KHL 3x3 Round 21: The crème de la crème

The schedule threw up a blockbuster round with the top four teams facing off in Shcherbinka. And this season’s top team underlined its status with a dominant performance.

Story of the Round

After a break for the Gagarin Cup final, the KHL 3x3 Championship returned with a blockbuster round. The four leading teams from this season went head-to-head, and almost all of the top 10 scorers were involved. Yet, even in such elevated company, Ak Bars remained a cut above the rest. Nobody could defeat the Tatars and, in the Supergame, Metallurg was handed an 8-1 loss.

Ak Bars was so dominant it might even get its fans worried: is the team peaking too soon? With another six weeks before the Grand Final, can the players maintain this form?

Perhaps reinforcements will help. Rasim Shakirov announced that players from the KHL team could be joining, so Ak Bars might get even stronger. Dmitry Katelevsky’s example shows how the team can reshuffle its roster without jeopardizing its chemistry.

Player of the Round

Dmitry Drozhzhin (Ak Bars)

Dmitry Drozhzhin’s game was the foundation on which Ak Bars built its great winning streak. There wasn’t a single game where he didn’t find the net. In the end, he had 10 goals in six games, with two hat-tricks. Then he added a double in the Supergame. He led a team that was full of stellar performances – from the “Brazilians” to the kids in the juniors. One of the youngsters, Rasim Shakirov, had 13 (8+5) points and potted a hat-trick in the Supergame.

Game of the Round

Traktor 6 Ak Bars 7

In this year’s KHL, Traktor was noted for its big comebacks. Now the 3x3 team is trying to follow suit. In this game, Ak Bars was up 7-2 midway through the second period. Although Kazan doesn’t always play its best in the third period, Traktor’s chances still seemed slim. Yet they almost pulled it off! Sergei Shumakov and Grigory Nesvetayev reduced the deficit before the second intermission. Then there were two more goals in the third period to make it a one-goal game. But it was just too late: the sixth Traktor tally came with just even seconds left and Ak Bars closed out the win and escaped the lottery of a shoot-out. “We woke up too late,” Shumakov said after the game.

Debutant of the Round

Dmitry Katelevsky (Ak Bars)

Ak Bars showed how to make the most of a rule change that allows players on one-way contracts to play 3x3: Dmitry Katelevsky’s debut was an explosive affair. It might seem difficult to make this roster any stronger, but Katelevsky nonetheless added something new. He had 13 (5+8) points in six games, immediately fitting into the team and underscoring his reputation on the slot. And that reputation translated to the smaller surface just perfectly.

Guest of the Round

Gagarin Cup finalist Semyon Der-Arguchintsev paid a visit to Shcherbinka (he said he just wanted to support his buddy, Sergei Shumakov) and quickly earned a promotion. Finding 3x3 to his liking, the forward was invited to join Denis Kozyrev behind the bench. And with Der-Arguchintsev in his new role, Traktor picked up a rare derby victory over Metallurg – only the second time this season.

Photo of the Round

You could only feel sorry for Salavat Yulaev goalie Georgy Dubrovsky in Friday’s game against Metallurg. His team allowed 12 goals and suffered the heaviest loss of the season. In games like this, goals could come from anywhere – even the roof. There was better news for Dubrovsky when the teams met again on Sunday. That time, he made 16 saves to play his part in the first ever 0-0 tie in 3x3 play. However, Metallurg again took the verdict thanks to Sergei Shmelyov in the shoot-out.