Dynamo wins at Lokomotiv, Severstal closes on the summit. December 25 round-up

Thursday’s big games came in the Western Conference leadership race. Top dog Lokomotiv fell 0-2 at home to fourth-placed Dynamo Moscow, while Severstal moved up to second after a battling OT victory over Sochi. Torpedo could have reduced the gap between the top five to just three points, but fell to CSKA in overtime despite dominating much of that game. In the East, Traktor thrashed Lada, Salavat Yulaev returned to the top eight with a 4-2 verdict against Amur and Avtomobilist won 4-1 at Barys.

Zharovsky inspires Ufa success

Salavat Yulaev Ufa 4 Amur Khabarovsk 2 (1-0, 1-1, 2-1)

Alexander Zharovsky had a three-point game as Salavat Yulaev avenged Tuesday’s loss to Amur. Two days ago, the Tigers won in Ufa by the same 4-2 scoreline, but today’s result was enough to put Viktor Kozlov’s team back into the top eight in the Eastern Conference.

In an echo of the previous game, Ufa opened the scoring thanks to a link-up between Zharovsky and Yegor Sukhkov, with the latter on target in the seventh minute. In response, Amur stepped up the pace and won two power plays but could not find a tying goal in the first period.

Midway through the second, though, Amur made it 1-1. Kirill Petkov’s powerful effort went wide but cannoned off the boards for Yaroslav Dyblenko to score from the slot. But late in the session a home power play brought a go-ahead goal for Devin Brosseau, restoring the lead 13 seconds before the intermission.

Amur started the final frame well and Petkov tied the scores on a delayed penalty. Salavat Yulaev, well aware of the need to get back into playoff contention, pushed to get back in front and midway through the third a fine piece of individual skill saw 18-year-old Zharovsky score the game-winner. His perfectly-placed wrister found its way into the net via the post. Then, in the 53rd minute, Jack Rodewald converted a two-on-one breakaway to make the final score 4-2.

In-form Boucher helps Avto to victory

Barys Astana 1 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 4 (1-2, 0-1, 0-1)

Evgeny Alikin made 31 saves and Reid Boucher kept up his rich vein of form as Avtomobilist enjoyed back-to-back wins on the road.

After a 5-0 win at Sibir, the visitor had to make a change here: Roman Gorbunov missed out through illness and Yegor Chernikov replaced him. Barys, beaten by Traktor, was unchanged save for incoming goalie Nikita Boyarkin.

The Motormen had the first shot of the game, but then lapsed into their typical sluggish start. Barys looked livelier and created more opportunities, only to be let down by finishing. Ansar Shaikhmeddenov wasted two good chances when he fired wide from threatening positions. In the end, Avtomobilist’s passive start was punished when Barys opened the scoring on a textbook play: a faceoff win brought the puck to Jake Massie on the point and he found the net.

That goal, midway through the first period, brought a response. In Avto’s favored fashion, the visitor capitalized on a defensive error and Alexander Sharov scored. Stephane da Costa picked up an assist as he celebrated his 600th game in the KHL. The Boucher went close to putting Avtomobilist ahead before Nikita Shashkov did just that a minute before the intermission.

After the break, Barys was close to tying the game. The home team had a power play that straddled two periods and that momentum brought a penalty shot when Kirill Vorobyov was forced to use his hand to stop a goal bound effort. Mason Morelli stepped up, but his attempt went wide of Alikin’s net.

The home team had more of the game and Avto was forced to block 11 shots in the middle frame. Once again, finishing hurt Barys. At the other end, the visitor showed how to do it: 19-year-old Maxim Tarasov did well on the slot to redirect Maxim Osipov’s shot past Boyarkin.

That rather killed the game as a spectacle and the third period was slow to get going. Avtomobilist had no need to force the issue, while Barys lacked the cutting edge to test its opponent. The contest was settled long before Boucher’s empty-net goal moved him to 8 (4+4) points from his last three games.

Kravtsov orchestrates convincing Traktor triumph

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

A first-minute goal was the best Lada could muster at home to Traktor. The visitor hit back to record an emphatic win, powered by three points from Vitaly Kravtsov.

The home team suffered a 7-2 mauling in Minsk in its pervious game, but got off to a flying start here. Within the first minute, Ivan Romanov fired home from the left-hand circle to beat Sergei Mylnikov. In addition, the first power play went to the home team after Maxim Dzhioshvili fired the puck over the glass.

But even before the first intermission, Traktor had wrestled control of the game. Alex Cotton’s error in the 11th minute gifted Yegor Korshkov a tying goal. He struck again on the power play to make it 2-1, and Josh Leivo added a third after combining with Kravtsov just before the intermission.

Just over a minute into the second period, Andrei Svetlakov added a fourth goal, effectively ending the contest. Lada managed just two shots at Mylnikov in the second period as Traktor dominated the play.

The third period saw the visitor underline its advantage. Kravtsov added a fifth before assisting on Leivo’s second of the game to completed a 6=1 scoreline. Evgeny Koreshkov’s team moves to 39 points, level with fifth-placed Neftekhimik in the Eastern Conference.

Gregoire grabs winner for battling Severstal

Severstal Cherepovets 4 HC Sochi 3 OT (1-2, 1-1, 1-0, 1-0)

Second-placed Severstal came from behind three times against Western Conference struggler Sochi before claiming an overtime win. The hard-fought verdict moves Andrei Kozyrev’s team within a point of Lokomotiv at the top of the standings.

The visitor got in front early thanks to a goal from Dmitry Kagarlitsky, once a prolific scorer in Cherepovets. He claimed his second goal since joining Sochi in November after Matvei Guskov found him on the slot.

Severstal responded in the 15th minute when Kirill Tankov scored his first since Oct. 1. However, Sochi managed to regain the lead before the intermission: Noel Hoefenmayer moved onto a pass from behind the net and beat Alexander Samoilov. The Canadian defenseman’s previous goal was also scored on Severstal.

The home team tied it up again early in the second, taking just 15 seconds for Ruslan Abrosimov to convert a power play after Guskov’s offense. But the Leopards flexed their claws once again and Max Ellis made it 3-2 midway through the session. Severstal later enjoyed a five-on-three power play but could not take advantage.

Pavel Khomchenko turned out to be the key figure of the third period. The visiting goaltender was impressive in defense of his team’s slender lead, but he eventually fell with six minutes to play. Ilya Ivantsov got the third tying goal of the game and sent the action into overtime. Here, after a minute, Severstal got in front for the first and only time in the game: Thomas Gregoire potted the vital goal.

Dynamo late show sinks the leader

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 0 Dynamo Moscow 2 (0-0, 0-0, 0-2)

In a big game at the top of the Western Conference standings, fourth-placed Dynamo moved to within two points of leader Lokomotiv. The Blue-and-Whites also have two games in hand on the defending champion, and with just four points covering the top five, a fascinating battle for position looks set to unfold in the latter half of the season.

Lokomotiv almost got off to a great start when Alexander Polunin hit Maxim Motorygin’s post in the third minute. That ushered in an opening frame that saw both goalies kept busy, but neither team could find the opening goal.

The middle frame saw the home team enjoy greater control, while Dynamo was reliable in defense. There was less work for the two goalies and the game remained goalless.

By the time the breakthrough arrived, thoughts were already turning to overtime. The clock had ticked into the last five minutes when Dynamo found a way past Daniil Isayev at last. The goal was against the run of play, but Ansel Galimov forced a turnover and set up Anton Slepyshev in the left-hand circle. His concealed shot deceived Isayev and flew under the crossbar.

Home hopes of saving the game took a fatal hit in the last minute. Repeated offside infractions prevented Loko from getting Isayev to the bench, and frustration spilled over into a too many men offense. Nikita Gusev needed just 11 seconds to convert the power play and seal the win for the visitor while Isayev tried in vain to make way for an extra skater.

Clinical CSKA edges past Torpedo

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 CSKA Moscow 3 OT (0-2, 0-0, 2-0, 0-1)

Despite blowing a 2-0 lead, CSKA managed to snap its three-game skid in Nizhny Novgorod. Torpedo dominated most of the game, enjoying a significant advantage in offensive stats, but the visitor made the most of its chances to snatch a hard-fought win.

The home team came into this one full of confidence after winning four on the spin, but the first period went to the visitor. CSKA did not create many chances, but scored twice on four shots. At the other end, some hardworking defense limited Torpedo to just seven attempts at Dmitry Gamzin.

The opening goal arrived midway through the session. Vitaly Abramov forced Denis Kostin into his first save of the game, then went after the rebound and looked to fire the puck back to the danger zone. Here, he had a slice of fortune as the puck bounced off Anton Sizov and into the net.

In the 18th minute, CSKA doubled its lead when Denis Gurryanov ran onto a stretch pass and beat Kostin with a goal out of nothing.

If Torpedo was frustrated by the first period, the home team was downright aggrieved at the end of the second. Alexei Isakov’s men dominated the play: almost 10 minutes on the attack against 1:19 for CSKA, a 9-3 shot count and 14 blocked shots for the visitor told the story of a rearguard action from the Muscovites. But the defense held; there was no score in the middle frame and CSKA preserved its 2-0 lead.

Gamzin’s net seemed to be leading a charmed life, but Torpedo lifted the hoodoo midway through the third period. Vasily Atanasov saw his shot saved, but Vladimir Tkachyov was first to the rebound and the home team was on the scoreboard at last. From that point, momentum should have carried Torpedo home. However, a couple of untimely penalties offered CSKA some respite and ate up a chunk of the remaining time. It was beginning to look as if the visitor would complete its smash-and-grab in regulation, but a last-minute equalizer from Yegor Sokolov forced the game into overtime with 47 seconds left on the clock.

Once again, it seemed that Torpedo had the momentum to take the win. But once again, CSKA sprung a surprise. Twelve seconds into the extras, Ivan Drozdov moved down the left wing and wired a wrister past Kostin to give the visitor an unlikely verdict.