Loko holds off Spartak fightback, Red Star sets club record. January 10 round-up

Friday’s big game save Lokomotiv edge a 5-4 verdict against Spartak to increase its lead at the top of the Western Conference. Second-placed Spartak got back from 2-5 to 4-5 thanks to a quick double at the start of the third period but could not finish the recovery. CSKA missed the chance to overtake its Moscow rival, going down 0-3 at Kunlun. That’s a sixth straight win for the Dragons, the best ever sequence in the club’s history. Salavat Yulaev rediscovered its scoring form in an entertaining 7-4 win at Neftekhimik, and Dinamo Minsk moves into the top four in the West with an OT success against Sibir.

Leivo, Wilson impress in high-scoring clash

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 4 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 7 (2-3, 1-3, 1-1)

After a couple of heavy losses to start the year, Salavat Yulaev rediscovered its scoring form in Nizhnekamsk. Scott Wilson scored his first goals after moving from Metallurg, Alexander Chmelevski scored two, and Josh Leivo had a five-point game as Neftekhimik lost ground in the race for the top eight.

The home team made a good start, with German Tochilkin’s power play goal opening the scoring after seven minutes. A minute later, Riley Barber doubled the lead. Ufa fans possibly had a sinking feeling following 1-4 and 1-5 losses since the holidays.

But tonight things were different. Leivo set up Wilson to pull a goal back quickly, and the same pair combined again in the 18th minute to tie the scores. Within 20 seconds, Salavat Yulaev was in front thanks to Chmelevski.

Neftekhimik regrouped during the intermission and tied the game at the start of the middle frame thanks to Kirill Kapustin’s 23rd-minute effort. But Salavat scored twice in a minute once again to open a 5-3 lead midway through the game. Leivo found the net, then Dennis Yan struck 40 seconds later to chase Filipp Dolganov from the net.

Earlier, the Wolves’ two-goal lead evaporated fast. Now, Ufa held its advantage and consolidated. Chmelevski struck again on the power play, with Leivo assisting for the third time in the game as Yaroslav Ozolin gave up his first goal of the evening. That made it 6-3 at the second intermission, with Salavat Yulaev apparently in control. Aside from the scoreline, the shot count was 35-11 in the visitor’s favor.

The scoring slowed in the third period. Nikita Khoruzhev pulled a goal back for Neftekhimik in the 54th minute. But the final word went to Leivo, who scored his second goal late on to complete an entertaining 7-4 victory. 

Minsk remains upwardly mobile

Dinamo Minsk 3 Sibir Novosibirsk 2 OT (0-1, 2-1, 0-0, 1-0)

Another win for Dinamo – seven out of eight now for Minsk – sent the Belarusians leaping into the top four in the Western Conference. Indeed, with CSKA and Spartak both losing, the Bison are only two points shy of second place thanks to a strong run of form. Despite trailing twice, the home team recovered to win the game in overtime on Vitaly Pinchuk’s effort.

For Sibir, looking to bounce back from two losses, a newly-minted North American partnership proved effective. Brendan Leipsic, Canadian born but now a Russian citizen, had a hand in Trevor Murphy’s first-period opener. Then he scored his first goal for his new employer with Murphy among the assists. Fellow Canadian Taylor Beck had helpers on both goals.

But Dinamo, currently on a strong run, was not overwhelmed. The Belarusians prefer to integrate their imports with local talent. Thus, Rob Hamilton started the play that saw Yegor Borikov tied the game in the 27th minute. Then, after falling behind for a second time, Chris Tierney made it 2-2 off a Vadim Moroz assist.

During the second intermission, home head coach Dmitry Kvartalnov decided to swap goalies, with Yegor Velmakin replacing Vasily Demchenko. Since joining Minsk, Demchenko has seven wins from eight games and enjoyed three shut-outs in the last five. Today, though, he allowed two goals on 10 shots and looked like he might benefit from a rest.

The change had the desired effect. Sibir was unable to score again in the game despite having a more even share of the play in the third period. The game was locked at 2-2 and went into overtime, where Dinamo took the verdict thanks to a goal from Vitaly Pinchuk. Vadim Shipachyov was among the assists, moving to 955 KHL points.

League leader extends its advantage

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 5 Spartak Moscow 4 (4-1, 1-1, 0-2)

Despite a third-period fightback, Lokomotiv took the verdict in this first-vs-second battle in Yaroslavl. Spartak startled the home team with two goals in 12 seconds at the start of the final frame but could not get closer than 4-5 as it tried to repair the damage it suffered early in the evening.

The league leader took control of this game in the first period. An early Maxim Shalunov goal got things started when he potted the rebound from Artur Kayumov’s shot in the fourth minute. Then Lokomotiv killed a penalty on Alexander Radulov before doubling the advantage: Radulov went behind the net to feed Stepan Nikulin, who forced Artyom Zagidulin to commit then lifted the puck over the prone goaltender.

That triggered an avalanche of goals. Spartak pulled one back when German Rubtsov took matters in his own hands to produce a fine individual effort. But Nikita Cherepanov needed a mere 21 seconds to restore the two-goal lead with a wrister from long range. That persuaded Alexei Zhamnov to send Dmitry Nikolayev into the net in place of Zagidulin, but Lokomotiv wasted no time in solving the new netminder. After 80 seconds on the ice, Nikolayev was retrieving the puck from his net after Daniil But added a fourth goal.

After that flurry, things calmed a little but Spartak could not make any inroads on the lead before the intermission. Instead, the visitor had to wait until after the break, when a quick goal from Alexander Pashin revived Red-and-White hopes. Zhamnov’s team got another break 90 seconds later when a smart bench challenge saw a Radulov effort ruled out for offside. But Lokomotiv got its fifth goal midway through the frame thanks to Alexander Polunin.

Up by three at the start of the third, the Railwaymen looked a safe bet to seal the win with a minimum of drama. Igor Nikitin’s teams are renowned for their ability to manage exactly this situation.

But the familiar calm was shattered after just eight seconds of the third period when Rubtsov got his second of the night. That prompted Nikitin to replace Daniil Isayev with Alexei Melnichuk, only to see the new goaltender beaten after 12 seconds on the ice. Andrei Loktionov gobbled up a dish from Nikolai Goldobin and suddenly it was a one-goal game.

Now the game management looked very different. Spartak was one good shot away from tying the scores, while Lokomotiv had to look to generating more offense. The outcome was a stalemate: neither team could gain a decisive advantage in the play, and both goalies kept their goals intact as Loko held on for a 5-4 verdict.

Kunlun sets club record

Kunlun Red Star 3 CSKA Moscow 0 (1-0, 1-0, 1-0)

The Dragons blazed to a club record sixth successive victory, adding to CSKA’s problems thanks to a great goaltending display from Patrik Rybar and two goals from Spencer Foo.

Red Star gave goalie Rybar his debut after claiming him off waivers last month. The former Spartak man had a busy start to his new role, making big stops to deny Pavel Karnaukhov and Stanislav Galiyev as CSKA was the first to settle.

Immediately after that, though, the home team got in front as the Foo brothers set off on the counter. Parker’s shot was saved, but the rebound went to Spencer and he opened the scoring.

That family business continued in the second period, with Parker assisting on a second goal for Spencer. Red Star’s captain moved to five goals in the last three games as the Dragons doubled their lead.

After that, CSKA largely took over. The visitor shaded the play in the second period and dominated in the third. But there was no way past Rybar. Red Star defended stoutly despite a couple of power play chances for the Muscovites.

There was no attacking threat from the home team in the final stanza until the closing seconds. But when Ivan Prosvetov made way for a sixth skater, Tyler Graovac had Red Star’s only shot on target of the third period. And, with no goalie to deal with it, that made the final score 3-0.