No win in new home for Avto, Spartak wins lively game in Kazan. March 10 round-up

Monday’s top story was the opening of Avtomobilist’s new arena. Unfortunately, the party did not go entirely to plan, with visitor CSKA claiming a 4-3 win on the first night. Spartak enjoyed a 5-3 victory at Ak Bars in an entertaining game, while the conference leaders celebrated shut-out wins: Traktor 6-0 at Lada, Lokomotiv 3-0 at home to Severstal. Sibir’s playoff prospects took a knock with a 1-3 reverse at Vityaz.

CSKA crashes Avto’s housewarming

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 3 CSKA Moscow 4 (0-1, 1-3, 2-0)

The long-awaited opening of Avto’s UGMK Arena was the highlight of Monday’s KHL card – but CSKA spoiled the home team’s party.

It’s taken almost a decade from signing the agreement to develop the Motormen’s new home in Nov. 2015 to today’s opening ceremony. Developed was hindered by the pandemic, then by difficulties sourcing supplies from abroad. Nonetheless, the finished arena matches its recent counterparts in Omsk, Novosibirsk and St. Petersburg as some of the most up-to-date in the world.

Nikolai Zavarukhin’s team was looking to make amends after three losses on the road. Nikita Shashkov had a great chance to score the first goal in the new venue but he was denied by visiting goalie Pavel Khomchenko. That was during an early spell of six minutes without a whistle, during which time the home team had more of the puck.

However, the opening goal went to CSKA. Stanislav Galiyev ended a goal drought dating back to November in the previous game and kept that form going today when his backhand shot found Evgeny Alikin’s five-hole. Once in front, the visitors continued to play a calm, controlled game more akin to defending a lead in the final frame than building one in the first.

At the start of the second period, CSKA scored a couple of quick goals. First, an error in center ice invited Galiyev and Maxim Sorkin to launch a counterattack that ended with Prokhor Poltapov doubling the lead on the rebound. Then came a short-handed goal from Maxim Mamin, pouncing on a misplaced pass in his own zone and racing down the ice to make it 3-0.

There was some consolation for Avtomobilist when Nick Merkley converted the power play to record the team’s first goal in its new home. He picked up the pieces after an Alexander Sharov shot cannoned back off the glass to put his team back in the game.

But the goal rush wasn’t done. Barely a minute later, CSKA had a fourth. Poltapov’s second of the night chased Alikin from his net with Vladimir Galkin taking over.

Galkin got through the rest of the game without allowing any more CSKA goals. However, Avtomobilist was slow to make inroads into the visitor’s lead. It was 1-4 at the second intermission, and even a five-on-three power play in the third did not bring the breakthrough.

Eventually, Nikita Tryamkin stepped up from the blue line to fire through traffic and beat Khomchenko with seven to play. And when fellow defenseman Sergei Zborovsky made it 3-4 on 58:05, there were some anxious moments for the visitor. But Avtomobilist got no closer and fell to a narrow loss in the opening game of the new arena.

Crushing win for Traktor

Lada Togliatti 0 Traktor Chelyabinsk 6 (0-3, 0-2, 0-1)

Two days after its playoff hopes ended, Lada suffered a heavy home loss against a Traktor team still harboring hopes of topping the regular season table. Benoit Groulx’s team recorded a fourth successive victory, but remains seven points behind overall leader Lokomotiv, which won at home to Severstal.

This game was effectively done in the first six minutes. Traktor opened the scoring on 3:46 and by 5:59 was up 3-0. Nikita Korostelyov got the first, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev doubled the lead 42 seconds later, then Vitaly Kravtsov’s 99th career goal added a third. Starting goalie Alexander Trushkov made way for Maxim Tretiak.

Despite that painful start, Lada managed to create some chances at the other end and even hit the post at one stage. In the second period, too, the home team good into promising positions but failed to make the most of them. Traktor showed how it should be done with two goals in 40 seconds at the midway stage: Maxim Shabanov – who finished with three points – and Andrei Svetlakov padded the lead.

Early in the sixth Steven Kampfer made it 6-0. After that, the tempo dropped and Traktor easily closed out a big win.

Morozov double sinks Ak Bars

Ak Bars Kazan 3 Spartak Moscow 5 (0-2, 2-2, 1-1)

A home defeat to Spartak cost Ak Bars the chance to move into the top four in the Eastern Conference. Victory would have returned Anvar Gatiyatulin’s team to third, ahead of Avtomobilist and Metallurg, but instead it remains in fifth and level on points with in-form Avangard. Spartak is also fifth in the west, but closed to within two points of fourth-placed Dinamo Minsk.

The Red-and-Whites built an early two-goal lead in this game and never relinquished it. Pavel Tkachenko started things off in the eighth minute, racing away from Albert Yarullin to beat Amir Miftakhov from close range. A couple of minutes later, Ivan Morozov doubled the lead when he converted the rebound from Mikhail Orlov’s shot.

Gatiyatulin called a time-out, but Spartak continued to press. In the 12th minute, Ak Bars had to kill the first penalty of the game, and the visitor created decent chances for Mikhail Maltsev and Pavel Poryadin, the latter hitting the bar late in the first period.

The home team made a better start to the second period and deservedly reduced the deficit on Yarullin’s 25th-minute goal. But Spartak was not knocked off its game. After the midway point the teams traded three quick goals: Ansel Galimov made it 3-1 in the 32nd minute, Semyon Terekhov pulled one back a couple of minutes later. However, in the aftermath of that goal, Eric O’Dell was assessed a roughing minor and Dmitry Vishnevsky’s power play goal made it 4-2 at the second intermission.

In the third, Ak Bars again reduced the deficit. Good work from Dmitrij Jaskin on the slot saw him score off Stepan Falkovsky’s point shot. But once again, the home team could not wipe out the Spartak lead. In the closing moments, Morozov made the game safe with an empty-net goal.

Melnichuk denies Severstal

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 3 Severstal Cherepovets 0 (0-0, 1-0, 2-0)

This was the fourth meeting between the teams this season, and Lokomotiv’s fourth victory over Severstal.

With a point to prove, Severstal began this game on top. The key player in the first period turned out to be Loko goalie Alexei Melnichuk, brought into the team in place of Daniil Isayev. The understudy played a leading role, making 14 saves as the visitor dominated the play. A shot count of 14-1 in Severstal’s favor told its own story, but the game was goalless through 20 minutes.

Nothing much changed in the second. Severstal continued to look sharper, and Lokomotiv continued to pick up penalties. However, the home team managed to find the net completely against the run of play. Maxim Beryozkin got a one-on-one break and beat Alexander Samoilov, only to see his effort ruled out for an infringement on the goalie.

That gave the home team a belated lift and late in the middle frame a power play saw Georgy Ivanov open the scoring. That had him on the scoresheet for the third game in a row and he was close to adding a second late in the period. On that occasion, Samoilov denied another one-on-one chance.

With a lead to defend, Lokomotiv played carefully in the third. However, that didn’t mean sticking close to Melnichuk’s net, as was the case early in the game. With the home forwards awake at last, Lokomotiv looked more threatening and Samoilov had to make a few big saves. Ultimately, though, Byron Froese doubled the lead, extending his productive streak to eight games off a great feed from Yegor Surin. Late on, Ivanov got his second to close out the win. Melnichuk finished with 37 saves. 

Blow for Sibir’s playoff push

Vityaz Moscow Region 3 Sibir Novosibirsk 1 (1-0, 1-0, 1-1)

This result might have been welcomed more warmly in Nizhnekamsk than in Balashikha. While Vityaz can no longer make the playoffs, today’s win over Sibir adds to the nerves for Vadim Yepanchintsev’s team. The visitor remains eighth in the East, but failed to extend its five-point advantage over Neftekhimik; the Wolves have six games to make up the gap, Sibir has five to play.

Sibir, beaten in its previous three games, paid the price for a sluggish first period. Vityaz had the better of the early play and got the opening goal in the 17th minute through Dean Stewart. In the second, the home team was again active on offense. Sibir was forced to block 14 shots, offering great protection for goalie Denis Kostin. However, late in the frame Matvei Zaseda doubled the lead.

Early in the third, a too many men penalty on Vityaz offered the visitor a lifeline. Andy Andreoff duly converted the power play and Sibir spent much of the final frame on the attack. The home team ran into penalty trouble and, at one point, was down to three skaters. However, Sibir could not take advantage.

Vityaz put the game out of reach late on. Zaseda’s second of the night made it 3-1 in the 57th minute. Sibir got on the power play shortly after, but an untimely tripping call for Sergei Shirokov proved a hammer blow for any hope of saving the game. In the end, Kostin never made it to the bench for any late surge as Vityaz took the verdict.