Hawks add to SKA’s slide, Torpedo hits seven. November 11 round-up

Avangard ground out a morale-boosting win over SKA thanks to some solid defensive work. The 2-1 verdict in Omsk sends the visitor to a fifth successive loss, its worst run since 2021. Torpedo played its way back into form with a 7-1 win over Sochi in the day’s highest-scoring game. Amur suffered a 12th straight defeat, going down 3-4 at home to Traktor. Avtomobilist remains three points behind the Eastern Conference leader after winning at Admiral by a similar scoreline. In Monday’s other game, Neftekhimik moved up to eighth in the east with victory over Barys.

Eastern leader stays out in front

Amur Khabarovsk 3 Traktor Chelyabinsk 4 (1-1, 1-1, 1-2)

Traktor bounced back from its overtime loss in Vladivostok to win by the same 4-3 scoreline – but now in regulation – against Amur. The home team fell to a 12th successive loss but at least managed its highest-scoring game since a 4-5 reverse at Spartak on Oct. 19.

Indeed, the Tigers grabbed the opening goal here just 85 seconds into the game. Alex Galchenyuk put the home team up against the Eastern Conference leader, finishing off an odd man rush after Traktor fluffed a line change. It’s been a while since Amur had a lead in any game – not since that 4-5 Spartak loss, in fact – and the advantage could have been greater were it not for some big saves from Zach Fucale to deny Evgeny Kulik and Kirill Slepets. However, Traktor tied it up late in the frame through Nikita Tertyshny, who returned to Benoit Groulx’s team today.

In the middle frame the teams again traded goals. This time Traktor went in front when Dmitry Lozebnikov fumbled Maxim Shabanov’s shot into the path of Alexander Kadeikin on the slot. In reply, Galchenyuk’s power play goal made it 2-2.

However, after scoring twice, Galchenyuk’s untimely penalty at the start of the third helped Semyon Der-Arguchintsev put the visitor back in front. This time, the lead lasted despite chances at both ends. It wasn’t until a last-minute empty-net goal from Andrei Svetlakov that Traktor could relax on the win; maybe too relaxed, given that Ivan Mishchenko potted a consolation third goal for Amur right at the death.

Battling Avto takes shoot-out win

Admiral Vladivostok 3 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 4 SO (2-1, 0-1, 1-1, 0-0, 0-1)

The Motormen came from behind three times before winning this game in a shoot-out. Victory makes it six in a row for the visitor, while Admiral suffered only a second loss in six games, both of them after tying through 60 minutes.

Avtomobilist brought Evgeny Alikin back to the starting role after the netminder was not involved in the previous two games. However, he was the first goalie to be beaten when Yegor Petukhov opened the scoring in the 16th minute. That’s two goals in two games for the Admiral forward, and 11 for the season.

The goal came against the early run of play: by the 10th minute, Avtomobilist outshot Admiral 11-1. Once behind, the visitor hit back at once through Alexei Byvaltsev, but the host took a 2-1 lead to the intermission as Pavel Shen marked his return with a goal.

The first period ended with two fights breaking out simultaneously: Kirill Vorobyov tangled with home defenseman Leonid Metalnikov, while Stephane Da Costa took on Nikita Soshnikov.

Those skirmishes seemed to get the blood pumping for Admiral and the Sailors made the stronger start in the second period. For almost the entire session, Avtomobilist was on the defensive and it felt that merely carrying a 2-1 advantage to the second intermission would be a poor reward for Admiral.

In the event, though, the home team could not even claim that modest success. Stepan Starkov took a delay of game penalty and Brooks Macek converted the Avto power play in trademark fashion to tie the game.

The third period saw another exchange of goals. Shen added an assist to his earlier tally as Starkov restored the Admiral lead in the 51st minute. However, it took less than five minutes for Sergei Zborovsky to tie it up and send the action to overtime. The extras did not produce a winner, but in the shoot-out Alikin made four saves to deny Admiral. At the other end, Nick Merkley and Semyon Kizimov were on target to win it for Avtomobilist.

Hawks hand SKA a fifth straight loss

Avangard Omsk 2 SKA St. Petersburg 1 (2-0, 0-1, 0-0)

SKA suffered a fifth successive loss – the team’s worst run since Roman Rotenberg took over as head coach early in 2022. Avangard, meanwhile, continues to alternate wins and losses. Sergei Zvyagin’s team remains 10th in the East, but after today’s win is only three points adrift of the playoff places.

After a rotten run, Rotenberg restored Sergei Tolchinsky, Evgeny Kuznetsov and long-term absentee Sergei Andronov to his team. Avangard, meanwhile, rested defenseman Darren Dietz and Alex Grant, as well as forward Ryan Spooner.

The home team started strong, piling pressure onto Yegor Zavragin’s net. There were good chances for Igor Martynov, Alexander Yaremchuk and Ilya Reingardt before Reid Boucher deservedly broke the deadlock midway through the frame. One goal led to another: Kuznetsov took the first penalty of the night and Matvei Zaseda scored his first goal since joining Avangard. Zaseda, 25, featured in Omsk earlier in his career but looked to have broken through at KHL level with Spartak in 2022-2023, only to fall out of favor last season.

After falling behind, SKA belatedly got to work. The remainder of the first period was played largely in front of Pavel Khomchenko’s net, although solid defense ensured the home goalie was not greatly extended before the intermission. It wasn’t until the visitor got a power play that Khomchenko found himself with real questions to answer. Twice, he was saved by the post as Marat Khairullin and Andrei Pedan went close. Finally, after 25 minutes and with both teams at full strength, Vasily Glotov’s fantastic pass from behind the net set up Valentin Zykov to reduce the deficit.

SKA redoubled its efforts to save the game. Despite the visitor’s control of the puck, the closest we came to another goal saw Artyom Murylyov fluff a golden chance in front of an open net. The youngster is still waiting for his first KHL goal and will surely be frustrated not to claim it tonight.

The pattern of play was well-established. SKA had the possession and territorial advantage, but Avangard delivered solid defense and occasional dangerous counterattacks. That was the story before and after the second intermission and it wasn’t until the latter stages of the final frame that the tempo dropped and Avangard got some respite. The home team had chances to make the final moments more comfortable, but neither Reingardt nor Alexander Filatyev could get the third goal. A home power play with 4:45 to play also came up with nothing. However, SKA could not find an equalizer as the Hawks held on.

Neftekhimik back in playoff spot

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 4 Barys Astana 1 (1-0, 1-1, 2-0)

The Wolves returned to the top eight in the East, snapping a five-game skid at home to Barys. The Kazakhs, who recently enjoyed a small upturn following the appointment of Galym Mambetaliyev as head coach, fell to a third successive loss and are in danger of reverting to their dismal early season form.

The home team got ahead midway through the first period on a power play goal from promising youngster Nikita Khoruzhev. The 21-year-old got his fourth goal of the season, having announced himself early in the campaign with the solitary snipe in a 1-0 win over Lokomotiv.

Midway through the second, Vladimir Bryukvin doubled the home lead. Barys responded with a power play goal from Batyrlan Muratov, keeping the game alive at the second intermission with the score at 2-1.

The visitor clearly believed it could save the game, and outshot Neftekhimik 12-6 in the final frame. However, it was quality that counted rather than quantity. Evgeny Mityakin added a goal to his earlier assist in the 51st minute, making it 3-1. Then, three minutes later, experienced defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich scored his first goal for the club to make the final score 4-1.

Torpedo shrugs off recent slump

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 7 HC Sochi 1 (4-1, 2-0, 1-0)

Sochi’s mini-revival came to a juddering halt at Torpedo. Four first-period goals put the home team in command, and the remainder of the game saw Igor Larionov’s team turn a win into a beating, rattling up seven goals on a beleaguered opponent.

There was something of a false start for the home team. Mikhail Abramov opened the scoring after six minutes, but shortly after that a power play goal from Daniil Seroukh tied the game. Torpedo produced an emphatic response. Bobby Lynch restored the lead 36 seconds later. Markus Phillips added a third and, late in the frame, a Dmitry Kagarlitsky power play goal went a long way towards finishing the job in 20 minutes. Igor Larionov Jr had assists on the first three goals.

The first period was surprisingly even in terms of shots (17-12 for Torpedo) and Sochi even had slightly more attacking possession. However, the home team’s precision in front of goal made all the difference. After the intermission, a dejected visitor ceased to pose the same attacking threat, managing just four shots at Ivan Kulbakov in the second period. Torpedo continued to dominate, padding its lead on goals from Yegor Vinogradov and Evgeny Svechnikov, the latter on the power play. That sixth goal brought 20-year-old Nikita Tulinov into the Sochi net for only his second appearance in the KHL.

Tulinov had a rough time on his debut last season, allowing five goals in a 4-7 loss against Dinamo Minsk. Today, he had more joy. Sold short early in the third when Sochi was left playing three against five, he allowed a power play goal to Nikita Artamonov. After that, though the youngster kept Torpedo at bay, making 17 saves in the final frame.

But today was all about Torpedo, which picked up only a second win in its last seven games in emphatic fashion.