SKA snaps skid, McLeod on target again. February 3 round-up

A shoot-out win at Dinamo Minsk ended a seven-game losing streak for SKA. The result also saw Igor Larionov’s men move further away from Shanghai in the playoff race. The Dragons fell 3-5 at home to Avangard, with Mike McLeod getting his second double in two games for the visitor. Nikita Mikhailis also scored twice as Metallurg won at Lada, and Klim Kostin’s first goals of the season helped CSKA to victory over Sochi.

Mikhailis double wins it for Magnitka

Lada Togliatti 2 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 (0-1, 2-1, 0-1)

A fourth successive victory for Metallurg before the All-Star break consolidated the Steelmen’s place at the top of the KHL standings. With playoff participation already assured, head coach Andrei Razin already seems to have a clear view of his post-season line-up, limiting himself to minor changes on the fourth line in recent games.

Today, Luke Johnson missed out in Togliatti, although Nikita Korotkov returned. Magnitka also continues to alternate its goalies, with Ilya Nabokov getting the start at Lada. The home team went with Ivan Bocharov in goal and Pavel Desyatkov made a few unusual selections across four full lines.

The visitor got off to a good start. Metallurg had a power play in the second minute, leading to good chances for Roman Kantserov and Derek Barach. Lada killed that first penalty but fell behind soon after. Alexander Petunin’s shot from a dead angle foxed Bocharov and bounced into the net off the goalie’s back. For the most part, Lada was restricted to long-range efforts in the first period, only generating real danger on a power play.

Lada’s tying goal was a freakish one. Nabokov rushed to the bench on a delayed penalty, Yegor Yakovlev didn’t notice and knocked the puck into his own unguarded net. Riley Sawchuk was credited with the goal despite having little to do with it. A couple of minutes later, the home team had the lead when Artur Tyanulin set up Andrei Altybarmakyan.

But Metallurg continued to test Bocharov. And once again, the effort of killing a penalty left the home team struggling. This time Kantserov combined with Nikita Mikhailis for the Kazakh forward to tie the game before the second intermission.

And Mikhailis went on to grab the game-winner in the third, converting a fine pass from Yakovlev to make it 3-2 in the 45th minute.

Lada still had time to fight back. Andrei Chivilyov brought a good save from Nabokov with a shot through traffic. At the other end, Mikhailis had chances for a hat-trick but the game finished 3-2.

SKA snaps skid in shoot-out

Dinamo Minsk 3 SKA St. Petersburg 4 SO (1-2, 1-1, 1-0, 0-0, 0-1)

After seven straight losses, SKA finally got a win. But Igor Larionov’s men blew three leads in Minsk before edging a shoot-out success. Rocco Grimaldi converted the winning attempt after Sergei Ivanov saved from Vitaly Pinchuk, Darren Dietz and Sam Anas.

The result opens a nine-point gap for SKA over ninth-placed Shanghai Dragons.

Dinamo came into the game looking to close on the Western Conference leaders. However, Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team fell to a fourth successive loss as its season risks slumping in the closing stages.

The first period brought plenty of action. SKA had already produced an unsuccessful power play before taking the lead in the sixth minute. Home goalie Vasily Demchenko could not hold Andrei Pedan’s point shot, and Nikolai Goldobin put away the rebound.

Daniil Lipsky hit back fast to tie the game for Dinamo, but in the 10th minute the visitor was back in front. Joseph Blandisi claimed possession at the top of the right-hand circle and rifled in a wrister. That made it 2-1, and it remained that way until the intermission.

Dinamo tied it up again in the 26th minute. The home team won back possession in corner and got play to the center of the zone where defenseman Rob Hamilton joined the attack to shoot to the top shelf.

Once again, SKA responded quickly. Even though the Belarusians had enjoyed the better of the second-period play, it took barely a minute for Valentin Zykov to convert Sergei Plotnikov’s pass and restore the lead. Demchenko left the game to be replaced by Zach Fucale.

The incoming goalie kept SKA at bay for the rest of the 65 minutes these teams would play. At the other end, Andrei Stas salvaged a tie for Dinamo in the third period when Yegor Borikov’s shot deflected off him and into the net in the 52nd minute. SKA claimed goalie interference but the challenge failed and the visitor had to kill a delay of game penalty.

Late on, Stas almost fashioned a winner for Minsk. He got on a two-on-one rush and looked to set up Vladislav Kuznetsov at the back door, only for Ivanov to cut out the pass.

In the extras, Ty Smith might have won it for Dinamo but failed to find the open corner of Ivanov’s net. Then play went to the other end and Marat Khairullin got clean through but could not beat Fucale. However, when it came to the shoot-out, the Canadian goalie fell at last as Grimaldi ended SKA’s long wait for a win.

McLeod at the double again

Shanghai Dragons 3 Avangard Omsk 5 (1-2, 2-0, 0-3)

In-form Mike McLeod scored twice again as Avangard claimed an eighth successive win. The Canadian has potted a double at Dynamo last time out and has five goals in his last three games.

The Hawks also consolidated in second place in the East, opening a two-point gap over Ak Bars.

For Shanghai, today’s loss was another blow to its playoff hopes. Mitch Love’s team won two of its three games against Sochi last week and was hoping to make further inroads on eighth-placed SKA. But two goals in the 50th minute ended the home team’s hopes.

The Dragons were up 3-2 at the time, but allowed two in 12 seconds as the game took a decisive turn. First, McLeod won a face-off and the play finished with Slava Voynov firing home from the center point. Then the Canadian got in front of Andrei Karayev to redirect a Max Lajoie point shot into the net after Alexander Bryntsev’s attempted clearance was cut out.

The home team kept battling and Kevin Labanc almost stole a tying goal after an error from Artyom Blazhievsky. But Avangard sealed the win on an empty-netter from Konstantin Okulov.

Earlier, the Hawks got an early lead when Nail Yakupov scored on his previous club. The Avangard forward began last season with Kunlun Red Star, Shanghai’s previous incarnation, before returning to Omsk. Jake Bischoff tied it up for the home team, but McLeod’s first of the game sent the visitor into the intermission with a 2-1 lead.

In the second period Shanghai turned things around. Nick Merkley tied the scores, then Troy Josephs made it 3-2 in the 35th minute. However, that was as good as it got for the home team as Avangard recovered to win it in the third.

Maistrenko claims game-winner for CSKA

CSKA Moscow 3 HC Sochi 1 (1-0, 0-1, 2-0)

Two goals from Klim Kostin sandwiched Oleg Maistrenko’s second goal of the season as CSKA claimed victory over stubborn Sochi. It was the Muscovites’ fifth successive win, but Igor Nikitin’s men struggled to break down the Western Conference struggler.

The early signs were promising for the home team. After killing Vitaly Abramov’s early penalty, CSKA converted its first power play of the night to take the lead in the sixth minute. Maxim Sorkin’s shot was redirected home by Klim Kostin to break the deadlock, while scoring leader Prokhor Poltapov collected an assist.

That was Kostin’s first goal since arriving from Avangard. However, it failed to kickstart the game. In the first period the teams were shot shy, trading just 10 attempts on target between them.

The middle frame also produced few chances. Sochi defended in depth, limited CSKA to just five efforts at Pavel Khomchenko. And when the Leopards got an opportunity, Timur Khafizov pounced on a poor attempt to clear the home zone, moved inside and launched a long-range wrist shot past Alexander Samonov.

CSKA began the third period on the power play, but had to wait until the 49th minute before regaining the lead. This time, Sochi gave up possession in its own zone and 21-year-old Maistrenko took full advantage to make it 2-1. Now the home team was able to assert some control of the game; never rampant on offense, it still had the bulk of the possession in the final stanza. Kostin, who hadn’t scored since last year’s playoffs prior to tonight, got his second of the game into an empty net to seal the win.