Wolves snatch last-second win. November 25 round-up

The game of the day unfolded in Nizhnekamsk, where Neftekhimik rallied from 2-5 to beat Avangard with a goal on 59:59. Lada snapped a two-game goalless run in some style, rattling in five on the road to win at Sochi for the first time. And Spartak gained some respite from its recent troubles with a hard-fought 1-0 verdict at home to Ak Bars.

Freak goal settles thriller

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 6 Avangard Omsk 5 (1-3, 2-2, 3-0)

A spectacular comeback from Neftekhimik turned a 2-5 deficit into a win in the final second of a pulsating game in Nizhnekamsk.

But Avangard was left feeling robbed after a crazy deflection handed Andrei Belozyorov that decisive goal. The home team made one final push to win it in regulation and Belozyorov took the play down the right before aiming a cross-ice pass into the danger zone. It all looked routine for the visiting defense until Konstantin Okulov’s stick send the puck looping into the air, over goalie Nikita Serebryakov and in off the crossbar.

That was a memorable conclusion to a roller-coaster of a game. Avangard dominated the early possession, yet fell behind after five minutes to Nikita Khoruzhev’s goal. However, it did not take long for the Hawks to fightback. Within a minute, Max Lajoie scored on the power play to tie things up. Another minute went by, and it took a bench challenge to deny the visitor a second goal. But, by 7:55 Avangard was in front thanks to another PP marker for Lajoie, with Okulov and Damir Sharipzyanov assisting for the second time.

There was more to come. With the teams playing four-on-four, Nail Yakupov scored on his hometown team to make it 3-1. Yakupov found the net for the first time since Sep. 15 after returning from a two-month injury lay-off last week.

And Yakupov joined Lajoie on two goals midway through the second period when Avangard padded the lead with yet another power play goal. German Tochilkin got one back for the home team but yet another PP saw Alexander Volkov make it 5-2 for the visitor on 36:11.

It looked like a long road back for Neftekhimik, but the play was closer than the scoreline suggested. Late in the middle frame, Ivan Nikolishin got a vital goal back and, in the aftermath, Matvei Nodvorny got the better of a fight against Avangard’s Ivan Igumnov to rouse the passions of the home crowd.

And that passion reached fever pitch in the final frame as Neftekhimik completed its fightback. Belozyorov made it a one-goal game, then Avangard’s Marsel Ibragimov got a major penalty and Khoruzhev scored again to tie it up with eight minutes to play. Joey Duszak and Nikita Artamonov were among the assists on those goals, recording their first points since joining Neftekhimik recently.

Now the momentum was behind the home team and, in the final second, Belozyorov’s freakish goal secured an unlikely victory.

Coaching reshuffle gets results for Spartak

Spartak Moscow 1 Ak Bars Kazan 0 (0-0, 0-0, 1-0)

The Red-and-Whites’ recent struggles brought big changes to the coaching staff. Alexei Kovalev and Igor Kravchuk left, with Oleg Kvasha promoted from the juniors to work alongside head coach Alexei Zhamnov. After losing four of the last five, Spartak was up against it as Ak Bars came to town and the new coaching staff adjusted every playing partnership.

The new-look line-up proved resilient: the first period was goalless, with goalies Artyom Zagidulin and Maxim Arefyev making 21 saves between them.

Things didn’t change much after the intermission. Both teams skated well, but neither was able to get inside the opposition defense on a regular basis. Once again, the two goalies were on their mettle. However, they were largely asked to deal with routine efforts from distance rather than clear-cut chances around the net.

It wasn’t until the 48th minute that the deadlock was broken. Spartak took advantage of a power play and Ivan Morozov advanced at the right moment to jump on the play and shoot into the corner. That was the forward’s fifth goal in six games.

The visitor tried to find a way back, but Zagidulin was unbeatable in the home net. The win moves the Muscovites to sixth in the Western Conference ahead of Shanghai Dragons.

Lada makes history in Sochi

HC Sochi 3 Lada Togliatti 5 (1-2, 1-3, 1-0)

For the first time ever, Lada got a win in Sochi, boosting the gap between the teams to four points at the foot of the Western Conference standings.

It wasn’t just history that gave Sochi cause for confidence ahead of Tuesday’s game: goalie Ilya Samsonov returned from injury. Lada had failed to score in its previous two games and the former NHLer may have anticipated a fairly quiet return to action. At the other end, meanwhile, Sochi scored with its first shot of the night thanks to Max Ellis.

However, the Motormen found their scoring touch at last to turn the game around before the intermission. In the 15th minute defenseman Artyom Zemchyonok tied the game, scoring his first goal since February 2024.

That triggered a run of five unanswered goals. Late in the frame, Andrei Altybarmakyan made it 2-1 on the power play. Then, in the second period, Riley Sawchuk quickly added a third before Altybarmakyan’s second of the night made it 4-1. Pavel Khomchenko replaced Samsonov in the home net, but he was soon beaten by Nikita Mikhailov and Lada roared into a 5-1 lead in the 28th minute.

However, Sochi got a lifeline when visiting goalie Ivan Bocharov carelessly gave up possession. Dmitry Kagarlitsky grabbed the puck and set up Ellis for his second of the night. That’s Kagarlitsky’s first point of the season after he joined Sochi at the weekend.

For the rest of the game, the home team did most of the attacking. However, Bocharov kept the Leopards at bay until late on when Sergei Popov converted a five-on-three power play. That was as close as we came to a fightback as Lada ended a historical hoodoo beside the Black Sea.