OT win puts Severstal second, Ufa on top in green derby. January 28 round-up

An overtime goal from Alexander Skorenov gave Severstal the verdict over Torpedo in a clash at the top of the Western Conference. The Lynx go second in the standings, one point behind Lokomotiv and three ahead of Torpedo. There was OT in Kazan as well, where Salavat Yulaev eventually took the Green Derby with a 4-3 win over Ak Bars. CSKA defeated Dynamo in the capital city clash, while Spartak overpowered Lada. Admiral snapped a nine-game skid, defeating Barys to give Oleg Bratash his first win as Sailors’ head coach.

Bratash wins with Admiral at last

Barys Astana 2 Admiral Vladivostok 5 (0-1, 1-2, 1-2)

Oleg Bratash celebrated his first victory as Admiral’s head coach, with the Sailors snapping a nine-game skid to win in Astana. For Barys, the problems continue: the Kazakhs have lost their last four, won just one in the last 10, and one in eight on home ice.

Badly in need of a win, Admiral made a bright start to the game – and got a reward in the fifth minute. A quick counterattack concluded with Dmitry Zavgorodny converting Vyacheslav Osnovin’s pass from the left. After that, both teams had unsuccessful power play attempts.

Barys fluffed another PP at the start of the second, but found a tying goal with the teams at equal strength. Tyce Thompson came from deep to join a counterattack and was first to react to the rebound from Max Willman’s attempted pass. In response, Admiral got on the power play and managed to tie the game. Technically, Vsevolod Logvin’s penalty was over when Dmitry Timashov converted Nikita Tertyshny’s pass, but this was a power play goal in all but name. Timashov then found himself in the box, but Barys allowed a shorthanded goal: Zavgorodny did well to release Kyle Olson, who shot early at Adam Scheel to pick up his 15th goal of the season.

The third period saw Admiral pad its lead on goals from Stepan Starkov and Osnovin. The game was gone, but Barys managed a consolation tally from Jake Massie in the 52nd minute.

Suchkov sinks Ak Bars in OT

Ak Bars Kazan 3 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 4 OT (1-1, 0-2, 2-0, 0-1)

Salavat Yulaev celebrated a Green Derby win in Kazan thanks to an overtime goal from Yegor Suchkov. The visitor blew a 3-1 lead in the third period, but kept its nerve to take the verdict in the extras.

Suchkov’s winer came with just 29 seconds left on the clock. He brought play into the Ak Bars zone and exchanged passes with Danil Alalykin, but still had plenty to do to find the net with a shot from the deep slot through traffic.

That gave Salavat Yulaev is second win over Ak Bars in the team’s sixth and final meeting of the regular season. The home team remains in second place in the East, but has just a one-point lead over Avangard and has played three games more than the Hawks. Based on points per game, the standings would point to a playoff match-up between these teams in a few weeks’ time.

Today’s game began with an early goal from Sheldon Rempal. The Canadian’s long productive streak came to an end Monday in Minsk. But he quickly got back on the scoresheet today. Semyon Vyazovoi’s save started a counterattack and Devin Brosseau sent his compatriot down the left to beat Maxim Arefyev at the other end. Ak Bars tied the game in the 13th minute through captain Alexander Barabanov, and almost got ahead soon after when Semyon Terekhov stickhandled his way to the slot, only to shoot straight at Vyazovoi.

The second period brought another early goal for Salavat Yulaev. This time, Sergei Varlov’s shot was deflected past Arefyev by Dennis Yan. Then, late in the frame, Ufa scored again. Nathan Todd, making his Ak Bars debut, handed a gift to the team he represented last season. His wayward pass triggered an instant counterattack. Defensemen Maxim Kuznetsov and Vladislav Yefremov had a two-on-one rush, Kuznetsov set up his colleague for a one-timer to make it 3-1.

Ak Bars fought back in the third period. Terekhov served warning with a shot against the post, then Ilya Safonov’s power play goal made it 2-3 midway through the session. He converted the rebound from a Mitch Miller shot to bring the game back to life. Arefyev made way for a sixth skater late on and, after the lively Terekhov raced back to block a goalbound effort from Jack Rodewald, the home team salvaged a tie. Safonov got his second of the night, steering home a Nikita Lyamkin shot to make it 3-3 on 58:58.

Korostelyov double leads Spartak past Lada

Spartak Moscow 6 Lada Togliatti 2 (2-0, 2-1, 2-1)

Alexei Zhamnov’s team is showing some promising form as the regular season approaches the close. Today’s win was a fourth in six, with an overtime loss to Lokomotiv and a one-goal reverse against Torpedo going against Spartak.

Lada also showed some signs of progress recently when it won three in a row. However, this was the Motormen’s second defeat of the week in Moscow after falling 1-3 at Dynamo on Monday.

The Red-and-Whites made a strong start to the game, creating the best chances of the first period and opening a 2-0 lead. Nikita Korostelyov opened the scoring in the sixth minute, then Pavel Poryadin doubled the lead in the 15th. In between, the home team killed the only penalty of the opening session.
There was rather less discipline in evidence after the intermission, though. Spartak was assessed a bench minor after fluffing a line change and Lada took advantage. Andrei Altybarmakyan converted the power play to put the visitor back in the game.

But Lada then ran into penalty trouble of its own. German Rubtsov made it 3-1 during a five-on-four power play in the 26th minute. Then Spartak gained a two-man advantage, and needed just 13 seconds to set up Korostelyov’s second of the night.

The third period began with all eyes on the screens. After 26 seconds there was a review to hand Riley Sawchuk a high-sticking minor. Then, on 40:49, Spartak had a power play goal called back when the officials spotted a kicking motion to send the puck into the net.

There was a legitimate goal midway through the frame as Lada defenseman Artyom Zemchyonok reduced the deficit. That gave the visitor some hope of saving the game, but Spartak was in no mood to let it slip. Late goals from Luke Lockhart and Alexander Belyayev completed a comfortable win for the home team.

CSKA overtakes Dynamo after derby win

Dynamo Moscow 2 CSKA Moscow 4 (1-0, 0-3, 1-1)

CSKA climbed to fifth in the Western Conference, leapfrogging city rival Dynamo after a derby win.

The final Moscow derby of the season between these two teams was something of a revenge mission for Dynamo, which lost 1-5 to CSKA last time. Vyacheslav Kozlov’s team got a boost with a 3-1 win over Lada on Monday, but remains in fragile form and fell behind its city rival with defeat today.

The home team made a good start to the game, scoring on its first attack when youngster Sergei Artemyev sped into the CSKA zone and fired a wrister past Alexander Samonov in the second minute.

But that was as good as it got for Dynamo. CSKA got on the power play almost immediately and proceeded to dominate the rest of the opening frame. Maxim Motorygin made 12 saves before the intermission; Samonov faced just two more shots. Nonetheless, Dynamo held on to its lead at the break.

However, the pressure soon told in the second period. CSKA turned the game around completely, with three unanswered goals. First, Nikolai Kovalenko tied it up in the 22nd minute. He won possession behind Dynamo’s net, powered his way to the slot and got his goal via a deflection off an opponent’s skate.

Then, in the later stages of the middle frame, the visitor scored twice more. Mack Hollowell converted a power play in the 34th minute after good work from Denis Guryanov on the slot. Then another solid piece of play between the hash marks ended with Ivan Patrikhayev shooting home from the left-hand circle.

In the 53rd minute, Dynamo got a vital power play – and took full advantage after Vladislav Yeryomenko sat for tripping. The home team took its time, looking to set up the perfect shooting chance, before Daniil Pylenkov let fly from the blue line and Max Comtois redirected it home as it flew through the slot.

But hopes of a fightback took an immediate hit when captain Igor Ozhiganov fouled Ivan Drozdov and was sent to the box for slashing. The home team killed that penalty and got a late power play of its own after Hollowell’s indiscretion. However, after calling Motorygin to the bench, Dynamo could not score playing six-on-four, then fell to an empty-net goal from Drozdov as CSKA took the win.

Skorenov lifts Severstal to second

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 Severstal Cherepovets 3 OT (0-0, 1-1, 1-1, 0-1)

Severstal returned to second place in the Western Conference after an overtime verdict at Torpedo. Both teams are battling for top spot, and Alexander Skorenov’s goal in the 64th minute ensured that the Lynx keep the pressure on Lokomotiv. But Torpedo is just four points off the lead, while Dinamo Minsk is handily placed in third with a couple of games in hand.

Skorenov’s winner came when he decided to do it himself. He took on and beat three Torpedo players on his way to the net, including goalie Denis Kostin to produce a goal worthy of winning any game.

Earlier, the teams played a goalless first period. The tempo started fairly slow, and there was not much goalmouth action to report.

Things improved after the intermission. The home crowd had something to cheer even though Severstal began to dictate the play. Torpedo went close when Yegor Vinogradov got clear on Vsevolod Skotnikov’s net but failed to beat the goalie. And, against the run of play, a rare home raid set the puck pinballing around Skotnikov’s crease before Alexander Yaremchuk managed to force it over the line.

However, Severstal’s pressure got its reward a few minutes later. Timofei Davydov took the press right the way to the end boards, winning back possession and feeding David Dumbadze to score from the slot.

The third period continued in similar fashion. Severstal had more possession and spent plenty of time in front of Kostin’s net. Torpedo, though looked dangerous on the counter. Vladimir Tkachyov missed a chance to restore the home lead, then Nikolai Chebykin couldn’t beat Kostin when well placed.

The breakthrough came in the 49th minute, and it wasn’t without a note of irony. Ilya Chefanov’s last game in the KHL before today was on Jan. 10, when he was part of the Torpedo team that lost 6-7 at Severstal. Today the 24-year-old made his debut for Severstal and potted his first goal of the season. That’s one deadline day move that made an instant impact.

However, Chefanov’s goal wasn’t enough to win it. Barely a minute later Torpedo’s power play set up a tying goal for Vinogradov. That made it 2-2, and took the action into overtime before Skorenov settled the outcome.