CSKA stops runaway Lokomotiv. November 14 round-up

The league leader’s 11-game winning streak hit the buffers in Moscow. Goalie Ivan Prosvetov was the star man as Loko outshot CSKA 32-18 but could not find the net. In Thursday’s other game, Ivan Morozov’s hat-trick helped Spartak to a 4-1 win over Severstal.

Morozov hits a hat-trick

Spartak Moscow 4 Severstal Cherepovets 1 (1-0, 0-1, 3-0)

Ivan Morozov’s hat-trick powered Spartak to comfortable victory over Severstal. The win sees the Red-and-Whites close the gap on league leader Lokomotiv, while the Steelmen missed the chance to jump up to fourth in the Western Conference standings.

This was the first meeting between the team’s since the opening round of last season’s playoffs, which Spartak won in five games. And today’s game would produce the same 4-1 outcome.

Morozov led the way, opening the scoring in the third minute. His wrist shot from mid-range caught visiting goalie Konstantin Shostak by surprise. The goal was created by the lead defensive pair of Daniil Ivanov and Yegor Zaitsev; the first won possession of the puck, and the second set up Ivanov’s shooting chance.

That quick goal ushered in a spell of home dominance. Severstal was unable to get possession in Spartak territory, while the Muscovites asked regular questions of Shostak at the other end. However, there was no further scoring in the first period.

During the intermission, Andrei Kozyrev found the words to inspire his team and the visitor came out for the second period in more aggressive mood. Midway through the session the shot count was 9-1 in Severstal’s favor, which speaks to the transformation in the patter of play. Eventually, that led to a tying goal: a breakdown as Spartak tried to clear its zone resulted in Nikita Korostelyov forcing the puck home from close range.

The game remained open in the third period and it was surprising that the teams were still locked at 1-1 until the 56th minute. However, when Alexander Pashin got clear on goal he celebrated his 100th KHL appearance by restoring Spartak’s lead. A couple of minutes later, Morozov got his second of the game and the forward completed his hat-trick into an empty net to seal the home win.

Prosvetov halts Loko’s winning streak

CSKA Moscow 2 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 0 (1-0, 1-0, 0-0)

Lokomotiv’s long winning streak came to an end in Moscow as CSKA blanked the runaway leader. After 11 consecutive wins, Igor Nikitin’s team finally hit the buffers; the Muscovites themselves are coming into form and recorded a fifth win in six games.

Home goalie Ivan Prosvetov played a big part in securing the win. He stopped 32 shots to claim his second shut-out of the season. The 25-year-old, in his first season after returning to Russia, was under pressure from the start after his team sustained a penalty in almost the first shift. However, Lokomotiv was unable to make that chance pay.

At equal strength, the visitor looked more dangerous. The top line, in particular, demanded attention: Maxim Beryozkin had a good chance and Artur Kayumov was always dangerous. CSKA, meanwhile, relied on a counterattacking game and earned a penalty shot in the 13th minute. Daniil Isayev stepped up to save his team and deny Ruslan Iskhakov.

No goal, but plenty of inspiration. CSKA began to get its offense into the game and once Yegor Surin sat for high sticking, the home team opened the scoring on the power play. Slovakian defenseman Christian Jaros claimed his first goal of the season thanks to a deflected shot.

In the second period, Loko redoubled its attacking efforts and thought it had a tying goal after 25 minutes. However, Rushan Rafikov’s shot was ruled out due to interference on Prosvetov. The home goalie came up big on the power play to preserve his team’s narrow lead as CSKA spent much of the middle frame in its own zone. Loko managed to break Prosvetov’s mask, but not his resistance as his defied the visiting offense. Moreover, on a rare attacking foray, the home team doubled its lead when Iskhakov scored from a tight angle.

The third period brought more chances for Lokomotiv and more saves from Prosvetov. By now, though, CSKA could see the end of the line. The home team defended stoutly, and Loko’s scoring chances began to tail off. It ended up with a first loss in a month for Yaroslavl, although the lead at the top of the conference remains an impressive 11 points.