Blue-and-Whites keep up good form, Red-and-Whites halt Lokomotiv. January 25 round-up

Dynamo Moscow reeled off a seventh win in eight games, overcoming Torpedo with two goals from Dylan Sikura in Nizhny Novgorod. SKA, who lost to Dynamo in its previous game, bounced back to beat Salavat Yulaev on home ice. That helped Eastern Conference leader Traktor consolidate its position at the top, although Benoit Groulx’s team had to come from 0-2 to beat Admiral in a shoot-out. Western Conference leader Lokomotiv suffered a second successive defeat, blowing a 2-0 lead and going down 2-4 at Spartak. Kunlun beat Vityaz in the battle of the Western playoff contenders,  Amur took an overtime verdict at Metallurg.

Eastern leader survives scare

Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 Admiral Vladivostok 2 SO (0-1, 0-1, 2-0, 0-0, 1-0)

Despite trailing 0-2, Traktor rallied to win this game against Admiral in a shoot-out. The victory consolidates Chelyabinsk’s place at the top of the Eastern Conference following a midweek loss to Sibir.

Admiral got ahead in the first period, although it was hard to say either team clearly had the upper hand on the play. Traktor’s best chance fell to defenseman Grigory Dronov, but his slapshot slammed into the crossbar as the home team looked to convert a power play. Instead, the breakthrough came at the other end in the 17th minute when Georgy Solyannikov fired one in from the blue line and, after the puck rattled around the slot, Yegor Stepanov was on hand to pick up the pieces and score from the right-hand circle.

The middle frame saw more attacking intent from the home team. Alexander Kadeikin created a good opening for himself early on, setting the tone for a session where Traktor saw more of the puck and asked more questions of Andrei Mishurov. However, the second goal went to Admiral when Mario Grman used his strength to hold off the home defense and set up Arkady Shestakov for 2-0.

That left Traktor needing a big start in the third period. The home team was helped by a power play and needed just 17 seconds to halve the deficit. Buddy Robinson laid the foundation for a home comeback when he showed the sharpest reactions on the slot and stuffed the puck home from close range. Subsequently, the teams traded chances but when Traktor got back on the power play – Solyannikov the offender for Admiral – it turned out to be crucial. Steven Kampfer’s shot, Vladimir Tkachyov’s redirect, 2-2.

The home team might have gone on to win it in regulation, but Mishurov dealt with a dangerous chance for Vasily Glotov. Neither team could find a goal in OT, and Admiral faced its three shoot-out in a row. Practice did not make perfect, though; Traktor won it thanks to Logan Day’s accurate finish.

Valuable win for KRS

Vityaz Moscow Region 1 Kunlun Red Star 2 (1-1, 0-0, 0-1)

Red Star came from behind to snatch a valuable victory in the Western Conference playoff race. This was 10th versus ninth in Balashikha, with both teams anxious to close the gap on eighth-placed Torpedo ahead of Saturday’s later game against Dynamo.

The home team was first to settle, and might have grabbed the opening goal when Dmitry Buchelnikov and Derek Barach combined for an odd-man rush. That chance came to naught, but soon afterwards Vityaz got ahead when a terrific pass from Ruslan Pedan set up Ivan Vorobyov for a simple redirect past Patrik Rybar.

But Pedan’s afternoon deteriorated suddenly. His penalty gave Red Star the first power play of the game and that saw Jan Drozg rifle home a shot from between the hash marks to tie the game.

The scores were level at the intermission and stayed that way through a goalless middle frame. Kunlun was closest to forging ahead, but Spencer Foo saw a venomous shot rebound off the piping. An early power play also brought chances for Yaroslavl Likhachyov and Joey Duszak, but there was no way through.

And the third period also ran goalless for along time. Thoughts were already turning to overtime when Adam Clendening made the breakthrough in the 56th minute. His point shot whistled through traffic and past Andrei Karayev, giving KRS the verdict and snapping a three-game skid for the Dragons. 

Loko stumbles at Spartak

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

After losing to Lokomotiv twice this season, Spartak got its first victory over the runaway leader. The most recent meeting between the teams, two weeks earlier, saw Loko win 5-4 but lose influential goalie Daniil Isayev, who remains on the injured list.

In Isayev’s absence, Alexei Melnichuk continued as the first-choice netminder. In the first period, he had relatively little to do as the visitor dominated the game. The Railwaymen looked fresher and more aggressive than their host and jumped to a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes. The opener came when Nikita Kiryanov produced a fine pass to set up Byron Froese, who happily accepted the invitation to make it 1-0 in the fifth minute. Late in the opening frame, the roles were reversed: Froese to Kiryanov, 2-0 to Lokomotiv.

It could have been more for the visitor, and Spartak looked to embrace that reprieve. The home team battled back in the second period with two goals from Alexander Pashin tying the game. Lokomotiv seemed to ease off after a strong start to the game and collectively lost its defensive intensity. And that had consequences at the other end when a moment’s sloppiness from Maxim Shalunov cost a certain goal as he fired wide of an open net shortly after the first Shavin goal.

That shifted the momentum in Spartak’s favor and the third period saw the home team secure the win. Early in the session Ansel Galimov fired a warning shot narrowly over the top when well placed. Then he got the go-ahead goal midway through the stanza, going five-hole from close range. The knock-out blow came in the 58th minute when Andrei Mironov potted his 50th KHL goal, converting a power play to make it 4- and send Loko spinning to back-to-back losses. 

Broadhurst halts Metallurg in OT

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 Amur Khabarovsk 3 OT (0-0, 1-1, 1-1, 0-1)

The defending champion returned to action after a five-day break to face familiar opposition. Metallurg was playing Amur for the third time in three weeks and the teams once again produced a 3-2 scoreline. This time, as in last Saturday’s shoot-out verdict, the Tigers got the nod by the tightest of margins.

There were no goals in the first period, although Metallurg was arguably good value for a lead at the intermission. The visitor was limited to counterattacks as the Steelmen ensured most of the play was in front of Matt Jurusik’s net. That led to the first goal, but Denis Zernov’s effort was cancelled after a bench challenge. Later, Nikita Mikhailis had a good chance saved by Jurusik as the teams went into the break locked at 0-0.

For a time, Metallurg was left to rue its early profligacy. After failing to convert a power play at the start of the second period, the home team was almost caught by a great shot from Alex Galchenyuk. Ilya Nabokov saved that attempt but Amur got two power plays in quick succession and the second of them saw Ilya Talaluyev open the scoring in the 33rd minute. Just before the intermission, Magnitka hit back through Yegor Korobkin, setting up an intriguing finale.

And the third stanza followed a similar pattern: Amur got in front midway through the session, this time through Galchenyuk. Metallurg had to battle long and hard for a tying goal, and got it late on. A power play in the 57th minute enabled Magnitka to play six-on-four, and Troy Josephs took advantage to salvage a point for his team.

But there was no more than a point for the host. Although overtime saw more of the play in front of Jurusik’s net, Alex Broadhurst scored the decisive goal to give Amur the verdict. 

Sikura paces Dynamo victory

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 1 Dynamo Moscow 4 (0-0, 0-1, 1-3)

Dynamo enjoyed a convincing victory in Nizhny Novgorod, pulling away from Torpedo in the third period. Dylan Sikura scored twice, continuing his revival since swapping Chelyabinsk for Moscow. Sikura now has four goals in eight games for Dynamo, having managed just five in 28 for Traktor.

There was no scoring in the opening frame, and little to choose between the teams. Torpedo edged the shot count 15-14, but Dynamo enjoyed more time on the attack through the opening 20 minutes.

That, broadly speaking, was the tale of the second stanza as well. This time, the numbers were slightly more favorable for the home team, but that did not prevent Dynamo getting in front late in the frame thanks to Cedric Paquette’s goal.

At the start of the third, Torpedo tied it up through Markus Phillips. That felt like a fair reflection of the play up to that point, but shortly after the goal Anton Sizov sat for tripping and plunged the home team into trouble. Torpedo killed the penalty, but five seconds after Sizov returned to the game, Dynamo regained the lead. The attacking momentum from the power play carried on and Sikura notched his first of the game.

Then came two goals in 90 seconds for the visitor, taking the game away from Igor Larionov’s team just after the midway point. Artyom Sergeyev grabbed a shorthanded goal, dealing a huge blow to Torpedo’s hopes in the 53rd minute. Then, back at equal strength, Sikura’s second of the day padded the lead to 4-1 and led Dynamo to a seventh win from eight games.

SKA edges past Salavat Yulaev

SKA St. Petersburg 3 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2 (0-0, 3-1, 0-1)

Despite yet another goal from Josh Leivo, Salavat Yulaev could not defeat SKA. The Canadian potted his 38th of a productive season but ended on the wrong side of a 3-2 scoreline in St. Petersburg.

After a goalless opening frame, SKA took the lead right at the start of the second through Zakhar Bardakov. He struck just 34 seconds after the restart. However, Leivo’s scoring streak continued and he tied the scores in the 25th minute.

In an even contest, the next goal was likely to be crucial – and it went to the home team. With 29 minutes on the clock, Ilya Karpukhin restored SKA’s lead. The defenseman, signed from Traktor before the deadline, is shaking off his stay-at-home reputation following his move to St. Petersburg; this was his second goal in successive games for his new club. A few minutes later, Arseny Gritsyuk added a third to give the home team a measure of comfort.

However, Salavat Yulaev kept looking for a way back. This was a busy day for netminders Artemy Pleshkov and Alexander Samonov, with the teams combining for 88 shots on goal. Despite an action-packed final stanza, there was no more scoring until the final seconds. Ufa, playing six-on-five, launched a desperate bid to save the game. Sheldon Rempal’s goal made it tight but there were only six seconds left to save the game. SKA called a time-out, and carefully closed out one last shift to seal a second victory in three games.