an early rush from Alexander Kadeikin that almost put the visitor in front. Things changed when Admiral got the first power play of the day and Nikita Soshnikov opened the scoring.

Traktor responded after the intermission thanks to Vladimir Tkachyov, taking on Steven Kampfer’s defense-splitting pass and pinging a perfectly-placed shot into the top corner. Even after this, the play remained congested with few clear opportunities. Stepan Starkov’s one-on-one with Sergei Mylnikov was the closest we came to either side breaking the deadlock, but the scores were tied at 1-1 through 40 minutes.

If fans were starved of action in the first two periods, the third made up for it. Admiral started strongly and regained the lead thank to Yegor Petukhov. The same player then found himself on the wrong end of a fight with Kampfer as the game became more aggressive, to the point of violence. In the 52nd minute, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev pulled Traktor level for the second time, with Andrei Svetlakov’s assist stretching his productive streak to four games.

Traktor got in front for the first time thanks to Sergei Telegin, but the lead lasted just 31 seconds before Jack Rodewald tied it up and sent the action into OT. Traktor’s hopes of winning in the extras were hit by a penalty, and Rodewald swiftly converted the power play to give Admiral the win.

Motormen hand Amur a 10th loss

Amur Khabarovsk 2 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 3 (1-1, 0-1, 1-1)

Avtomobilist’s trip to Kazakhstan brought victory – but at a price. Injuries to Nick Ebert and Curtis Valk forced Nikolai Zavarukhin to make changes today, with Sergei Zborovsky and Konstantin Khremkin coming into the team. Amur scratched Arnaud Durandeau as the Tigers looked to end a long losing streak.

In recent games, Amur has outshot opponents but struggled to find the net. That was story again in the early stages here. And, in keeping with the home team’s rotten luck of late, the opening goal came from a random break. Alex Galchenyuk’s stick snapped and as he headed off the ice Avtomobilist took advantage of the impromptu line change to set up Semyon Kizimov for the opening goal.

In response, Amur traded quality for quantity when it came to shots on goal and finally found a way past Vladimir Galkin 13 seconds before the intermission. Galchenyuk’s luck changed when he scored with a powerful shot on the power play.

If individual fortunes were improving, team luck was not. Early in the second, Amur had several decent chances but could not get in front. And, once again, that profligacy was punished. A couple of penalties moved the game to the other end of the ice and, back at equal strength, Andrei Obidin put the Motormen in front. That was his first goal in 20 games, opening his account for the season at last.

The third period saw another bright start from the home team. But the bad luck continued: with Amur on the power play, Maxim Osipov’s clearance bounced kindly to set up Stepan Khripunov on his own in front of Dmitry Lozebnikov’s net. At the other end, Galkin pulled off an unbelievable stop to deny Vladislav Barulin.

The home team eventually managed a second goal and, unusually this season, converted a power play. Evgeny Grachyov found space in front of the net and, with all the time in the world, scored Amur’s second of the game – for the first time in a while. However, it wasn’t enough to end the long losing streak.

Magnitka too strong for Sibir

Sibir Novosibirsk 1 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 (0-1, 1-2, 0-1)

Sibir staged a retro festival for its home game against Metallurg, but it was the visitor that was celebrating after a 4-1 win in Novosibirsk.

The home team continued without the injured Taylor Beck and Anton Krasotkin, while Metallurg welcomed back Ilya Nabokov, Daniil Vovchenko and Danil Bashkirov.

It didn’t take long for Bashkirov to make his renewed presence felt. Midway through the first period his pace took him clear of the home defense to receive a great backhand pass from 19-year-old Boris Osipovich and glide away from the stumbling Fyodor Gordeyev.

That counterattacking play was typical of Magnitka’s first-period efforts, while Sibir built a commanding lead in the shot count. However, the host’s best chance was missed by Vladislav Kara.

The first shift after the break saw Metallurg double its lead with Scott Wilson on target. Sibir redoubled its attacking efforts but found Nabokov in resolute form. If the puck got past the goalie, it didn’t manage to drop behind him into the net. And home fervor was dampened further when Luke Johnson added a third goal for Magnitka as the visiting counterattack clicked once again.

Given Sibir’s dominance of the play, it was ironic that the home team’s goal came on the penalty kill. Improbable as it seems, despite playing shorthanded, defenseman Ilya Morozov managed to get down the ice to finish off a pointed breakaway. With memories of last week’s big fightback in Magnitogorsk still fresh, that reignited home hopes ahead of the final stanza. However, this time there was no way back and Denis Zernov’s empty net goal sealed the win for the defending champion.

Ufa rallies from 0-2, wins in OT

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 OT (0-0, 2-0, 0-2, 0-1)

A big fightback in the third period saw Salavat Yulaev sink Torpedo in Nizhny Novgorod. The visitor looked to be in trouble at the second intermission when it trailed 0-2. But Alexander Chmelevski and Danil Alalykin tied the scores in the third before Josh Leivo won it in the extras.

Ufa also had the better of a goalless first period, but fell behind early in the second. Kirill Voronin’s stretch pass released Bobby Lynch into the Salavat Yulaev zone and the American forward took full advantage to make it 1-0 in the 25th minute. And there was greater joy for Torpedo five minutes later when Nikita Artamonov took control of the puck in center ice and did the rest himself, advancing to double the home lead. That was entirely deserved after a powerful start to the second session: the shot-count for stanza read 12-3 in the host’s favor midway through the action.

But Ufa steadied things and got to the second intermission without allowing any further damage. During the break, the visitor regrouped and found a way back into the game in the third. Home forward Evgeny Svechnikov picked up a roughing call as the teams headed to the locker rooms and on the restart, the power play brought a goal for Chmelevski. With a way back into the game very much in sight, Salavat Yulaev continued to press. Much of the play was disrupted by frequent penalties, but a rare passage of five-on-five saw Salavat Yulaev draw level when Apalkov used his strength to drive to the slot before beating Ivan Bocharov to make it 2-2.

That took the action into overtime, and it took just 19 seconds to settle the outcome. Salavat went forward, Leivo got the puck in the right-hand circle and his shot was true to win it for the visitor.

Late strike seals 10th straight win for Loko

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2 Ak Bars Kazan 1 (0-1, 1-0, 1-0)

A late goal from Alexander Polunin continued Lokomotiv’s winning streak. In the 58th minute of a hard-fought battle at home to Ak Bars, the Railwaymen snapped a 1-1 tie when Nikita Kiryanov launched a counterattack down the wing. His pass set up Polunin for a one-timer that beat Amir Miftakhov and sealed the narrowest of victories for the league leader.

Saturday’s big game began with a battling first period. Chances were at a relative premium, while the action was dominated but puck battles all over the ice. Ak Bars managed the more dangerous offense, and got the only goal of the opening frame in the fifth minute. Yegor Korshkov got the better of his opponents on the slot to stuff home the rebound from Dmitry Yudin’s point shot.

Tellingly, nine of Ak Bars’ 12 shots on goal came in that first period. After the intermission, Igor Nikitin’s team produced the kind of defensive masterclass that has become the head coach’s trademark. Denying the visitor the oxygen of attacking play, Loko reeled in that first-period deficit to secure a 10th consecutive victory.

Lokomotiv began the second period on the PK, but managed to prevent the visitor from generating anything much with its man advantage. Once back to full strength, the home team began to generate far more offensive threat. And in the 28th minute that brought a tying goal. The Railwaymen forced a turnover and took play down the ice for Artur Kayumov to snaffle up a one-timer off Maxim Beryozkin’s feed to the slot. Then, when overtime seemed inevitable, up popped Polunin to settle the game in regulation.

Ivanov frustrates Vityaz forwards

Vityaz Moscow Region 1 HC Sochi 3 (1-0, 0-2, 0-1)

Sochi moved off the foot of the Western Conference – and to within five points of a playoff place – after recording a second successive victory. Saturday’s road win at Vityaz denied the home team the chance to draw level on points with eighth-placed Dinamo Minsk.

The home team made a promising start, taking the lead through Ivan Savchik in the ninth minute. Vityaz had the better of the play in the opening frame, and indeed throughout the game there was more action in front of Sergei Ivanov’s net. However, 30 saves from the visiting goalie – including 17 in a siege-like third period – guided the Leopards to victory.

At the other end, the game turned on Roman Manukhov’s tying goal midway through the second period. After that, two tallies from Denis Vengryzhanovsky secured the verdict.