SKA humbled at home, Spartak wins in Yaroslavl. February 4 round-up
Ak Bars produced the performance of the day, hammering SKA by an 8-3 margin in St. Petersburg. The win puts Kazan just four points behind Eastern Conference leader Traktor. Avtomobilist is level on 70 points with Ak Bars; a road win at Kunlun Red Star makes it 11 victories in a row. At the top of the West, Lokomotiv had a shot at confirming its playoff place today but fell at home to Spartak. CSKA moves up to second thanks to a shoot-out win over Avangard. The Muscovites are point clear of Severstal and Spartak, but still 12 adrift of Loko. Dinamo Minsk rallied from 0-3 to beat Sochi, Torpedo edged Vityaz in a shoot-out. At the start of the busiest gameday of the season, Sibir and Admiral picked up road wins in the Far East. That keeps them nine points clear of ninth-placed Neftkehimik, which won 4-3 at Lada.
Sibir punishes sloppy defense
Amur Khabarovsk 1 Sibir Novosibirsk 5 (1-0, 0-2, 0-3)
Sibir made it back-to-back wins on its Far East tour and has now gone 10 games picking up at least a point thanks to a convincing win over Amur. The home team was hoping to build on its 5-0 victory against Barys on Sunday but could not build on a bright start in this game.
The Tigers pounced early in this game with Devin Brosseau opening the scoring after just 35 seconds. After that, Amur continued to enjoy a territorial advantage but could not find another way past Denis Kostin in the Sibir net; the visitor created some decent chances late in the session but trailed at the intermission.
However, that strong finish to the opening frame carried over the break. A defensive mix-up saw Georgy Belousov steal the puck and Vladislav Kara cashed in to tie the scores. And Sibir’s second goal also came from Amur turning over possession: Yegor Alanov took the puck off Oleg Li and set up a three-on-two rush that ended with Taylor Beck’s wrist shot making it 2-1 midway through the game.
The start of the third period brought a third error and a third goal. This time Kirill Rasskazov was the scorer after Yefim Gurkin’s blunder. A couple of minutes later, Brendan Leipsic added a fourth, this time without any notable contribution from the home defense. Nikita Korotkov added a fifth to seal the win, keeping Sibir in seventh place in the standings.
Shepelev grabs OT winner
Admiral Vladivostok 4 Barys Astana 3 OT (2-0, 1-1, 0-2, 1-0)
The Sailors ran into stormy conditions in recent games, losing the last three. The latest of those saw them overtaken by Sibir and drop into eighth place in the standings. The visit of struggling Barys looked like a great opportunity to turn things around and calm any worries about securing a playoff spot.
For a time, it seemed that Admiral would have little difficulty achieving that ambition. The home team started strongly and earned an early power play. That didn’t bring a goal, but it wasn’t long before Shane Prince arrived in front of the net just in time to put away the rebound from Dmitry Deryabin’s shot. That was Prince’s first point since Jan. 16 and it came as his team dominated the play. Barys could not get a look at goal until midway through the opening frame, and fell behind shortly after. Yegor Petukhov set up Daniil Gutik for a power play goal and the home team was in control.
In the second period, Petukhov added to his assist when he won and scored a penalty shot. By then, though, Barys was asking more questions and managed to pull one back through Mikhail Rakhmanov shortly after.
Then came a third-period fightback. Dinmukhamed Kaiyrzhan pulled a goal back midway through the session, then Ivan Nikolishin’s 54th-minute power play goal tied the game at 3-3.
Neither team could finish the job in the remaining six minutes, but overtime saw Admiral get over the line on a goal from Alexander Shepelev in his 100th KHL appearance.
Wolves send Lada to seventh straight loss
Lada Togliatti 3 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 4 (0-2, 1-1, 2-1)
This battle between ninth and tenth in the East saw Neftekhimik hand Lada a seventh successive defeat. The Wolves consolidated their position just outside the playoff spots, but remain nine points adrift of the top eight after earlier victories for Sibir and Admiral. Lada is three points further back, and in danger of dropping out of realistic contention for a post-season berth.
The visitor made a good start to the game, with Andrei Belozyorov opening the scoring in the second minute. He was first to react when goalie Konstantin Volkov could not hold a long-range effort. Lada got the first power play of the night, but didn’t make much from it. Then, when Vladislav Syomin was ejected from the game for a check to Grigory Seleznyov’s head, Neftekhimik parleyed that major penalty into a second goal. Riley Barber was the scorer, doubling the lead midway through the first.
Midway through the second period, Nikita Popugayev pulled one back for the home team, but it wasn’t long before Seleznyov demonstrated that he had shrugged off his earlier altercation with Syomin. He scored in the 37th minute to make it 3-1 to Neftekhimik at the second intermission.
During the second intermission, Lada replaced starting goalie Volkov with Alexander Trushkov. The home team tried to make a game of it. Dmitry Kugryshev scored for the second game in a row to make it 2-3, but hopes of a fightback were effectively ended when Jean-Sebastien Dea scored a fourth for the visitor. Evgeny Groshev scored a short-handed goal with 18 seconds to play, but that was too late to save Lada.
Shoot-out win tightens Torpedo’s playoff grip
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 Vityaz Moscow Region 1 SO (0-1, 1-0, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0)
A hard-fought win over Vityaz gives Torpedo a little more margin for error in its playoff push. With Kunlun losing in overtime, this success opens a seven-point gap between eighth and ninth. Vityaz, 12 points back in 10th, seems to be almost out of the race after falling in a shoot-out today.
This turned out to be a cautious game rather than a spectacular one. Vityaz had the better of the first period and took the lead midway through on a goal from Ivan Vorobyov. The second largely reversed the pattern of the opener: Torpedo had more of the play and got the only goal of the frame when Vladislav Firstov tied it up midway through the session.
That was the end of the scoring. Vityaz had hopes of forcing a late winner when Firstov sat for tripping in the 57th minute, but could not convert the power play. Torpedo had a great chance in overtime; Andrei Chivilyov’s double minor at the end of regulation game more than three minutes on the PP for the home team, but Vityaz withstood the pressure.
In the shoot-out, Dmitry Kagarlitsky potted the winning goal, breaking a 2-2 tie with the 10th attempt.
Zhamnov sets club record in win over Loko
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 Spartak Moscow 5 (1-1, 0-1, 3-3)
Alexei Zhamnov coached Spartak to victory for the 76th time, setting a club record in the KHL era. And today’s win over table-topping Lokomotiv was a significant one. As well as keeping the Red-and-Whites well-placed in the battle for second place – a position likely to be important to avoid a tough first-round playoff match-up – it also handed Loko a fourth loss in five games. After such a dominant season, could Igor Nikitin’s team be losing form at a crucial time?
The Railwaymen made a bright start as they looked to bounce back from Saturday’s loss at home to Metallurg. Had the home team been a bit sharper when hunting down some big rebounds, it might have got an early lead. Instead, Spartak survived and opened the scoring at the other end through Yegor Savikov in the ninth minute.
The lead didn’t last long. Georgy Ivanov’s tying goal wasn’t the prettiest, with the puck flying into the net off his skate. It needed a video review to confirm the play, but the tape showed nothing untoward and the goal stood. After that, Lokomotiv enjoyed another spell of pressure but could not build on it; Spartak came close to a second goal on the counterattack but Alexei Bereglazov managed to disrupt Pavel Poryadin’s approach to Alexei Melnichuk’s net.
After the intermission, Spartak upped its game and forced Loko onto the back foot. That got its reward when Adam Ruzicka went around the net before beating Melnikchuk at the second attempt. This time, Lokomotiv could not find a swift reply. Spartak managed the game well, keeping the home team at arm’s length and frequently forcing turnovers as the middle frame ended with the visitor up 2-1.
Two low-scoring periods were forgotten in flurry of action at the start of the third. Daniil Orlov extended Spartak’s lead but it took just half a minute for Pavel Kraskovsky to get Loko back to 2-3. Now the game was wide open. Lokomotiv hit penalty trouble, and Spartak’s Mikhail Maltsev converted a five-on-three power play. When Nikolai Goldobin made it 5-2 in the 45th minute, we’d seen four goals in less than four minutes and Spartak seemed to have it in the bag.
Lokomotiv didn’t give up, and Maxim Beryozkin brought the game back to life when he made it 3-5 midway through the third. However, time ran out before the Railwaymen could complete their comeback; a last second goal from Andrei Sergeyev meant the home team came up one short.
Bison rally, sink Sochi in the third
Dinamo Minsk 5 HC Sochi 3 (0-3, 1-0, 4-0)
Sochi blew a 3-0 lead in Minsk to fall to yet another defeat. Sergei Zubov’s team enjoyed a great first period but could not sustain its momentum. Dinamo hit back, and two quick goals at the start of the third period set up a game-winning finish.
The action started with Igor Shvyryov’s fifth goal of the season. Denis Vengryzhanovsky extended the lead in the 14th minute, then Shvyryov added an assist as Danil Avershin made it 3-0 in the first period.
That lopsided scoreline barely reflected the even play in the opening 20 minutes, but Dinamo didn’t panic. Instead, the home team upped the tempo and showed greater control of the game in the second. Minsk outshot Sochi 19-5 in the middle frame, and possibly deserved more reward than Vitaly Pinchuk’s 29th-minute tally.
But the pressure drained Sochi’s players. At the start of the third, Dinamo scored two quick goals. Vadim Shipachyov made it 2-3 on 42:25. Nineteen seconds later, Rob Hamilton tied it up. Sochi challenged the play, claiming that Evgeny Volokhin was impeded, but the review upheld the on-ice verdict and the game was level at 3-3.
The Leopards survived the delay of game penalty that followed an unsuccessful review, but Dinamo’s next power play saw Xavier Ouellet put the home team up for the first time in the 51st minute. That was the end of Sochi’s resistance. Vadim Moroz added another PP goal to make the final 5-3 and keep Dinamo on course for the playoffs.
Gamzin heroics help CSKA to victory
CSKA Moscow 2 Avangard Omsk 1 SO (0-1, 1-0, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0)
A narrow verdict over Avangard lifts CSKA to second in the Western Conference. The home team recorded a third successive victory, but it needed a shoot-out to separate the teams in Moscow.
The home team almost grabbed an early lead. As Denis Guryanov battled for possession on the boards, the puck looped up and bounced into the net off the back of goalie Mikhail Berdin. However, Avangard successfully challenged the play after spotting an offside in the build-up.
At the other end, the Hawks scored off their first power play of the night. Nail Yakupov broke the deadlock in the sixth minute, finishing off Konstantin Okulov’s pass after a Damir Sharipzyanov point shot had the home defense in trouble. Almost immediately, Berdin was back in action, closing off the angles after Ivan Drozdov won a foot race with Pavel Koledov and bore down on goal.
CSKA had chances to be level before the intermission, but would have to wait until the 35th minute before Nikita Nesterov tied the game. His powerful point shot proved too much for Berdin, rewarding the home team for a strong performance in the second period.
However, neither team could go on and win it from there. Avangard stepped it up in the third period, getting 28 shots at Dmitry Gamzin’s net. But the young goalie stood up well under pressure, and continued to impress in overtime. When he was beaten by Giovanni Fiore’s effort in the extras, the post came to his rescue and sent the game to a shoot-out. Once again, the goalie proved unbeatable. Avangard could not score, and Ruslan Iskhakov potted the winner for CSKA.
Golyshev’s OT winner makes it 11 on the bounce for Avto
Kunlun Red Star 1 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 2 OT (0-0, 0-1, 1-0, 0-1)
Avtomobilist made it 11 wins in a row after edging an overtime verdict at Kunlun. For the Dragons, this was the first point in a week, but the team lost ground on Torpedo in the race for the top eight in the West.
The first period was goalless, with Yaroslav Likhachyov’s shot against the post coming closest to opening the scoring. And chances remained at a premium in the middle frame. The visitor was able to break the deadlock in the 35th minute on a goal from Andrei Obidin.
In a low-scoring encounter, there was good reason to expect Avto to close out the win from there. Typically this season the Motormen have been solid when defending a lead in the closing stages. Today, though, a Red Star power play early in the third saw Kyle Rau tie the scores. Rau, 32, got his first KHL goal since joining the Dragons in December. He joins older brother Chad on the KRS honors board; Chad scored 20 goals in Kunlun’s first KHL season.
Rau Jr might have won it for the home team late in regulation, but Vladimir Galkin prevented him from stuffing home another close-range effort. Later, Red Star’s Alexander Sharov fired into the side-netting from a tight angle but could not prevent the game from going to overtime.
In the extras, Likhachyov was cited an interference penalty and Avtomobilist turned to the playbook. Nikolai Zavarukhin called a time-out and his players executed the plan in 25 seconds. Anatoly Golyshev claimed the winner as his team closes to within four points of Eastern leader Traktor.
Galimov hits treble as Ak Bars thrashes SKA
SKA St. Petersburg 3 Ak Bars Kazan 8 (1-6, 1-1, 1-1)
Artyom Galimov hit a hat-trick as Ak Bars blasted SKA in front of a sell-out crowd in St. Petersburg. This game was billed as a battle between two powerhouses, with both clubs jostling for a high position in their respective conferences.
Yet it turned into a blow-out, and an embarrassing one for a SKA team that is still struggling defensively despite leading the KHL in goals this season. Roman Rotenberg’s team has already allowed more than any other SKA roster in the KHL era, and today’s game saw its frailties ruthlessly as a four-game hot streak came crashing to the ground.
Ak Bars, meanwhile, recorded a fourth successive victory and its sixth in the last seven. After scoring six at Kunlun on Sunday, Anvar Gatiyatulin’s men now have ?? in 120 minutes of hockey.
It took just 25 seconds for the visitor to open today’s scoring. Starting goalie Artemy Pleshkov dealt with Dmitrij Jaskin’s redirect in front of his net, but the rebound fell for Semyon Terekhov to score. Six minutes later, Galimov had his first of the evening and when Alexei Pustozyorov made it 3-0 in the 10th minute, Pleshkov’s game was done and Pavel Moisevich came off the bench.
Valentin Zykov got one back for the home team and, after some rousing fightbacks from seemingly impossible positions in recent games, there was hope. But not for long. Galimov completed his hatty in the first period, his second and third goals of the game sandwiching a Nikita Lyamkin marker. At the end of the first period, Ak Bars had six goals from 15 shots, leaving SKA shellshocked.
SKA got the first power play of the game at the start of the second period. However, confirming then what can go wrong, will go wrong, Nikita Yevseyev’s foul led to a short-handed goal from Semyon Koshelev after 14 seconds on the PK. In the 27th minute, Zakhar Bardakov scored off a neatly-executed play to make it 2-7, but nobody now believed this was the start of a recovery.
Bardakov scored his second of the night at the start of the final frame, but there wasn’t much consolation to be found for SKA. Late on, Artur Brovkin scored into an empty net to complete an emphatic Ak Bars win.
