Ak Bars, Spartak claim derby bragging rights. January 27 round-up
Josh Leivo’s 39th goal of the season wasn’t enough to save Salavat Yulaev from defeat at Ak Bars in Monday’s big game. The home team took an OT verdict after an entertaining 3-3 tie in Kazan. That helped Avtomobilist move a point clear in second place in the East after a 5-4 win over Amur. At the top of the West, Lokomotiv bounced back from a couple of defeats to edge Dynamo Moscow 2-1, while Spartak won the Moscow derby against CSKA 4-1 to go second. Avangard eased to a 4-1 win over Admiral.
Hawks ease past Sailors
Avangard Omsk 4 Admiral Vladivostok 1 (1-0, 1-0, 2-1)
The home team returned from a short road trip with two victories and two injuries. Mike McLeod and Nikolai Prokhorkin were unavailable today, prompting a reshuffle of the Hawks’ offense. Ivan Igumnov and Nikita Kholodilin stepped up as replacement centers, and Ilya Reingardt returned to action as well.
The change in personnel did not greatly inconvenience Guy Boucher’s team. Avangard got ahead on a Reid Boucher goal in the 15th minute and Admiral was never able to catch up. The visitor showed some initiative after falling behind, forcing home goalie Nikita Serebryakov into action late in the opening frame, but could not get back on level terms.
Early in the second period, the teams alternated power plays but could not create much. The closest we came to a goal was when Arkady Shestakov had a good look, but Serebryakov again closed the door. Late in the frame, Avangard doubled its lead when Semyon Chistyakov finished off an extended spell of pressure with a shot through traffic.
The Sailors looked tired at the end of the second period, but revived during the intermission. A goal early in the third threatened to make a game of it, Shestakov converting from the slot after Mario Grman’s point shot. But barely a minute later Avangard was up 3-1: Reingardt dragged play to the Admiral net and set up Mikhail Gulyayev to score. A home power play saw a brilliant combination from Igumnov and Nail Yakupov to set up a second goal for Chistyakov; the league’s most prolific defenseman wrapped up a 4-1 win for the Hawks.
Amur’s fightback comes too late
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 5 Amur Khabarovsk 4 (1-1, 1-0, 3-3)
Despite a big fightback, Amur could not save this game. However, two tallies in the last two minutes saw Avtomobilist’s 5-2 lead reduced to a single goal as the Tigers made it tight before falling to only a second loss in five games.
The early stages felt like an exhibition game: plenty of attacking intent, but not much by way of hits or battles for possession. That rather sleepy start was rudely interrupted by an unexpected goal midway through the frame: Vladislav Barulin sent Alex Broadhurst down the wing to surprise Vladimir Galkin with an early shot.
Giving up a goal did not immediately stir Avtomobilist to great efforts. Indeed, Amur might have doubled the lead on a counter-attack but the attack fluffed its lines at the crucial moment. However, late in the frame, the home team found an equalizer when Alexander Sharov encountered little resistance on the wing and found Nick Merkley on the slot to make it 1-1.
The game remained deadlocked for some time, even though Avtomobilist started the middle frame with rather more attacking intent. It wasn’t until close to the intermission that Andrei Obidin finished off a neat passing play to put the home team up for the first time.
Amur’s problems continued: at the start of the third, the visitor faced 63 seconds with three skaters, and Brooks Macek duly capitalized with a trademark power play goal from the circle. A two-goal cushion felt like it could be enough to win the game, but the visitor fought back and reduced the deficit midway through the session when Artyom Gizdatullin set up Ilya Talaluyev in plenty of space in front of Serebryakov’s net.
That goal brought a swift response. Obidin got his second of the game, then Alexei Byvaltsev made it 5-2 in the 54th minute. Game over, surely?
Not quite. Darren Dietz sat for hooking, and that power play helped Talaluyev grab a power play goal on 58:12. Then, playing six-on-five, Ivan Mishchenko pulled back another goal to give 54 seconds for Amur to save the game. But the final surge fell short; Avtomobilist held on to take the win and hold on to second place in the East.
Epic battle goes to Ak Bars
Ak Bars Kazan 4 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 OT (1-0, 1-1, 1-2, 1-0)
The fifth edition of this season’s Green Derby series was Monday’s big game. Not only was this a battle for bragging rights between two of the East’s big hitters, it was also a big game at the top of the conference. Both teams have designs on overtaking Traktor if they make full use of their games in hand, and both were looking to move ahead in face-to-face meetings this season after two wins apiece thus far.
Not surprisingly, perhaps, it took overtime to sort it all out. Ak Bars made a fast start, but then blew a 2-0 lead. Salavat Yulaev got ahead midway through the third period, but could not see out the win. Then, with overtime approaching its end, Stepan Falkovsky scored his first goal for Ak Bars to give the home team the verdict.
The home team took an early lead in this one. In the second minute, Semyon Koshelev laid a big hit on Maxim Zorkin and the puck bounced free for Alexei Pustozyorov to open the scoring. After that quick goal, Ak Bars continued to have more of the chances in the first period but could not add to its lead until midway through the second. Artyom Galimov beat his marker in center ice and advanced to fire a wrister past Alexander Samonov in the visitor’s net.
However, Salavat Yulaev has been nothing if not effective in front of goal in recent games, with Josh Leivo leading the way. He found the net for the sixth game in a row, moving to 39 for the season. This time, his goal also laid the foundation for a fightback in the third period. First, Alexander Chmelevski tied it up in the 47th minute. Soon after, Sheldon Rempal had a great chance to make it 3-2, then Leivo launched another dangerous raid. The home team was tottering, and when Chmelevski seized possession in center ice and released Mikhail Naumenkov to put Ufa in front in the 51st minute, the game was getting away.
Gatiyatulin responded with a time-out, calming his players’ nerves and setting up the play that could save the game. In the 55th minute, on the power play, his team executed the plan. After locking Salavat Yulaev in its zone, Galimov drilled the puck to the slot where Dmitrij Jaskin won his battle and sent the game into overtime.
The extras saw a decent chance at each end before Ak Bars won it. Alexander Barabanov was the architect, circling the net and sending the puck back to the blue line. There, Falkovsky was waiting to shoot into the top corner while Kirill Semyonov screened Samonov.
Railwaymen withstand Dynamo’s late surge
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2 Dynamo Moscow 1 (1-0, 0-0, 1-1)
Table-topping Lokomotiv came through a tough game against a Dynamo team looking to push for second place in the Western Conference. The visitor arrived with road wins at St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod behind it, while Loko suffered defeats at SKA and Spartak in its previous two games.
If back-to-back losses had done anything to undermine Lokomotiv’s confidence, the home team got the perfect boost in the third minute. The Railwaymen’s first shot on target saw Daniil Tesanov open the scoring. Daniil But won possession on the left-hand boards and delivered the puck to the slot, where Tesanov did well to beat Vladislav Podyapolsky.
After that, Dynamo ensured that the home team could not run away with the game. However, the Muscovites had a hard time chiselling out chances against a well-drilled Lokomotiv rearguard and it remained 1-0 through 20 minutes.
The second period was similar. Dynamo had to kill a penalty early in the session, but did so relatively easily. For a time, the visitor had a slight advantage, but struggled to generate clear scoring chances. Lokomotiv revived a the second intermission approached, but despite some good looks for Maxim Beryozkin, Tesanov and Denis Alexeyev, Podyapolsky kept the score to 1-0.
In the third, it was Loko’s turn to kill a penalty midway through the session. Dynamo’s power play looked more threatening than its host’s, but could not force the breakthrough. Then, back at equal strength, the league leader doubled its advantage. Richard Panik was alert on the slot, steering the puck home after Nikita Kiryanov fired it in from the slot.
In a game of few chances, a 2-0 lead felt big. Had Panik’s second of the game counted with five to play, that would surely have ended the contest. However, a video review called back that play while a scuffle after the contested play left the teams playing four-on-four.
Dynamo used that extra space to get back into contention with five to play. Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi redirected Nikita Gusev’s elevated shot past Alexei Melchinuk to make it 1-2 and, as the penalties from that earlier fight worked themselves out, the visitor went onto the power play with just over two minutes to play. Podyapolsky came out of his net as Dynamo went six-on-four, but Lokomotiv held on to take the win.
Derby delight in Red-and-White
Spartak Moscow 4 CSKA Moscow 1 (1-0, 1-1, 2-0)
The home team kept up its impressive derby form, collecting a fourth win in five games against CSKA. Ansel Galimov scored twice, but the final score was padded by two late goals for the Red-and-Whites.
In the first period the game was even. Spartak got ahead midway through with a goal on the counter-attack. Mikhail Maltsev set up Michal Cajkovsky as the Slovak defenseman raced through the middle to score only his second goal of the season. CSKA had chances, but could not get back on terms before the intermission.
The visitor found a tying goal in the 27th minute courtesy of Yegor Afanasyev. He wired home a wrister from the right-hand circle, giving Artyom Zagidulin no chance in the home net. However, Spartak got back in front immediately, Galimov potting his first of the night on the next shift after CSKA’s defense failed to clear its lines.
As well as exchanging quickfire goals, the teams consistently traded scoring chances. CSKA always looked capable of tying this game, while Spartak continued to seek the knock-out blow. It remained a one-goal game until the 59th minute. CSKA returned from a time-out without its goaltender, but could not hold onto the puck. Spartak seized possession and Maltsev again set up a goal, this time for Adam Ruzicka. Moments later, a second empty net goal saw Galimov make the final score 4-1 and return Spartak to second in the Western Conference.
