Severstal wins 14-goal battle, moves second in the West. February 2 round-up
The highlight of Sunday’s busy KHL program was the high-scoring clash between Severstal and Spartak. The home team jumped to a 3-0 lead, the visitor rallied to 3-3 and it ended 8-6 as Severstal climbed to second in the West. At the top of the East, Traktor remains clear after an overtime win against Sochi, while Avtomobilist and Ak Bars overtook Salavat Yulaev, which had been second at the start of the play. Sibir enhanced its playoff push with an overtime win at Admiral, pushing the Sailors down to eighth place. Avangard got a shoot-out win after a 4-4 tie in Minsk, while the Eastern basement battle saw Amur thrash Barys 5-0.
First shut-out for Shaimardanov
Amur Khabarovsk 5 Barys Astana 0 (2-0, 3-0, 0-0)
Swedish goalie Johan Mattsson returned to action for Barys, making his first appearance since Oct. 5. However, it wasn’t a happy return: he finished on the wrong side of a 0-5 verdict in Khabarovsk. His opposite number, 22-year-old Damir Shaimardanov, had more to celebrate after completing his first KHL shut-out.
Shaimardanov faced the first threat of the game when Barys got on the power play after 51 seconds. However, the visitor – still without many players away on international duty – could not take advantage. Amur grew into the game after a slow start and took the lead when Ivan Mishchenko converted Ilya Talaluyev’s feed after 13 minutes. Late in the first period, Alex Galchenyuk’s press forced a turnover that led to Vladislav Barulin doubling the lead. The best chance for Barys to reduce the deficit saw Damir Zhafyarov’s one-on-one finish with a shot against the post.
For a long time, there was little to excite in the second period. Barys once again got a power play, and once again failed to take advantage. Then, back at equal strength, Amur exploded with three goals late in the frame to take the game away. Barulin got his second of the night, Artur Gizdatullin cut through the defense and beat Mattsson from close range, then Devin Brosseau added a fifth just before the hooter.
That 5-0 scoreline meant that the third period was a formality. The main target for Amur was protecting the goalie and securing that first shut-out; Shaimardanov got there with 34 saves. The result moves Amur three points clear of Barys at the foot of the Eastern Conference table.
Road win sees Sibir up to seventh
Admiral Vladivostok 3 Sibir Novosibirsk 4 OT (2-3, 0-0, 1-0, 0-1)
Sibir moved in front of Admiral into seventh place as the Eastern Conference playoff race continues. Both teams are on 52 points, nine clear of Neftekhimik in ninth. Alexei Yakovlev’s overtime goal snapped a 3-3 tie, denying Admiral after it tied the game late in the third period.
Long before that, the opening frame turned into a goal rush. Vyacheslav Osnovin put Admiral in front on 11:35 and triggered a flurry of five goals in less than five minutes. At the end of it all, Sibir was up 3-2: Yakovlev swiftly cancelled out Osnovin’s opener, Roman Rukavishnikov and Jack Rodewald traded goals 12 seconds apart to tie it at 2-2, then Andy Andreoff scored Sibir’s third on 16:01 when he converted a penalty shot. In the midst of all that, Admiral replaced stating goalie Andrei Mishurov with Ilya Konovalov.
Although there were no more goals in the second period, the game remained open and both teams created chances, only to be let down by poor finishing. Sibir’s goalie, Denis Kostin, dealt with frequent one-on-one raids from Admiral to preserve his team’s lead.
The third period started brightly but gradually the players grew more cautious. Sibir, in particular, tried to close down the play and protect its one-goal advantage. However, in the 58th minute Nikita Soshnikov found a way through, forcing the game to overtime. In the extras, a fine shot from Yakovlev settled the outcome, giving Sibir its third victory of the season against the Sailors.
OT success keeps Traktor out in front
Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 HC Sochi 2 OT (1-0, 0-1, 1-1, 1-0)
After halting its skid with victory at Kunlun Red Star, Sochi picked up another point away at Eastern Conference leader Traktor. However, the home team did enough to get the win in overtime and consolidate its position in a tight race for top spot in the East.
The first period fit the formbook. Traktor controlled the play, allowing just one shot at Zach Fucale. At the other end, Sergei Ivanov made 11 saves, but was beaten by Sergei Telegin in the 16th minute.
In the second period, Traktor looked to press home its advantage only to be caught out in the 25th minute. Vasily Machulin’s classy wrister from the point ripped past Fucale to tie the game. After that, the game was more evenly-matched and the teams remained deadlocked at the second intermission.
That pause injected some energy into the play and the third period began with a more open game. Traktor regained its lead in the 47th minute thanks to a goal on the counterattack from Andrei Svetlakov. His marker looked like it might be the winner, but in the 57th minute Daniil Seroukh grabbed a tying goal for the Leopards and sent the game to overtime.
However, it didn’t take long for Traktor to complete the victory in the extras. Svetlakov was allowed too much time and space and he potted his second to seal the verdict.
Byvaltsev makes the difference for Avtomobilist
Lada Togliatti 2 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 4 (0-1, 2-1, 0-2)
Victory in Togliatti makes it 10 wins in a row for Avtomobilist. The visitor moves up to second in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Traktor. However, for Lada this was a costly defeat: the home team remains 10 points adrift of the playoff spots, albeit with two games in hand on eighth-placed Admiral.
To add to Lada’s frustration, this was a game that might have been won. Pavel Zubov’s team outshot its visitor 33-23 and got in front midway through the second period. However, it failed to hold onto that lead and fell to Alexei Byvaltsev’s 54th-minute tally.
In the first period, Lada outshot Avto 14-7 and had exactly twice as much attacking possession. But the only goal came at the other end in the 16th minute when Nick Merkley opened the scoring. Just before the intermission, the home team almost tied it up, but Vladimir Galkin produced a double save to deny Rafael Bikmullin.
The home pressure continued after the break, and Danil Yurtaikin deservedly tied the game in the 24th minute. When Dmitry Kugryshev made it 2-1 to Lada after 30 minutes, it felt like Avtomobilist could be in trouble. However, Stephane da Costa found a tying goal within two minutes, slowing Lada’s momentum and preventing the game from getting away from the visitor.
In the third period, both teams had chances to get in front. However, Byvaltsev’s goal proved decisive, and he got his third point of the game with an assist as Jesse Blacker wrapped it up with an empty-netter.
14 goals and a 58th-minute winner
Severstal Cherepovets 8 Spartak Moscow 6 (3-1, 2-4, 3-1)
A 14-goal thriller in Cherepovets saw Severstal return to second place in the Western Conference with an 8-6 verdict over Spartak. Both teams came into the game knowing that victory would put them directly behind Lokomotiv, and both showed an admirable commitment to attacking hockey.
Between them, today’s foes combined for 71 shots on goal. For Severstal, Kirill Pilipenko, Mikhail Kotlyarevsky and David Dumbadze scored two each; Spartak had doubles from Ivan Morozov and Adam Ruzicka. Goaltenders had a less enjoyable time of it. Spartak’s starter, Dmitry Nikolayev, was back on the bench after 9:45 with his team down 0-3.
That fast start saw Artyom Shchuchinov open the scoring in the third minute. Nikolai Chebykin struck in the sixth, then Kotlyarevsky potted his first with a short-handed effort. In came back-up goalie Artyom Zagidulin as Spartak looked to recover from a disastrous start.
And the Red-and-Whites were able to recover. Morozov scored twice, either side of the intermission and on 27:40 Ruzicka made it 3-3. Zagidulin, meanwhile, seemed to have the measure of the home offense, which fell silent until midway through the second period.
A Severstal power play – its second of the game – saw Pilipenko restore the lead in the 32nd minute. That ushered in a goal exchange. Goldobin tied it up for Spartak, then Ruzicka and Kotlyarevsky cancelled each other out before the intermission.
The third period brought an early goal for Dumbadze, then a rare lull in scoring: nine goalless minutes before Mikhail Maltsev made it 6-6. Severstal had scored six goals, never trailed, and with eight minutes to play was still tied.
The decisive breakthrough had to wait until 57:35, when Pilipenko scored his second of the night to make it 7-6. Yanni Kaldis joined Chebykin on three assists and Severstal had a lead that – at last – it would hold. Dumbadze’s empty-netter put the finishing touch on a remarkable contest.
Ak Bars scored six goals against Kunlun Red Star
Kunlun Red Star 3 Ak Bars Kazan 6 (1-1, 1-2, 1-3)
After the shock of losing a goal in the first minute, Ak Bars recovered to post a third successive victory. Earlier in the season, the Dragons lost 0-5 in Kazan; today produced a more competitive performance, but two goals from Tyler Graovac were not enough to get a result.
Graovac claimed his first after just 33 seconds. The first shift of the game saw the home team engineer a three-on-two rush and Jayden Halbgewachs set up his colleague for the opener. Ak Bars tied the game midway through the first, with 24-year-old defenseman Artemy Knyazev scoring only his second KHL goal.
Midway through the second period, Ak Bars got ahead. The visitor converted its third power play of the game when Artyom Galimov found Patrik Rybar’s net. However, the lead lasted a matter of seconds before Graovac got his second to make it 2-2.
But that was the limit of Red Star’s resistance. Ak Bars stepped up the pressure and after the home team iced the puck, the tiring Kunlun defense was pegged into its own end. Kirill Semyonov made it 3-2, with Dmitrij Jaskin getting his second assist of the game.
Early in the third, Yegor Korshkov produced a fine individual goal to pad the Ak Bars lead. Goalie Amir Miftakhov gave him the puck, and Korshkov went coast-to-coast, skating through the opposition to make it 4-2. In the closing stages, Jaskin added a goal to his earlier assists before the teams traded last-minute goals to make the final 6-3.
Late goal can’t save Dinamo from defeat
Dinamo Minsk 4 Avangard Omsk 5 SO (1-0, 2-3, 1-1, 0-0, 0-1)
Another high-scoring game went to overtime in Minsk. Dinamo grabbed a late tying goal to force a 4-4 tie before Avangard won it in a shoot-out.
The home team looked good in the first period, outshooting Avangard 17-4 and getting the lead when Vadim Moroz struck midway through the session. However, the Belarusians were unable to build on that advantage, which proved costly as the game went on.
Avangard remained in contention and snatched a short-handed goal to tie it up right after the restart. Giovanni Fiore was the scorer, but his team-mates could not stay out of the box. Another penalty, this time on Ivan Igumnov, helped Roman Gorbunov restore Dinamo’s lead.
However, once Avangard got back to full strength, it began to flex its offensive muscles. Yegor Voronkov tied the scores, and as the pressure on Vasily Demchenko’s net intensified, Nail Yakupov put the Hawks up 3-2 in the 29th minute. Yakupov recently signed a two-year contract extension in Omsk and quickly made a first repayment on the club’s investment.
In an engrossing game, Dinamo hit back once again. Chris Tierney tied it up late in the second period and it was anyone’s verdict going into the third. Avangard started that final stanza by putting the puck in the net, but that play was whistled off; Ryan Spooner used his hand to steer the puck over the line.
The visitor regained the lead through Igor Martynov on the counterattack in the 52nd minute. Immediately Dinamo got a power play chance – unconverted – then found itself on the penalty kill. With the teams back at equal strength, Josh Brook managed to tie the game, picking up the rebound from a blocked shot and shooting home to send the game to overtime.
The teams were inseparable through 60 minutes and could not score in OT. But the shoot-out proved one-sided. Okulov and Spooner succeeded with Avangard’s first two attempts, while Dinamo could not beat Mikhail Berdin. The Hawks took the win, avenging an early-season loss on home ice.
