Steelmen, Hawks celebrate winning starts

Day two of the playoffs brought the Eastern Conference heavyweights into the fray. Both made winning starts, but while Metallurg eased past Sibir, second seed Avangard needed goals in the last five to see off seventh-ranked Neftekhimik.

Late goals give Hawks lift-off

Avangard Omsk 4 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 (2-1, 0-0, 2-1)
Avangard leads the series 1-0

Two late goals lifted the Hawks to victory over a stubborn Neftekhimik in the opening game of this Eastern Conference playoff series. Although the game went to the second seed, the seventh-ranked Wolves had the pre-series favorite tied at 2-2 until the 55th minute when Konstantin Okulov made the breakthrough.

A decade after this teams last met in post season, both were at full strength for this one. The only exception was Avangard’s back-up goalie position, where the inexperienced Dmitry Ivchenko was named in place of Andrei Mishurov.

The home team looked for a big start, but quickly ran into a determined visiting defense. And Neftekhimik proved it wasn’t just here as a spoiler: Okulov’s trip brought the first power play of the game and Andrei Belozyorov found space in the center of the zone to rifle a shot past Nikita Serebryakov for a fifth-minute lead.

That goal inspired the visitor to greater offensive efforts, with Avangard looking somewhat shellshocked by the early reversal of fortunes. However, after allowing a power play goal, the Hawks found a leveller with a man advantage. The home PP, best in the league in regular season, didn’t really click until the last minute. However, nine seconds before German Tochilkin was due to return to the game, a shot bounced back off the end board for Nikolai Prokhorkin to score.

Now the home team had lift-off and it wasn’t long before another power play was quickly converted. Okulov’s cross-ice feed set up Max Lajoie’s one-timer to send Avangard into the intermission with a 2-1 lead.

But Neftekhimik was not prepared to roll over. The visitor had the better of a goalless second period, causing frequent problems with swift counterattacks. Bulat Shafigullin and Dinar Zhafyarov had good chances, then a power play came and went. Avangard struggled to respond, and even a third power play could not bring another home goal.

Penalties continued to shape the game at the start of the third. Nail Yakupov took an o-zone minor and Neftekhimik took advantage. Nikita Khoruzhev fired straight through the five hole to make it 2-2, with all four goals coming on the PP.

With an even scoreline, there was little between the teams in terms of gameplay. Both teams seemed to be pausing to consider their next moves and it wasn’t until the closing stages that Avangard began to raise the tempo in search of a victory in regulation. Joseph Cecconi went close, Artyom Blazhievsky hit the post and finally, with five to play, Okulov’s one-timer put the Hawks back in front.

Neftekhimik responded by calling goalie Filipp Dolganov to the bench with 2:33 left to play, but that quickly led to an Avangard turnover and an empty-netter for Giovanni Fiore to finish the job.

Solid start for Steelmen

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 Sibir Novosibirsk 1 (2-0, 1-0, 1-1)
Metallurg leads the series 1-0

The opening game in this pairing went entirely as the form book suggested. Metallurg, runaway Eastern Conference leader, proved too strong for eighth-seed Sibir. The lethal partnership between Vladimir Tkachyov and Roman Kantserov yielded two more goals for the home team, while the architects of Sibir’s 2026 revival, Anton Kosolapov and Taylor Beck were silenced by the home D.

Before the game there were questions about which goalies would start, with both teams having two valid contenders. In the event, Andrei Razin gave Alexander Smolin the nod for Metallurg, while Yaroslav Lyuzenkov favored Mikhail Berdin. To nobody’s surprise, Metallurg recalled its star players after deploying experimental rosters at the end of the regular season. Sibir had to cope without captain Sergei Shirokov, with Arkhip Nekolenko wearing the ‘C’ in his absence.

The home team underlined its status as favorite – not just for the series, but for the Gagarin Cup – with a fast start. Magnitka’s second shot of the game opened the scoring, with youngster Mikhail Fyodorov on target.

And the Steelmen continued to dominate, deservedly doubling its lead in the 12th minute. Kantserov, the leading goalscorer in regular season, turned provider for Tkachyov to finish a fluid counterattack. The next shift saw Sergei Tolchinsky denied a third by Berdin as the host threatened to run riot.

Sibir offered more at the start of the second period. Metallurg’s passing grew sloppy and frequent turnovers hurt the home team. Smolin was tested more than once, but proved up to the task. Midway through the session, Metallurg got a power play and there were dangerous efforts from Nikita Mikhailis and Robin Press. Sibir held on, but fell once back at equal strength. Kantserov’s line did the job, and the free-scoring forward made it 3-0.

That put the game largely out of reach for Sibir. Although the visitor created a few more chances at the start of the third, there was little sign of a fightback. Midway through the session, Yegor Yakovlev added a fourth to wrap up the win; Valentin Pyanov’s late consolation, coming during a six-on-five surge, did little more than deny Smolin a shut-out.