Birthday boy sinks Spartak, Lokomotiv edges thriller in OT. January 13 round-up

Maxim Mamin turned 30 today, and enjoyed the perfect celebration with two goals in CSKA’s 4-2 derby win over Spartak. The other big game in the West saw Lokomotiv and SKA tie 3-3 before ...

There was an entertaining clash at Torpedo, where the home team rallied from 0-3 but ultimately fell to Traktor. Sibir earned a valuable OT verdict over Neftekhimik to improve its playoff prospects, and Metallurg cruised to a ninth successive victory with a 4-2 win over Sochi. 

Vital victory for Sibir

Sibir Novosibirsk 2 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 OT (0-1, 1-0, 0-0, 1-0)

This was a big game in the race for the Eastern playoffs. Ahead of Monday’s action, these teams were just one point apart: Sibir was narrowly ahead of its opponent, but Neftekhimik’s most recent win came at home to the Siberians on Jan. 6.

Both teams knew that victory here would be a big boost to playoff ambitions and went with experienced rosters. Maxim Karpov and Georgy Belousov returned for the home team, Mikhail Pashnin and Kirill Petrov for the visitor. And Neftekhimik opened the scoring late in the first period through Riley Barber. He had two trips to the box in a busy opening frame but finished by putting his team in front. Artyom Serikov assisted that goal and proved to be the key player of the first period. As well as helping set up Barber’s goal, he also denied Yegor Martynov a seemingly certain goal by blocking his route to the net and covering for goalie Filipp Dolganov.

Sibir enjoyed a territorial advantage but struggled to convert that into real scoring chances. The power play, so effective earlier in the season, failed to take its chances. However, at equal strength Vladimir Butuzov, who recently lost his place on the special team, showed his worth with a tying goal in the second period.

The third period brought chances for Luka Profaca and Butuzov and the game moved on into overtime. Sibir started with three Canadians on the ice and Trevor Murphy scored the winner, assisted by Taylor Beck and Brendan Leipsic. 

Magnitka eases to ninth straight win

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 HC Sochi 2 (1-0, 0-1, 3-1)

Sochi suffered a difficult journey to Magnitogorsk, with the team’s flight unable to land as scheduled at the local airport due to bad weather. Instead, the Leopards travelled on to Ufa and completed the trip by road.

With no such difficulty getting to a home game, Metallurg made a strong start. Danila Yurov went close with a solo effort, then Luke Johnson’s redirect steered Alexei Maklyukov’s point shot into the net in the third minute.

The visitor’s first chance to get into the game came with a power play when Yurov sat for tripping and Sochi was able to get the play away from its net. However, there wasn’t much menace even with the extra man and Metallurg held its lead to the intermission.

After dominating the opening frame, Magnitka probably deserved more than a one-goal advantage. And Sochi took heart from that, coming into the game more effectively in the middle frame. There were still some anxious moments for the visiting defense, but late in the session Denis Vengryzhanovsky tied the game just after a Sochi power play came to an end.

Going into the third period, home head coach Andrei Razin shuffled his lines, moving Dmitry Silantyev to the top line. That change brought results fast: after three minutes Silantyev deflected a shot into the net to restore Metallurg’s lead.

As the game got into the last 10 minutes, Magnitka took the game away from Sochi. Artyom Minulin put away a rebound to make it 3-1, then Yegor Korobkin added a fourth. Daniil Seroukh scored a last-minute short-handed goal for the Leopards, but it made no difference to the final score.

Traktor holds off Torpedo’s fightback

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 Traktor Chelyabinsk 5 (0-2, 3-1, 0-2)

Traktor consolidated its position at the top of the Eastern Conference, while Torpedo’s latest loss keeps it in the thick of a battle to hold onto its playoff spot. Igor Larionov’s team could be knocked out of the top eight if Kunlun continues its winning streak tomorrow in Omsk.

To add to Torpedo’s frustration, the home team recovered from 0-3 to tie this game. However, instead of going on to win, it lost its way in the third period and slumped to a 3-5 loss.

Traktor made a strong start. First-period goals from Vitaly Kravtsov and Maxim Shabanov had the visitor on top, and when Andrei Svetlakov added a third after 63 seconds of the middle frame, it felt like things were under control. Recent signing Logan Day assisted on the Svetlakov goal, getting his first point in the KHL.

But Torpedo responded. Nikita Artamonov got the home team on the scoreboard in the 26th minute, Bobby Lynch added a second and when Ilya Chefanov scored his first KHL goal, the game was level. The home team had three goals in little over eight minutes and looked capable of finishing the job.

Traktor managed to calm things down in the closing minutes of the second period, and during the intermission Benoit Groulx clearly found the right approach for his team. In the 44th minute, the visitor was back in front: Day adding another assist, Artyom Blazhievsky getting the go-ahead goal. And midway through the final stanza, Vasily Glotov made it 5-3, with Shabanov getting another assist to complete a three-point game.

Rafikov gives Loko OT verdict

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 SKA St. Petersburg 3 OT (1-1, 2-1, 0-1, 1-0)

Two goals and an assist from Alexander Radulov led Lokomotiv to a hard-fought win over SKA. The visitor tied the game in the dying moments on a power play – with Radulov in the box – but the league leader recovered to win it in the extras.

Lokomotiv had a goaltending worry: Daniil Isayev, so effective this season, was injured during the previous game against Spartak. That meant understudy Alexei Melnichuk had to step up against the league’s leader scorer.

The four previous meetings between these teams were all tight, and this one continued that tradition. The first period was hard-fought and, early on at least, had no shortage of action around the nets. SKA was the first to get on the board, Zakhar Bardakov winning a foot race to get onto Arseny Gritsyuk’s pass and fire past Melnichuk.

However, Lokomotiv had plenty of attacking options of its own and tied the game in the 13th minute thanks to Alexander Radulov. Andrei Sergeyev dragged the play into the SKA zone, got away from Tony DeAngelo and set up Radulov to make it 1-1. Before the intermission, Lokomotiv had the only power play chance of the opening frame. But SKA came closest to getting in front when Andrei Pedan came charging out of defense but saw his powerful shot rebound off the bar.

Early in the second period, Loko got another power play and this time the host took advantage. Artur Kayumov moved inside to shoot from the left circle and beat Yegor Zavrgain while Maxim Beryozkin put up the screen.

SKA responded through Ivan Demidov, whose productive run continued after he forced Alexei Bereglazov to give up the puck and skated away to tie the game. However, it took just a couple of minutes for Lokomotiv to get back in front, Radulov’s second of the game making it 3-2 at the second intermission.

For a long time, that looked like it would be enough to win it for the league leader. SKA worked hard in the third period, but struggled to get good looks at Melnichuk. The Lokomotiv defense absorbed plenty of pressure, but only allowed eight efforts to reach the goalie.

But eight was enough. On 58:46, Radulov sat for delaying the game. SKA was already playing with six skaters, and the six-on-four advantage brought a game-saving goal when Alexander Nikishin roasted a one-timer past Melnichuk off Plotnikov’s feed to send the game into overtime.

In the extras, Radulov added to his two goals with a fine assist, getting away from Nikishin and dishing off a backhand pass to the back door where Rushan Rafikov was waiting to score the winner. 

Mamin’s birthday bonus

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

Maxim Mamin celebrated his 30th birthday with two goals to help CSKA win this Moscow derby.

Mamin wasted little time opening his first birthday present, putting the home team ahead after 54 seconds with a short-handed goal.

After an all-action start to the game, Spartak went on to dominate much of the first period. The home team had 17 shots at Ivan Prosvetov but could not beat the CSKA goalie. The visitor benefitted from two power plays, but still trailed at the first intermission.

In the second period, Spartak finally got the goal it was looking for. Ansel Galimov’s one-timer solved Prosvetov at last. CSKA had the puck in the net at the other end almost immediately, but Alexei Zhamnov’s staff challenged Yegor Fateyev’s effort and the play was called back for interference on Dmitry Nikolayev.

Fateyev did not have to wait long for a legitimate goal, though, restoring the home lead midway through the game after punishing an error from Veniamin Korolyov. However, Spartak hit back right away and tied the game 90 seconds later through Alexander Belyayev.

Mamin started the third period much like he started the first – with a goal in the first minute. Nikolayev stopped one shot, stopped a second shot, but could do nothing with Maxim’s attempt as CSKA regained the lead.

Spartak’s efforts to tie the game once more were hampered by untimely penalties. Adam Ruzicka and Nikolai Goldobin sat midway through the game, then Daniil Orlov was penalized in the 57th minute. That penalty was swiftly cancelled out, but even at equal strength CSKA finished the stronger. Denis Guryanov added a fourth goal to settle this derby battle.