Day of drama around the KHL. December 19 round-up

Thursday’s card was full of action. SKA and Torpedo traded 10 goals in St. Petersburg before the home team claimed a 6-4 verdict. CSKA defeated derby rival Spartak for the first time this season when Maxim Sorkin’s OT snipe snapped a 4-4 tie. Nail Yakupov made the most of his return to Nizhnekamsk, starting Avangard’s fightback from 0-2 and potting the overtime winner. Dynamo defeated Admiral 4-2 on home ice, and Kunlun won 2-0 against Barys.

Yakupov defeats hometown team

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 3 Avangard Omsk 4 OT (1-0, 1-3, 1-0, 0-1)

Nail Yakupov started Avangard’s fightback in his hometown – and finished the job with an OT winner against his boyhood club. It was the Nizhnekamsk native’s first return home since he was released by Neftekhimik in the summer and he certainly made the most of the occasion.

The home team opened a 2-0 lead in this game. Andrei Belozyorov opened the scoring 12 minutes into an even first period, then Vyacheslav Leshchenko took advantage of a comedy of Avangard errors to double the lead in the 26th minute.

Then Yakupov got to work. He pulled a goal back on 37 minutes, and triggered a big Omsk fightback. Grigory Seleznyov got caught in possession on his own blue line and Yakupov stole the puck and unleashed a shot from mid-range to halve the deficit. The home bench thought there was an offside as Pavel Koledov hurried back over the blue line, but the video review went in Avangard’s favor.

That gave the visitor a two-minute power play. The Hawks’ PP couldn’t take advantage, but six seconds after Neftekhimik returned to full strength, Ivan Igumnov tied the scores. Then, on 39:48, Damir Sharipzyanov found the net for the second game in a row to put Avangard up for the first time in the game. Mike McCleod contributed two assists in 42 seconds in only his second game since joining the team.

In the third period, the home team dominated the game. Its search for an equalizer paid off when Belozyorov got his second of the night in the 53rd minute. After that, the Wolves looked the more likely to win in regulation, but the game was destined to go to overtime. In those extras, Yakupov struck again. The Neftekhimik graduate pounced on the puck in center ice and raced away to round Artyom Zagidulin and win the game for Avangard.

Derby thriller ends in CSKA win

CSKA Moscow 5 Spartak Moscow 4 (1-1, 2-2, 1-1, 1-0)

This was a classic Moscow derby. CSKA defeated Spartak after losing the first four meetings between the two this season, and did so in a pulsating game that ebbed and flowed from start to finish.

Maxim Sorkin claimed the overtime winner, collecting his 15th goal of the season and another game-winner. Just two days earlier, he had two vital tallies in a 3-2 win over Kunlun and the 24-year-old continues to play a big role as his team reeled off a seventh successive victory.

But Spartak also played a full part in this game as it looked to close the gap on table-topping Lokomotiv and maintain its lead over CSKA. The Red-and-Whites made a bright start and got ahead on a seventh-minute goal from Adam Ruzicka. The visitor’s lead could have been greater, but after missed chances at one end, CSKA tied it up at the other on a shorthanded goal from Pavel Karnaukhov in the 16th minute.

It remained 1-1 going into the second, but CSKA almost immediately got in front on Yegor Afanasyev’s goal. Midway through the session, after absorbing pressure from Spartak, the home team had a chance to increase its lead with its first PP of the night, but there was no way through on that occasion. Back at equal strength, Spartak then scored a pair of quick goals as Yegor Filin and Mikhail Maltsev put the visitor back in front.

Another home power play came to nothing, but as the intermission approached, Dmitry Vishnevsky’s foul gave CSKA another chance with the extra man. This time, the special team delivered: Denis Guryanov picked out a pass for Vitaly Abramov, whose finish came four seconds before the hooter and demoralized Spartak.

The third period began with 10 goalless minutes – a rare lull in an enthralling battle. But midway through the frame we saw two goals in 45 seconds. Ansel Galimov had Spartak back in front, but before he had time to catch his breath, Prokhor Poltapov tied it at four.

It stayed that way until the end of regulation. Overtime saw CSKA win it when Fredrik Claesson drove play into the Spartak zone and fired the puck to the back door. Dmitry Nikolayev got across his net, but could do nothing to stop Sorkin’s shot winning the game.

Sailors streak comes to an end in Moscow

Dynamo Moscow 4 Admiral Vladivostok 2 (3-0, 0-1, 1-1)

The Eric O’Dell era came to an end for Dynamo this week, with the popular Canadian center traded to Ak Bars. However, his absence from the Blue-and-White offense was not an issue as his former team-mates blazed into a 3-0 first-period lead at home to Admiral.

The visitor arrived with three straight wins, not to mention a 4-1 victory on home ice when these teams met in September. But Dynamo dominated from the start. Artyom Kudashov, son of Dynamo’s head coach Alexei, opened the scoring in the seventh minute when he stepped onto a feed from Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi and advanced to the circle before firing a shot that deflected through traffic. That was Kudashov Jr’s first KHL goal.

Three minutes later, Dynamo doubled the lead. Once again, the luckless Leonid Metalnikov got the final touch to deflect a shot past his own goalie; this time Artyom Sergeyev was credited with the goal. Admiral could not get into the game at all, and managed just three shots in the first period. It was little surprise when the home team added a third, Artyom Ilyenko scoring on the first power play of the night.

During the intermission, the Sailors swapped goalies. Ilya Konovalov came into the game on his return to his previous club. He was beaten in the eighth minute of the second period, but got a reprieve when the officials reviewed the play. Pavel Chernov’s stick was too high when he redirected Igor Ozhiganov’s shot into the net.

Admiral offered more of an attacking threat in the middle frame, and in the 35th minute the visitor got on the scoreboard at last. Stepan Starkov reduced the deficit when he skated onto Danil Gutik’s set-up and slotted home from a tight angle.

The Sailors continued to press in the third period and, in the 56th minute, made it a one-goal game. Defenseman Georgy Solyannikov got forward and took up Gutik’s feed to the blue line. His first shot was charged down, but the puck returned to visiting blue liner and his second attempt clipped home goal Evgeny Yaroslavlets on its way into the net.

That made for an anxious finish to a game that Dynamo thought it had won in the first period. However, after Gutik played a key role in setting up two goals to get Admiral back into the game, he also played a big part in the Muscovites sealing the deal. Late in the game he tried to do it all himself, only to lose possession on the blue line. The puck dropped for Max Comtois on the boards and he spotted a lane to shoot into the empty net and wrap up the verdict.

Barys frustrated by super Smith

Kunlun Red Star 2 Barys Astana 0 (1-0, 1-0, 0-0)

Jeremy Smith made 38 saves as Red Star repeated its 2-0 victory earlier this season in Astana. Back on club duty after he was singled out for praise by no less a goaltending authority than Vladislav Tretiak at the Channel 1 Cup, Smith backstopped the Dragons to a first win in four.

For Barys, the frustration continues. A 2-0 win at Dynamo after the international break offered the Kazakhs hope that the worst of their crisis was over. Today, however, was a disappointment. Despite regularly testing the leakiest defense in the KHL, Barys could not score.

At the other end, Canadian defenseman Martin Lefebvre broke the deadlock midway through the first period with a powerful shot from the center point. In the second period, a similar play along the blue line saw Doyle Somerby bang an angled shot at Nikita Boyarkin, and Parker Foo was on hand to stuff home the rebound for 2-0.

That was the end of the scoring; both teams remain second from last in their respective conferences.

Thrilling offense, porous defense in Petersburg

SKA St. Petersburg 6 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 4 (1-3, 3-1, 2-0)

A high-scoring duel in St. Petersburg brought SKA its first victory since returning to the 23,000-seater SKA Arena. However, Roman Rotenberg’s team had to recover from a first period that saw Torpedo saw three goals on six shots to stun another big crowd.

The visitor made a dream start to the game. Vladislav Firstov opened the scoring in the fourth minute, redirecting Igor Larionov Jr’s shot into Pavel Moisevich’s net. SKA claimed the Torpedo forward’s stick was high, but the challenge was dismissed and the subsequent power play brought a second goal. This time, Slava Voynov’s point shot was too good for Moisevich, who left the game to be replaced by Yegor Zavragin.

The incoming goalie was almost beaten immediately, but Vladislav Koloda’s effort bounced off the post to safety. After that, SKA tightened its defensive game, only to fall further behind when Larionov potted a short-handed goal 55 seconds before the intermission. Mikhail Grigorenko managed to restore some dignity when he finally converted the power play, but the home team had plenty to ponder during the break.

And ponder it did. Just 23 seconds after the restart, Evgeny Kuznetsov set up Marat Khairullin to make it 2-3. Then Kuznetsov was involved again as Tony DeAngelo tied it up in the 24th minute. SKA had three goals in less than four minutes either side of the intermission, and the momentum seemed to be inevitably swinging the home team’s way, especially when Bobby Lynch sat for tripping seconds after the tying goal.

But Torpedo killed the penalty and as soon as Lynch returned to the game he fed Vasily Atanasov to make it 4-3 for the visitor. For all SKA’s dominance, the home team kept allowing goals and found itself playing catch-up again.

The turning point came midway through the game. Mikhail Vorobyov made it 4-4 in the 32nd minute, and this time there was no response from Torpedo. Or, no legitimate response. The visitor thought it had a fifth goal early in the third period when Lynch and Atanasov combined once again. SKA’s bench launched its second challenge of the night, and had a better result this time: offside was the call, no goal and no penalty.

Midway through the final stanza, Torpedo had to kill another penalty. SKA’s pressure took its toll and after 38 seconds at equal strength, Kuznetov got his third assist of the night as Ivan Demidov put the home team ahead for the first time. That wasn’t quite the end of the story: an interference call on Zakhar Bardakov gave Torpedo a chance to save the game, and Zavragin had to make big saves to deny Dmitry Kagarlitsky and Maxim Letunov. But the home team had the final word when Vasily Glotov’s empty-netter sealed an exhilarating win.