SKA into top eight, Dinamo thrashes Ak Bars. November 16 round-up
SKA moved into a playoff spot in the Western Conference thanks to victory over table-topping Metallurg. The 4-3 verdict, coupled with CSKA’s overtime loss at Severstal, puts Igor Larionov’s men eighth in the standings. Dinamo Minsk won 7-3 at Ak Bars in the day’s highest-scoring game, while Avangard came from 0-2 to win 6-2 at Torpedo. The Far East derby saw Admiral win 5-2 in Khabarovsk and Ivan Bocharov’s 4-0 saves helped Lada to a 2-1 win at home to Neftekhimik.
Sailors square Far East series
Amur Khabarovsk 2 Admiral Vladivostok 5 (2-2, 0-1, 0-2)
A five-star show saw Admiral tie up this year’s Far East derby series with victory at Amur. Two goals from Daniil Gutik paced the Sailors’ success, with club record scorer Libor Sulak also on target.
Amur, with acting head coach Alexander Andriyevsky still behind the bench due to Alexander Galchenyuk Sr’s on-going illness, refreshed the roster. Forwards Alex Broadhurst and Matvei Zaseda were recalled to action. Admiral surprisingly scratched experienced forward Nikita Soshnikov.
The visitor quickly opened the scoring: Sulak’s powerful one-timer converted a power play in the first minute. But the Tigers clawed their way back and Evgeny Svetchnikov tied the scores within a couple of minutes. Goalies Adam Huska and Maxim Dorozhko both allowed goals on the first shots they faced.
The goals kept coming: Gutik restored Admiral’s lead in the eighth minute with a fine individual effort to extend his hot streak to four games. By the end of the game, he would have 6 (3+3) points from that run. Amur hit back once again, and Kirill Urakov scored his first goal since October to send the teams to the intermission tied at 2-2.
That was as close as Amur got to winning this game. In the 25th minute Gutik scored his second of the day after a strong forecheck from his team to make it 3-2 for Admiral. After that, despite some threatening play from the home team, Huska kept his goal intact to preserve the win. The middle frame also produced a fight between Viktor Baldayev and Yegor Petukhov: home defenseman Baldayev had the better of that contest, but failed to spark a fightback from his team.
Yet for a long time the game was still alive. The third period brought some more cautious hockey and Admiral only sealed the win in the last minute with two empty net goals. Igor Geraskin and Dmitry Zavgorodny were on target to put some gloss on the final score.
Boucher ends goal drought
Traktor Chelyabinsk 1 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 5 (1-2, 0-2, 0-1)
The Motormen recorded a third win in four games against Traktor this season, underlining their claim to be King of the Urals. Two goals from Reid Boucher proved decisive in Chelyabinsk as Avtomobilist snapped a four-game skid in some style.
The visitor had injured defenseman Nikita Tryamkin named among the coaching staff alongside Nikolai Zavarukhin.
Tryamkin saw his team kill a couple of early penalties as Traktor failed to take advantage of its opportunities in the first half of the opening frame. Then, back at equal strength, Avtomobilist grabbed a couple of quick goals. Yury Pautov’s first goal for Avto, rifled home from the circle, made it 1-0. Then, 35 seconds later, Boucher got his first of the game from a three-on-one rush. That was the American forward’s first goal in seven games, and his first past a goaltender since Sep. 19. It wouldn’t be long before he added a second, but before the intermission 19-year-old Artemy Nizameyev scored his first KHL goal to give Traktor something to build from.
Early in the second period, it seemed that the home team was ready to make the most of that foundation. However, midway through the session a defensive error presented Boucher with his second of the night. And late in the frame he turned provider as Maxim Denezhkin scored on the power play.
That put the game beyond Traktor’s reach. Avtomobilist had the final word in the 48th minute when Stephane da Costa made the final 5-1 to wrap up a convincing win and jump to fourth in the East.
Bocharov backstops Lada to success
Lada Togliatti 2 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 (0-0, 2-0, 0-1)
Ivan Bocharov made 40 saves to backstop Lada to a narrow victory over Neftekhimik. While the visitor had the better of the play over 60 minutes, two quick goals late in the second period ensured that Lada took the verdict in Togliatti.
The opening exchanges were even. The first period saw Neftekhimik have one unsuccessful power play and neither team managed to carve out a clear-cut chance before the intermission.
In the middle frame, the game remained hard-fought until two goals in 17 seconds blew it open. The opener came from a stretch pass that set a counterattack in chain: a flurry of shots at Filipp Dolganov ended with Nikita Mikhailov finding the net. Then some great stickhandling from Andrei Chivilyov saw him open up the left-hand side of the visiting defense to set up Ivan Romanov for 2-0.
After that, a major penalty on Viktor Antipin put the host under pressure but Lada survived that scare. Late on, the Wolves called a time-out and switched to six skaters. With 49 seconds to play, Danil Yurtaikin fired in the puck from the right and Evgeny Mityakin redirected it home to make it 2-1. However, there was no time to grab a tying goal as Lada secured a fourth win in the last six games.
CSKA slips from top eight
Severstal Cherepovets 4 CSKA Moscow 3 OT (1-1, 0-1, 2-1, 1-0)
An overtime win against CSKA saw the Lynx consolidate a top-four position in the Western Conference. But the Muscovites dropped out of the playoff places despite collecting a bonus point from tying in regulation.
This was the fourth meeting of the teams this season, and the first time Severstal took the verdict. Most recently, CSKA won 2-0 on home ice, handing the Steelmen their only loss on their recent road trip. Dmitry Gamzin, who shut out Severstal on that occasion, gave up his place to recent signing Alexander Samonov for today’s game.
Samonov was making his first appearance since leaving Ufa for CSKA. He was under pressure early when a foul after 29 seconds put Severstal on the power play. And the second PP of the night brought a goal from Yanni Kaldis, finding the net for the second game in a row. Maxim Sorkin soon tied things up, claiming his first goal of an injury-hit season.
It was level at the intermission, but CSKA took the initiative after the break. Extra offensive pressure led to Severstal penalties and, ultimately, the pressure brought a 30th-minute goal for Daniel Sprong. The Dutchman extended his productive streak to five games.
Severstal needed the intermission to regroup and Ruslan Abrosimov’s line combined to tie the game in the 44th minute. Both teams picked up the pace after that and it wasn’t long before CSKA regained the lead thanks to good work on the slot from Takhir Mingachyov. But the home team was not done: a power play midway through the session saw Nikolai Chebykin redirect Thomas Gregoire’s shot home. Chebykin now has 3 (1+2) points in two games following his return from injury.
That took the game to overtime and the extras quickly brought a home winner. Mikhail Ilyin gave Severstal the verdict, with Kaldis collecting an assist on the play.
Dinamo powers past Ak Bars
Ak Bars Kazan 3 Dinamo Minsk 7 (1-4, 1-2, 1-1)
Dinamo enjoyed a high-scoring win in Kazan, tightening its grip on third place in the west and stretching its current run to nine wins from 10. Moreover, Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team has scored 14 goals in its last two games.
The game got off to a lively start. Home goalie Mikhail Berdin allowed a goal from the first shot he faced, much to the delight of Daniil Lipsky. Then came a fight between Mikhail Fisenko and Nicolas Meloche before Ak Bars tied the game. An untimely broken stick left Darren Dietz struggling and Alexander Chmelevski took advantage to make it 1-1. Not bad for the first two minutes of play.
But the home defense was pretty bad for much of the first 20 minutes. Errors helped Dinamo score three more in the first period, with Vitaly Pinchuk scoring twice either side of a Daniil Sotishvili effort. It said much for Ak Bars’ problems that Sotishvili’s goal chased Berdin from the net, only for Pinchuk to beat Timur Bilyalov within a minute. The visitor ended the frame with four goals from 13 shots.
At the start of the second period, Ak Bars almost got one back on the counter, but a big save from Zach Fucale denied Radel Zamaltdinov. But for the most part, it was ineffective home pressure and accurate Belarusians counterpunches. Sergei Kuznetsov took advantage when he was left alone on the slot and redirected a shot from Meloche. Then Ilya Usov added a sixth before Mitch Miller’s solo rush took him through the whole defense before beating Fucale.
The third period began with Dmitrij Jaskin making it 3-6 after 34 seconds. But, far from triggering a fightback, that proved to be the limit of the home team’s achievements. The final word went to Sam Anas, whose empty-netter made the final 7-3 to Dinamo.
Hawks halt Torpedo’s winning run
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 Avangard Omsk 6 (2-0, 0-2, 0-4)
Avangard ended Torpedo’s seven-game winning streak, retrieving a 0-2 deficit to win comfortably in Nizhny Novgorod. A four-point game from Dmitry Rashevsky was instrumental in turning things around.
Yet the first period was all about Torpedo. The home team had the better of the play and was decent value for a 2-0 lead at the intermission. Alexei Isakov’s men withstood some early pressure and responded with goals from Alexei Kruchinin in the 14th minute and Vladislav Firstov just before the intermission. Vasily Atanasov had a great chance to add a third before the hooter, but Nikita Serebryakov pulled off a double save to keep his team in contention.
The importance of Serebryakov’s saves was underlined after the break. The visiting goalie started with another smart stop to deny Yegor Vinogradov on the power play. Then, gradually, the visitor began to hit back. Rashevsky halved the deficit midway through the second period when he converted Nikolai Prokhorkin’s feed on the counterattack. And before the intermission, a power play saw Rashevsky score again to tie the scores.
At the start of the third, Torpedo goalie Denis Kostin pulled off a couple of big saves to deny Ivan Igumnov and Joseph Ceccione. But he was powerless in the 45th minute when Rashevsky found Artyom Blazhievsky on the blue line and his shot whistled into the net.
Torpedo still had chances, but the game moved firmly in the visitor’s favor midway through the final frame. First, Sergei Boykov took a major penalty for checking to the head. The power play saw Alexander Volkov make it 4-2 with Rashevsky assisting again. Then, 27 seconds later and still on the PP, Andrew Poturalski made it 5-2. There was no way back for Torpedo from there and Mike McLeod’s empty net goal merely finished off the job.
Larionov’s men move into playoff spots
SKA St. Petersburg 4 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 (1-0, 3-1, 0-2)
Table-topping Metallurg saw its five-game streak come to a halt in St. Petersburg. SKA moved into the top eight in the West thanks to today’s win, its fourth in five games.
The home team got off to a fine start thanks to a third-minute goal from Nikita Dishkovsky. The youngster potted his first since Oct. 6 after Sergei Sapego’s shot rebounded crazily in front of Alexander Smolin’s net. The home team continued to press and for a long time there was little sign of the Metallurg offense. However, the visitor regained its composure and by the intermission the shot count was locked at 10-10.
Metallurg rode that momentum at the start of the second period and tied the game thanks to in-form Vladimir Tkachyov. The KHL’s leading scorer extended his hot streak to six games, picking his moment to take Yegor Savikov out of the play before firing past Sergei Ivanov.
Soon after that, Metallurg got the first power play of the game but could not capitalize. And, once back at full strength, SKA found a couple of quick goals to take the game away. Igor Larionov Jr restored the home lead, then Rocco Grimaldi made it 3-1. Smolin left his net in favor of Ilya Nabokov, but the incoming netminder was beaten in the 35th minute when Yegor Zelenov converted Dishkovsky’s pass to record his first KHL goal.
Down 1-4, Metallurg needed a fast start in the third. Joseph Blandisi’s penalty helped the visitor: Alexander Petunin converted the power play. And penalty trouble continued to undermine SKA. Andrei Loktionov sat on 54:13, Metallurg moved to six skaters and Tkachyov found Derek Barach at the back door to make it a one-goal game with 4:24 left to play. Evgeny Kuznetsov picked up an assist on his return to Petersburg.
Now the visitor believed it could save the game, and when home defenseman Andrei Pedan went to the box with 51 seconds to play, that belief intensified. However, Ivanov produced big saves to deny Kuznetsov and Yegor Yakovlev in that last minute as SKA clung on to take the win.
