Miller hat-trick sinks Dynamo, Traktor beaten in Omsk. November 13 round-up

Tuesday’s action saw Ak Bars defenseman Mitch Miller get his first KHL hat-trick in a 5-4 thriller at home to Dynamo. Vitaly Kravtsov made it two goals in two games on his return to Traktor, but this time he finished on the losing side in a 2-3 reverse at Avangard.

Kravtsov scores again but Hawks halt skid

Avangard Omsk 3 Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 (1-1, 1-1, 1-0)

Another goal from Vitaly Kravtsov was not enough for Traktor escape defeat in Omsk. Avangard ended its three-game losing streak thanks to a late goal from Andrew Poturalski. The Hawks move two points clear of today’s opponent and take third place in the East.

The teams’ previous meetings this season were high scoring – notably an 8-5 Avangard win in Chelyabinsk. But the home team had selection problems on offense. Alexander Volkov and Nikolai Prokhorkin were ill, so Guy Boucher had just 10 recognized forwards on his roster. Slava Voynov and Mikhail Gulyayev switched roles to form the fourth attacking line.

Avangard made the better start and got ahead in the fourth minute. Traktor lost possession in center ice, Konstantin Okulov stepped up and fed Giovanni Fiore for a one-timer past Chris Driedger. Traktor quickly tied it up: Grigory Dronov brought the puck into the zone and advanced, drawing the attentions of home goalie Nikita Serebryakov. Dronov set up Kravtsov, who was presented with a routine finish into an open net. After scoring, Traktor took the initiative but could not build on its breakthrough.

The middle frame produced few chances in the early exchanges. However, Traktor looked the more enterprising team and, when it got on the power play, the visitor went ahead just after the halfway point. Alexander Kadeikin got right in Serebryakov’s line of sight as Mikhail Grigorenko fired home.

But Avangard immediately replied with a power play tally of its own. Mike McLeod spotted a rebound off Driedger and pounced to tie the game. Late in the frame both teams had promising opportunities: Serebryakov denied Andrei Nikonov, then Okulov saw the puck slip away at the crucial moment.

The third period began with Traktor looking to grab the win in regulation. The visitor significantly outshot Avangard and kept the puck at that end of the ice for long stretches.

By the middle of the session, Avangard recovered and began to test Driedger more frequently. But the key moment came with just under five to play when Arseny Koromyslov was assessed a hooking minor. The power play saw Poturalski get his chance, forcing the puck home from close range to win it for the home team.

Perfect power play as Ak Bars edges Dynamo

Ak Bars Kazan 5 Dynamo Moscow 4 (1-1, 2-3, 2-0)

Mitch Miller’s hat-trick gave Ak Bars the edge in a pulsating battle with Dynamo. The visitor led 4-2 at one stage but could not protect its advantage as the Tatars rallied to claim a second successive win. Impressively, all four power play chances ended with goals – three for Dynamo, one for Ak Bars.

The teams got straight down to business: Miller wired a shot past Vladislav Podyapolsky in the third minute to open the scoring. But the defenseman picked up a penalty on his next shift and Dynamo converted the power play. A well-worked combination saw Dylan Sikura tie the game. Both teams had chances in the remainder of the first period, with Dynamo impressing more at time went by, but the game was deadlocked at the intermission.

In the second stanza, Dynamo began to turn pressure into goals. Another power play led to another Blue-and-White goal when Daniil Pylenkov lashed a powerful shot in off the post. Miller responded with a tying goal within a minute, but Dynamo continued to press.

Ak Bars contributed to its own problems: another delay of game penalty saw Sikura score his second of the game as the visiting PP improved to 3 for 3. As

if to prove it could score at equal strength as well, Dynamo added a fourth when Nikita Gusev failed to properly get hold of his shot and, in the process, deceived Timur Bilyalov in the home net.

The goalie recovered to pull off a couple of striking saves, then Dmitrij Jaskin pulled one back on a delayed penalty to make it 3-4 at the second intermission.

Dynamo scored three power play goals before giving up its first penalty of the night. But one attempt was all the home PP needed to show what it can do. The visiting PK gave Jaskin too much space and the Czech international took advantage to claim his second of the night. Then Jaskin turned provider a Miller completed his hat-trick to restore the home lead in the 49th minute.

That proved to the be the winner, although Pylenkov was close to a tying goal when his shot rebounded off the post. And, late on, Artyom Ilyenko and Anton Slepyshev came close to saving the game in a final surge.