Loko back in front

The defending champion took the verdict as the Gagarin Cup final moved to Kazan for game three. First period goals from Maxim Beryozkin and Richard Panik paved the way for a 3-1 victory, putting Lokomotiv up 2-1 in the series.

Powerful first period puts Railwaymen on track

Ak Bars Kazan 1 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 (0-2, 1-1, 0-1)
Lokomotiv leads the final 2-1

After a 1-5 loss on home ice tied this series, Lokomotiv came to Kazan with a point to prove. And Bob Hartley’s team produced a dominant first period, overwhelming the host and opening a 2-0 lead.

Arguably, it should have been more. Loko outshot Ak Bars 17-2 in the first period, with a combination of persistent offense and solid defense rendering Daniil Isayev a virtual spectator.

Home hopes were not enhanced by six minutes of penalties in the opening frame, and Lokomotiv’s power play produced the opening goal in the 12th minute. Stepan Terekhov was close to completing his double minor when Maxim Beryozkin potted his fifth of this year’s playoff – and his third in four games. Ak Bars goalie Timur Bilyalov faced two shots from left and right before Beryozkin took control of matters on the slot and forced a bouncing puck into the open net.

Late in the session, Loko doubled its lead. Mitch Miller has been a potent threat throughout this year’s playoffs, but the Ak Bars defenseman saw his shot blocked by Richard Panik. The Slovak forward raced away and fired his initial shot wide of Bilyalov’s net. However, he recovered the play on the end boards and placed a shot from a dead angle off the goalie’s back and in.

In the second period, Ak Bars improved significantly. An early home power play – the first of the game – set the tone and Kazan responded with some impressive play. Midway through the session, Miller pulled a goal back. The American joined a quick counter and collected a timely pass from Nathan Todd before circling the net to score at the near post thanks to a deflection off Artur Kayumov’s skate. That puts Miller on 21 points in this year’s playoffs, level with current scoring leader Konstantin Okulov. But the Avangard forward will not be adding to his tally, paving the way for Mitch to become the first ever defenseman to be playoff top scorer.

However, Miller will be chasing that achievement on a team that is down in the series after three games. Lokomotiv was determined to ensure its fast start did not go to waste and the visitor restored its two-goal advantage before the second intermission.

Ak Bars could not get the puck out of its zone and Denis Alexeyev got it back to the blue line for Nikita Cherepanov to bang in a shot through traffic that left Bilyalov clutching at air.

The third period saw Lokomotiv switch to a counterattacking style. Ak Bars was able to enjoy plenty of possession and territory, but struggled to generate good looks at Isayev. Tactically, this was familiar ground for the Railwaymen and it was no surprise that Hartley’s team looked comfortable enough running down the clock.

However, as the game moved into the last five minutes, an uncharacteristically rash moment brought a major penalty for Alexander Polunin. He speared Bilyalov when chasing down a counter attack, giving Ak Bars a power play that would last until the hooter. However, despite generating some pressure playing six-on-four, the home team could not seize the lifeline. Instead, Kayumov sealed the verdict with an empty net goal to make the final score 4-1.