Demidov’s hat-trick helps SKA, Kunlun survives Traktor fightback. January 28 round-up
Ivan Demidov’s first KHL hat-trick made the difference as SKA won 4-1 at home to Vityaz. Elsewhere in the Western Conference, Severstal returned to second place with a 2-1 win at Neftekhimik. Eastern leader Traktor recovered from 1-3, only to fall to Kunlun in overtime. The day’s other two games were decided in the third period. Metallurg scored three unanswered goals to beat Dinamo Minsk 4-1, Torpedo hit two without reply in a 3-1 success at Sochi.
Steelmen too strong for Dinamo
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 Dinamo Minsk 1 (0-0, 1-1, 3-0)
Dinamo returned to action after a two-week game, but the Belarusians ended up seeming rusty rather than refreshed. Despite opening the scoring in today’s game, they finished on the losing side after Metallurg produced a strong third period.
In the early stages, Dinamo skated more fluently than Metallurg. The visitor moved quickly through center ice and tried to get pucks to the net from all areas. Vadim Shipachyov had the first big chance of the game, pouncing on a misplaced pass to find a shooting lane, but Ilya Nabokov made the save.
The visitor got in front early in the second period. Moving quickly from end to end once again, Ilya Usov finished off a counterattack to make it 1-0 in the 25th minute. But Metallurg found a swift response. Yegor Korobkin set up Dmitry Moiseyev, and his shot beat Vasily Demchenko at the far post. That exchange of goals seemed to open the game. Once again, Shipachyov threatened, but Nabokov found the answer and it remained 1-1 at the second intermission.
Denis Zernov scored an important goal at the start of the third to put the home team in front for the first time. He took advantage of confusion in the Minsk zone and slipped the puck under Demchenko’s pads. The next shift saw Roman Kantserov miss a good chance to make it 3-1, but Metallurg was taking control of the game. The third goal came midway through the session thanks to Troy Josephs and the Korobkin-Moiseyev partnership combined once again as Yegor completed the scoring with three minutes to play.
Pilipenko shoots down Neftekhimik
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 Severstal Cherepovets 2 (0-0, 1-1, 0-1)
Kirill Pilipenko’s 24th goal of the season gave Severstal a fifth consecutive victory. The result returns Andrei Kozyrev’s team to second place, with leading scorer Pilipenko ending a three-game drought.
Neftekhimik failed to build on Sunday’s win over Lada and remains seven points adrift of eighth-placed Sibir in its race for the playoffs.
The decisive goal came in the 55th minute, seconds after Neftekhimik managed to kill a short Severstal power play. As Andrei Belozyorov returned to the game, Danil Aimurzin’s pass from left-hand circle to right set up Pilipenko for a one-timer that gave Filipp Dolganov no chance.
That goal snapped a 1-1 tie, but this game was less even than the tight scoreline and 35-35 shot count might suggest. Even in a goalless first period, when Neftekhimik outshot Severstal 12-6, the visitor had substantially more time on the attack and by the end of the game the home defense had to block 19 shots. At the other end, Severstal’s players blocked just three attempts.
The visitor got in front early in the second period through Adam Liska. That goal was cancelled out three minutes later by Nikita Khoruzhev, who found the net for the fourth time in five games. But the 21-year-old’s on-going run of form wasn’t enough to get his team on the road to victory; Severstal settled the outcome in the final frame.
Torpedo remains on course for playoffs
HC Sochi 1 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 (1-1, 0-0, 0-2)
Playoff-seeking Torpedo outlasted Sochi to pick up two more valuable points as it looks to stay clear of the chasing pack. Today’s win, coupled with Traktor’s fightback at Kunlun, puts Igor Larionov’s team seven points clear in eighth place.
The last time these two met, Torpedo powered to a 7-1 victory. There was no chance of any repeat of that kind of scoring today. For much of the game, the teams were deadlocked and Torpedo only got in front for the first time in the 49th minute.
Earlier, Sochi took the lead late in the first period through Igor Shvyryov. However, within a minute, Bobby Lynch tied it up for Torpedo. A goalless second period made it was still 1-1 at the second intermission, with the home team arguably enjoying more of the game.
The third period began with Sochi on the power play, and after killing that penalty Torpedo was shorthanded again when Anton Silayev sat for interference. However, the home power play was cut short by Will Bitten’s infringement and Torpedo got ahead when Silayev returned. Nikita Artamonov converted the mini-power play in the 48th minute and that proved to be the winning goal. Five minutes later, Kirill Voronin added a third, putting the game out of reach for the Leopards.
Lockhart sinks Traktor in OT
Kunlun Red Star 4 Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 OT (3-1, 0-0, 0-2, 1-0)
The Dragons enjoyed a fine first 10 minutes in this game but lost their grip in the final 10. As a result, a win in regulation slipped out of their grasp and the action went to overtime. However, in the extras the home team regained its composure and Luke Lockhart grabbed the winning goal.
Kunlun featured long-serving former Traktor center in its line-up and he had an assist on the opening goal in the fourth minute. Kyle Rau also had a helper, his first point in the KHL, as Jan Drozg found the net. That opened the floodgates: Yaroslav Liikhachyov doubled the lead and Joey Duszak made it 3-0 on the power play in the 10th minute.
Traktor managed to halt the damage, with starting goalie Alexei Mylnichuk making way for Zach Fucale. And the visitor even managed to get a goal back thanks to Buddy Robinson late in the first.
However, for a long time it seemed that the Eastern Conference leader would leave with nothing. The second period was goalless and Red Star held its two-goal advantage until midway through the third. Then Traktor stepped up a gear. Mikhail Goryunov-Rolgizer got one back, and Vasily Glotov tied it up in the 55th minute.
Now it seemed that the momentum was behind the visitor. However, Red Star did not crumble. An untimely slashing penalty for Logan Day slowed Traktor’s charge and, in overtime, Kunlun was the better team before taking the verdict thanks to Lockhart’s ninth goal of the season.
Demidov treble sinks Vityaz
SKA St. Petersburg 4 Vityaz Moscow Region 1 (1-0, 1-0, 2-1)
Ivan Demidov led the way with a hat-trick as SKA recorded a third win in four games. Vityaz fell to a third defeat against SKA this season and lost further ground in the Western playoff race.
Demidov opened the scoring tonight, getting his 16th goal of the season in the 14th minute. SKA had built up the pressure on Maxim Dorozhko’s net during its first power play of the game, and although Vityaz made it back to full strength, that momentum continued. Sergei Plotnikov picked out a great pass to find Demidov on the slot and the youngster did the rest.
Early in the second period, Zakhar Bardakov rang the iron releasing Nikolai Polyakov to double SKA’s lead. An excellent backhand pass sent Polyakov clean through on goal and the 24-year-old took advantage to score his first goal of the season.
Immediately after that, the home team enjoyed two more great chances but Andrei Kuzmin hit the post before Dorozhko closed the door on a Demidov counterattack.
Vityaz struggled to create much in the middle frame, but managed to keep the scoreline down to two. And, at the start of the third, Vladislav Tsitsyura produced a sensation with a short-handed goal to make it 1-2. SKA looked momentarily uncomfortable, but Vityaz could not stay out of the box and, just as in the first period, another home power play led to a goal for Demidov just as the teams returned to equal strength.
By now the visiting forwards were starting to cause trouble and Artemy Pleshkov pulled off a spectacular save to deny Ivan Chekhovich. The goalie was spreadeagled on the ice after stopping a Jeremy Roy point shot but managed to get his glove to Chekhovich’s wrister and preserve the two-goal advantage.
However, this was definitely Demidov’s day. The teen sensation finished the job with an empty net goal, completing his first KHL hat-trick and sealing a 4-1 triumph for his team.
