Goalie record, goalie error, goalie shut-out. December 3 round-up

Goaltenders made the headlines in all three games today. Dynamo’s Hunter Miska had a nightmare moment against Ak Bars, misreading a delayed penalty to give the opposition not just a goal, but a lifeline in the game. From 1-3 down, Ak Bars went on to win 5-3. Lada’s Vladislav Podyapolsky had a better time, blanking Severstal for the second time in seven days. And Torpedo’s Ivan Bocharov set a club record shut-out streak at home to Metallurg, but finished on the wrong end of a 3-5 scoreline.

Podyapolsky blanks Severstal again

Lada Togliatti 1 Severstal Cherepovets 0 (0-0, 1-0, 0-0)

For the second time in the space of a week, Lada enjoyed a shut-out victory over Severstal. This time, Vladislav Podyapolsky made 33 saves while Mikhail Fisenko got the winning goal. Lada has now won three in a row, with Podyapolsky allowing just one goal in that time.

Severstal’s hopes of avenging last week’s loss were enhanced by six minutes on the power play in the first period. However, the home goalie stopped 14 shots in a difficult first period for the Motormen, ensuring the game was goalless at the intermission.

After the break, a revitalized Lada wasted little time in breaking the deadlock. Just 15 seconds in, Magomed Sharakanov’s point shot was skilfully redirected by Fisenko to make it 1-0.

Once in the lead, Lada continued to press. Yegor Chernikov went close from an odd-man rush, then Troy Josephs went one-on-one with Konstantin Shostak, but the visiting goalie said ‘no’. Dmitry Kugryshev did find a way past the Severstal netminder, but a bench challenge called that one back for offside.

Although Severstal more than matched Lada for shots throughout the game, the visitor struggled to generate big scoring chances. A second goal for the home team looked more likely than an equalizer until the closing stages. But the Steelmen’s late storm could not change the outcome. Lada consolidates its position in eighth in the East, opening a three-point gap over Avangard.

Goalie error costs Dynamo dear

Ak Bars Kazan 5 Dynamo Moscow 4 (0-2, 3-1, 2-1)

A freak goal into an empty net proved to be the turning point in this game as Ak Bars rallied from 0-2 and 1-3 to beat Dynamo.

The key incident came in the second period. Dynamo, up 3-1, was on the attack when the referee raised his hand to indicate a delayed penalty. Visiting goalie Hunter Miska apparently assumed that the foul had been assessed against an Ak Bars player and headed to the bench. However, the infringement came from a Dynamo forward, Ak Bars had position and Ilya Safonov took advantage of the confusion to shoot into an empty net from center ice.

That started a run of four goals in 10 minutes either side of the second intermission as the home team built a 5-3 lead. Artyom Galimov tied it up a couple of minutes after Miska’s error. Then, at the start of the third, Mitch Miller put Kazan ahead for the first time before Safonov set up Alexander Barabanov’s second of the game to open a two-goal advantage. Dynamo got one back through Nikita Gusev in the 57th minute and Miska left his net with 3:30 to play but there was no further scoring.

Early in the game, things looked much more comfortable for the visitor. Maxim Dzhioshvili opened the scoring midway through the first period, and Dmitry Rashevsky doubled the lead before the intermission. Barabanov pulled a goal back for Ak Bars, but Nikita Buruyanov made it 3-1 on 30:02. Everything seemed to be under control for Alexei Kudashov’s team until Miska’s misjudgement changed everything.

Bocharov breaks record, but can’t deny Metallurg

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 5 (1-0, 1-2, 1-3)

Torpedo’s Ivan Bocharov set a club record of 220 minutes, 31 seconds without allowing a goal – but once he was beaten in the second period of this game it triggered a Metallurg fightback that saw the visitor turn a two-goal deficit into a 5-3 win.

The home team returned to action for the first time since Nov. 25. The pause came with Torpedo celebrating back-to-back shut-out wins: 3-0 at Lokomotiv and 6-0 at Spartak. Bocharov played in both those games and he continued his impressive form in the early stages against Metallurg. The visitor led the shot count 10-8 at the end of the first period, but could not score. At the other end, Torpedo twice hit the piping before Sergei Goncharuk opened the scoring in the 14th minute.

The second period saw more Metallurg pressure, but Torpedo doubled its lead midway through the game. Goncharuk started the play, driving behind the net. His pass didn’t come off, but Dmitry Kagarlitsky took it on and drilled the puck goalwards, where Mikhail Abramov steered it beyond Alexander Smolin in the Metallurg net.

Bocharov was beaten at last on 34:53. The visitor got a five-on-three power play, and Robin Press took advantage to halve the deficit and end the goalie’s shut-out streak. Bocharov finished with the 11th longest run of any goalie in the KHL. However, he managed barely three minutes before conceding again as Denis Zernov tied the game before the second intermission.

There was drama at the start of the third. Press banged in a shot, the puck bounced off Bocharov onto the slot and Zernov stuffed it over the line. Torpedo head coach Igor Larionov challenged the play, citing interference on his goalie, and the review upheld his complaint.

The game continued at 2-2 until the 50th minute when Abramov’s second of the game restored Torpedo’s lead. However, the last 10 belonged to Metallurg. Alexander Petunin tied the game two minutes later, then Danila Yurov put the visitor ahead for the first time in the game. With five minutes to go, Larionov called a time-out to try and wring one last scoring effort from his men. But there was no way back; Vladislav Yeryomenko’s empty-net goal sealed the win for Magnitka, avenging a 4-5 loss on home ice back in October.