Series shift cities as Metallurg and Ak Bars look to press their advantage
Metallurg aims to tighten its grip on the series as the action shifts to Nizhny Novgorod, with Torpedo hoping home ice can spark a response, while Ak Bars heads back to Kazan looking to build on its momentum after two dramatic wins over Dinamo Minsk as the series changes cities.
19:00: Torpedo (5th W) vs Metallurg (1st E)
Series stand
0-2 (3:4, 1:4).
About the game
Daniil Vovchenko scored for the third game in a row as Metallurg moved a step closer to settling the series against Torpedo. Saturday brought a 4:1 win on home ice, giving Magnitka a 2-0 lead in the series as the action switches to Nizhny Novgorod. Other than Vovchenko, Sergei Tolchinsky, Valery Orekhov, and Alexander Petunin also scored for Metallurg, who had another strong performance from Alexander Smolin between the piping, with 27 saves. Igor Geraskin’s first playoff tally wasn’t clearly enough for Torpedo, who will try to reopen the series today in a home game.
Metallurg’s forward Daniil Vovchenko scored a goal in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Metallurg: Dmitry Silantyev.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Dmitry Shevchenko may reach 100 career points (currently at 99).
Metallurg’s forward Alexander Petunin lines up for his 500th league appearance.
19:30: Ak Bars (3rd E) vs Dinamo Minsk (2nd W)
Series stand
2-0 (2:1, 5:4 ОТ).
About the game
A real thriller game in Belarus saw the teams trade goals in the last 70 seconds of regulation to get in an incredible 4:4 tie. Dinamo had recovered from 1:3 to lead with less than two minutes to go in the closing frame, but allowed a late equalizer before falling to Nathan Todd in the extras. At 58:50, usual suspect Sam Anas put the Bison ahead for the first time in the series, but Artyom Galimov saved the game for Ak Bars, who returns to Kazan with a strong, two-game advantage. Alexander Barabanov, Grigory Denisenko, Stepan Terekhov, and Dmitrij Jaskin had two points for Ak Bars. For Dinamo Minsk, Ty Smith had two assists from the blue line, while Sergei Kuznetsov, Alex Limoges, and Sam Anas had a 1+1 performance. With their back against the wall, the Belarusians will need an extra effort to return the series to Minsk.
Ak Bars’ forward Maxim Arefyev is on a 63:21 shutout streak.
Ak Bars’ defenseman Nikita Lyamkin had at least an assist in each of his previous six games, totaling seven helpers.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov may reach 40 career shutouts.
Dinamo Minsk’s netminder Vasily Demchenko may record his 30th shutout in the KHL.
