Salavat Yulaev confirms playoff place. February 16 round-up
An overtime victory over Lokomotiv was good enough for Salavat Yulaev to secure its place in the 2025 playoffs. The win also moves Ufa within three points of Traktor in the race for top spot in the Eastern Conference. Ak Bars could also have clinched its playoff spot today, but suffered a heavy defeat in Omsk.
Hawks add to Ak Bars’ problems
Avangard Omsk 6 Ak Bars Kazan 2 (3-0, 1-1, 2-1)
Since the All-Star break, things have not gone well for Ak Bars. This game brought a third consecutive loss, with an aggregate score of 3-14. From moving into position to compete for first place in the East, Anvar Gatiyatulin’s team is now in danger of losing ground to Salavat Yulaev and Avtomobilist, while Metallurg and Avangard look to break into the top four.
In the early stages, the game struggled to settle into any rhythm. Ak Bars saw more of the puck, but neither team was capable of creating much in front of goal. That changed in the seventh minute when a defensive lapse from the visitor invited Pavel Leuka to lead a two-on-one rush. The 21-year-old forward opted to go it alone and was rewarded with his first KHL goal.
After that, Ak Bars had a chance to recoup on the power play. Avangard took two penalties in a row and the visitor even had a few seconds of five-on-three play, but could not tie the game. Back at equal strength, the Hawks doubled the lead through Evgeny Kulik. And the home team added a third before the intermission when Ryan Spooner converted his team’s first power play of the game thanks to a deflection of Alexei Marchenko’s stick.
After allowing three goals on 11 shots, Amir Miftakhov did not return for the second period. Timur Bilyalov replaced him in the visitor’s net and the change seemed to galvanize Ak Bars. Within a couple of minutes, the visiting power play saw Artyom Galimov pull a goal back and much of the second period action took place in front of Nikita Serebryakov’s net. However, the next Kazan PP, midway through the session, brought a shorthanded goal as Spooner claimed his second of the game.
That tally seemed to deflate Ak Bars and the home team began to resume some of its earlier control of the game. However, there was no further scoring in the middle frame.
In the third period, the Hawks looked to close out the win with a minimum of fuss. Ak Bars saw plenty of the puck, but tended to be stuck on the perimeter and struggled to find good shooting lanes. When the visitor did get a chance, Kirill Semyonov managed to get a rebound past Serebryakov but a video review found that he kicked the puck in: no goal.
Ak Bars’ problems continued when Nail Yakupov potted a second short-handed goal of the game for Avangard in the 52nd minute. But even if the 5-1 scoreline looked conclusive, there was more action to come. Dmitrij Jaskin pulled a goal back, then a fight between Avangard Mark Verba and the visitor’s Nikita Lyamkin handed Kazan another power play chance. Scenting a chance of a fightback, Ak Bars played six-on-four but could not force another goal. Back at equal strength, Bilyalov stayed on the bench and Konstantin Okulov wrapped up the win with an empty-netter.
Wilson wins it in OT for Ufa
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2 OT (1-0, 1-2, 0-0, 1-0)
By edging an OT verdict against the league leader, Salavat Yulaev joined today’s opponent in confirming its playoff spot. Any kind of victory was going to be good enough to ensure a top-eight finish for the home team and even after blowing an early lead, Viktor Kozlov’s men managed to get the job done.
Salavat got off to a flying start thanks to a first-minute goal from Mikhail Naumenkov. His powerful shot beat Alexei Melnichuk to give his team an early edge. However, after that encouraging opening, Ufa allowed Lokomotiv to play its way back into contention. Young goalie Semyon Vyazovoi, who came into the game defending a shut-out streak of 125:13, had to show all of his ability to keep his goal intact through the first 20 minutes.
However, Vyazovoi was beaten as the start of the third by Nikita Cherepanov’s long-range effort. Then, in the 28th minute, another visiting defenseman put Lokomotiv in front: Alexander Yelesin found the net as the game turned in Loko’s favor. It took some time for Salavat to prepare a response, but the home team tied the game in the 36th minute when Alexander Komarov got into position to unleash a powerful effort and score his first goal of the season.
The third period was an even battle while the teams were at equal strength. However, Lokomotiv had to dig deep to kill a three-on-five situation in the face of Josh Leivo’s prolific power play unit. Strong goaltending from Melnichuk and disciplined play on the PK kept the scores level. In the final seconds of regulation, Ufa should have won it when Scott Wilson got a great look at Melnichuk’s net but fired wildly off target.
However, Wilson would get a second chance and the Canadian center turned out to be the hero. He potted the winner in overtime, securing that playoff berth for Salavat Yulaev.
