New record for Shipachyov, 11 straight wins for CSKA. December 29 round-up

Vadim Shipachyov moved to 658 career assists with two more helpers in Dinamo Minsk’s 4-1 win over Lokomotiv. That’s an all-time record in Russian hockey, overtaking Sergei Mozyakin’s total of 656. Loko’s loss helped CSKA and Spartak gain a little ground in the race for top spot. Second-placed CSKA reeled off an 11th consecutive victory to sink Sochi, while third-placed Spartak won at Vityaz. 

Successful start for Perlini

Vityaz Moscow Region 2 Spartak Moscow 4 (2-2, 0-1, 0-1)

Brendan Perlini marked his Spartak debut with an assist as the Red-and-Whites battled to victory at Vityaz. Former NHLer Perlini was not involved in Friday’s loss at Kunlun Red Star but today he slotted into a line with Ivan Morozov and Adam Ruzicka. Vityaz handed a debut to former Spartak man Matvei Zaseda, who partnered Frederik Gauthier and Alexei Makeyev.

Spartak was in trouble right at the start. As early the third minute the visitor was reduced to three skaters after Michal Cajkovsky and Veniamin Korolyov went to the box. Vityaz moved the puck around nicely with that two-man advantage but could not find the opening goal.

Midway through the session, Spartak hit its stride to score twice in a minute. Daniil Orlov opened the scoring, then Andrei Loktionov doubled the lead on the power play. That was his 10th goal of the season.

However, the lead did not last long. On 13:45 Ivan Vorobyov forced the puck into the Spartak net from close range. His celebration in front of the visitor’s bench sparked another scuffle and left the Muscovites short-handed again. This time, Vityaz got the power play right and Dmitry Buchelnikov tied the game.

In the second period, Vityaz often had Spartak chasing the play. The home team outshot its opponent 13-6, but the only goal went to the visitor. Perlini set up Ruzicka, who beat Maxim Dorozhko.

The final frame began with Vityaz killing a penalty. Subsequently, the home team tried to push the play back towards Dmitry Nikolayev’s net. However, the left it vulnerable to counterattacks and, in the 59th minute, German Rubtsov’s solo rush brought a killer fourth goal. Spartak wrapped up 2024’s program with a win. The Red-and-Whites remain third in the Western Conference but gain ground on leader Lokomotiv.  

11 in a row for CSKA

HC Sochi 1 CSKA Moscow 4 (0-2, 1-1, 0-1)

CSKA moved closer to the top of the KHL standings thanks to an 11th consecutive win. Struggling Sochi was unable to pose much of a threat to the Muscovites, despite Will Bitten continuing his productive start to life beside the Black Sea.

The visitor dominated the first period, outshooting Sochi 18-5. Sergei Ivanov stood up well under that examination, and even managed to deny the CSKA power play when it had two minutes of five-on-three hockey. However, the pressure eventually paid off: in the closing stages of the first period, Kirill Dolzhenkov opened the scoring and Denis Guryanov doubled the lead.

After five minutes of the middle stanza, Vitaly Abramov added a third to put CSKA into cruise control. Bitten managed to jolt the visitor when he scored his third goal in as many games since swapping Spartak for Sochi, but even an improved performance from the Leopards offered little sign of a fightback.

The final frame saw more shooting chances for Sochi, but no more goals for the home team. The final word went to Stanislav Galiyev, who scored on the power play in the 55th minute to claim his first goal since joining CSKA from Avangard.

Ilya Vorobyov’s team finishes 2024 on a high – 11 successive victories have lifted CSKA to second in the standings, and today’s results cut the gap to the leader to nine points.

Another record for Shipachyov as Dinamo wins again

Dinamo Minsk 4 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1 (2-1, 2-0, 0-0)

Vadim Shipachyov set another notable record to help Dinamo defeat the league leader. The KHL’s all-time scoring leader assisted on the Bison’s first two goals, moving ahead of Sergei Mozyakin’s 656 helpers in Russian championship play. Shipachyov finished the game with 658 assists to set a new record in Russian hockey. He also cleared 950 points in the KHL and currently has 951 (294+657).

Shipachyov made the difference in the first period, setting up power play goals for Vitaly Pinchuk and Jordan Gross to help Dinamo into a 2-0 lead. Late in the frame, Lokomotiv got one back on its first power play of the game to make it 2-1 at the intermission. Both teams managed just six shots on goal apiece during the opening frame, but the respective power plays were red hot.

Midway through the second period, Dinamo got a third PP chance and parlayed it into a third goal. This time Shipachyov was not involved as Gross potted his second of the game. Then in the 35th minute, Gross turned provider as Yegor Borikov made it 4-1 with the first equal strength marker of the evening.

There was no further scoring in the third period as Dinamo secured a third successive victory. Indeed, the Belarusians have won six of the last seven, including a road win at Eastern Conference high-flyer Traktor and two successes against Ak Bars. Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team is now up to fifth in the West, a point outside the top four.