Loko back to winning ways on a day of tight games. November 16 round-up

After a high-scoring program on Friday, Saturday saw defense on top in the KHL. Lokomotiv and Avtomobilist secured 1-0 victories over Torpedo and Admiral respectively. The other two games were tied at 60 minutes: Avangard grabbed a 3-2 OT verdict over Neftekhimik, while Metallurg got past Lada in a shoot-out after a 1-1 tie.

Leontyev salvages a point, then loses it in OT

Avangard Omsk 3 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 OT (1-1, 0-0, 1-1, 1-0)

The Hawks may not appreciate it, but this is a real battle to secure a playoff spot. Traditionally, Avangard is a leader in the Eastern Conference, but this season times have been tough. So the visit of Neftekhimik was something of a four-pointer against a direct rival for a top eight finish. The Wolves began the day in seventh place, five points ahead of their host.

The game proved to be as hard fought as the standings suggested. Avangard had the edge in the early exchanges, but fell behind midway through the first period when Neftekhimik produced its first serious counterattack. Bulat Shafigullin raced clear on Pavel Khomchenko’s net, taking a routine clearance from the visitor’s zone and turning into a 1-0 lead.

There was almost a swift response, but Ilya Reingardt fired straight at Neftkehimik goalie Artyom Zagidulin at the end of an odd-man rush. Instead, the home team had to wait until the last minute of the period before Reid Boucher converted an inviting feed from Cole Cassels. Neftekhimik challenged that play, but ended up with nothing more than a delay of game penalty.

That power play brought nothing useful for the home team and the second period proceeded without any more scoring. Avangard had more of the play in the session, but even after Zagidulin briefly let the game, the Hawks could not force a breakthrough.

Midway through the third period another home power play saw Alex Grant make it 2-1. The defenseman, who arrived in Omsk after a short spell in Barys, potted his first goal for the club on 49:44. With something to hold onto, the home team controlled much of the play in the closing stages, only to be undone in the 58th minute. Neftekhimik set up a spell of pressure on the home net and Vladislav Leontyev saw his much-deflected shot bounce into the net.

With 1:12 left to play, Avangard got another power play. The home team could not turn it into a winning goal in regulation, but early in OT Ryan Spooner got the puck to the slot, where Leontyev inadvertently steered it into his own net to erase his own tying goal and give Avangard the verdict.

Kizimov strike settles tight game

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 1 Admiral Vladivostok 0 (0-0, 1-0, 0-0)

The Motormen recorded a seventh successive victory, edging the tightest possible verdict over Admiral. Avtomobilist closes to within three points of Eastern Conference leader Traktor and has a game in hand on Benoit Groulx’s team.

For both teams, this was a renewal of hostilities. Five days earlier, Avto edged a shoot-out win in Vladivostok. Neither had played since, and this second engagement proved to be another tight game, albeit with fewer goals.

In the first period, neither team looked to apply an energetic press and it let like both were happy to see events unfold at their own pace. There weren’t many chances, but the best saw Jesse Blacker collect a great pass from Sergei Zborovsky only to shoot wide from a good position. Later, Avto had a five-on-three power play and Nikolai Zavarukhin decided to use his time-out in the first period, but Admiral survived.

The deadlock was finally broken in the second period. Although the pace of the game didn’t really pick up, the home team managed to get its power play working and, at the third attempt, cashed in on the extra man. Stephane Da Costa was the architect, setting up Semyon Kizimov for the first and only goal of the game in the 32nd minutes.

Admiral struggled to create clear chances throughout the game. Stats show that Avtomobilist is one of the toughest teams to reel in when it has a lead in the third, and today underlined that point. For all the Sailors’ effort, the only real chance came five minutes before the end when Semyon Ruchkin’s effort tested Vladimir Galkin. That helped the home goalie preserve his third shut-out of the season.

Goalies on top in Togliatti

Lada Togliatti 1 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 SO (0-1, 0-0, 0-0, 0-1, 0-1)

In a day of tight games, this one saw goalies on top. Ilya Nabokov and Vladislav Podyapolsky stopped 69 shots between them through 65 minutes. Then, in the shoot-out, Nabokov faced three opponents and came out on top each time as the defending champion took the verdict.

Such a low-scoring game seemed unlikely at the first intermission. Both teams created chances, even though it wasn’t until the 17th minute that the opening goal arrived. It went to Metallurg, Valery Orekhov finding the net off Roman Kantserov’s set-up. Lada believed the play was offside, but the bench challenge was overruled, giving the visitor a power play. Metallurg could not add to its lead and went to the intermission at 1-1.

Although goalless, the second period continued to bring scoring chances with both goaltenders obliged to remain focussed in an entertaining game. The scoreline changed right at the start of the third when Lada struck 15 seconds into the session. Ivan Romanov’s tally tied the game and gave the home team a big boost after a difficult week that saw the departure of respected head coach Oleg Bratash.

After that, the game became more cagey with both teams alert to the consequence of any error. However, in overtime Metallurg was more threatening. Scott Wilson had a great chance after a Lada defensive breakdown, and Pavel Akolzin forced Podyapolsky into a double save before the shoot-out.

With Nabokov bossing things at one end, the shoot-out proved one sided. Yegor Yakovlev began with a successful attempt for Magnitka, and further goals from Nikita Mikhailis and Andrei Kozlov sealed the win.

Isayev backstops Loko victory

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 0 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1 (0-0, 0-1, 0-0)

The league leader bounced back from Thursday’s loss at CSKA thanks to the narrowest of victories over Torpedo. Goalie Daniil Isayev stopped 25 shots to backstop a 1-0 verdict, collecting his fifth shut-out of the season and his second in three games.

Torpedo had good reason to be frustrated. The home team topped the shot count 25-15 and will feel it deserved to take a lead into the first intermission. Dominating on all counts, and assisted by two power plays, Igor Larionov’s men were left to rue early chances for Maxim Letunov and Evgeny Svechnikov.

Loko offered little in that opening frame, producing just three shots at Ivan Bocharov. However, after the intermission the balance of play evened up and Lokomotiv took advantage in the 33rd minute when Daniil But found the net. There was some good fortune about the goal: Byron Froese looked to dish off the puck from behind the net, but it took a deflection of the official’s skate to give But his big chance.

After that goal, Torpedo tried to get back on top. The home team enjoyed more possession, but could not find the moment it needed to save the game. The home team’s hopes took a hit in the 55th minute when Igor Larionov Jr picked up a penalty and Lokomotiv was able to close out the win.