Ufa ties it up, Ak Bars takes control

Day three of the Eastern playoffs saw a 1-0 win for Salavat Yulaev square its series against Avtomobilist. The teams head to Ufa locked at 1-1. Then Ak Bars won 4-2 at home to Traktor, claiming a 2-0 advantage in the series.

Solitary strike ties series

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 0 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 1 (0-1, 0-0, 0-0)
Series tied at 1-1

Scoring goals is hard. Scoring playoff goals is harder. And in this series, with just three goals through two games, every successful marker is worth its weight in gold.

Salavat Yulaev, beaten 0-2 in the opener on Monday, tied the series thanks to Yegor Suchkov’s first-period goal and Semyon Vyazovoi’s 27 saves. Today’s game produced one goal from 54 shots; Monday’s had two from 67. Goalies are very much on top so far.

Visiting head coach Viktor Kozlov reacted to the opening loss by shuffling three of his four lines. While his import trio remained untouched, he brought back Maxim Kuznetsov and fit-again Vladislav Yefremov in place of Denis Yan and Ildar Gazimov.

There was a sense of deja-vu early in the game as the opening exchanges proved similar to Monday’s. Both teams tried to play carefully in center ice, but were quick to press the puck-carrier aggressively. There was more effort on display than invention, and neither team was able to generate much offensive threat.

The first power play of the game brought a way out of this nip-and-tuck battle. Avto’s Daniil Romantsev sat for tripping and Suchkov took advantage, accelerating into the danger zone to unleash a powerful shot to the top shelf. The home team came close to tying the score right before the intermission, but Daniel Sprong – a two-goal hero last time – was denied from close range.

After the restart, Alexander Zharovsky wove a path through the home defense but could not outwit Vladimir Galkin at the end of his rush. Soon after, Suchkov had a chance to extend his team’s lead. But Avtomobilist hit back and began to create chances of its own. Midway through the second period, Nikita Shashkov hit the crossbar, then Alexei Byvaltsev fired narrowly wide on a dangerous counterattack.

When struggling in games, Nikolai Zavarukhin’s Motormen typically try different attacking combinations. Today, though, changes did not bring results. Moreover, the home team had to kill an O-zone penalty to keep the score at 1-0.

Salavat’s penalty kill was tested for the first time at the start of the third period but managed to protect the lead. And that set the tone for a final frame in which Avtomobilist struggled to set itself in the visitor’s zone, while Ufa’s counters lacked bite.

In the closing stages the play opened a little. Both teams managed extended spells of pressure and the puck was rarely in center ice. However, Salavat Yulaev looked more likely to add a second than Avtomobilist to save the game. 

Record for Bilyalov, double for Semyonov

Ak Bars Kazan 4 Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 (0-1, 3-1, 1-0)
Ak Bars leads the series 2-0

Timur Bilyalov set a KHL scoring record for a goalie as Ak Bars came from behind to beat Traktor once again. Two goals from Kirill Semyonov put Anvar Gatiyatulin’s men into a strong position before they travel to Chelyabinsk for the next two games.

When the teams met on Monday, the game went to overtime thanks to a late equalizer from Vitaly Kravtsov. On Wednesday, though, the home team got it done in regulation.

However, as in the series opener, Traktor got in front with a first-period goal. Today’s scorer was Andrei Nikonov in the sixth minute, reaching in front of Nikita Lyamkin to covert a feed from Sergei Telegin behind the net.

That goal was somewhat against the run of play in the first period. Although the teams had 12 shots apiece, Ak Bars had a significant territorial advantage and created the better chances. Nathan Todd hit the post when the game was still goalless and it wasn’t until the latter stages that Traktor began to pose a more regular attacking threat.

However, on the hooter Arseny Koromyslov was assessed a minor penalty and the first power play of the game brought Ak Bars level at the start of the second period. Bilyalov fielded a Traktor clearance and his pass went to Artyom Galimov on halfway. The forward advanced into the danger zone and drew Telegin towards him before roasting a shot beyond Dmitry Nikolayev to tie the game.

Within a minute, the home team completed the turnaround: Alexei Marchenko’s stretch pass released Alexander Chmelevski, and his shot rebounded kindly for Semyonov to make it 2-1.

Midway through the middle frame, Mitch Miller added a third and Traktor was in trouble. The visitor struggled to generate offense for much of the second period, but a penalty for Alexei Pustozyorov offered a lifeline. Josh Leivo converted the power play, and Kravtsov’s assist moved him to three points in two playoff games.

That ensured there was everything to play for in the final frame. Traktor had managed to force game one into overtime on a late goal and had a full 20 minutes to try to turn this one around. Alert to the danger, Ak Bars deployed a high forecheck early on, looking to ensure that the visitor could not get into dangerous areas. That had some success, but by the middle of the frame Traktor was starting to test Bilyalov. When Jordan Gross’s shot dropped for Vasily Glotov, his shot on the turn forced the home netminder into a big save to preserve the 3-2 lead.

Stung by that, Ak Bars then went and extended its advantage. The next shift brought a home counterattack and Semyonov skated onto a pass from Todd and fired the puck to the slot, where a deflection off a defenseman’s stick beat Nikolayev and made the game safe at 4-2.

Traktor had time to cause a few late scares in the remaining six minutes. Notably, Dmitrij Jaskin’s penalty allowed the visitor to play six-on-four. However, whether on the PK or at full strength, the home defense closed out the game with minimal fuss. Ak Bars will take a 2-0 lead to Chelyabinsk for game 3 on Frida