Radulov celebrates milestone with two points. September 8 round-up

Alexander Radulov marked his 800th KHL game with a goal and an assist to help Lokomotiv defeat Shanghai Dragons 3-1. Metallurg also claimed its second win of the season, edging Amur in overtime. HC Sochi became the last team to start its season – and had a rough time of it in a 1-5 loss at Neftekhimik.

Steelmen too strong for Tigers again

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 Amur Khabarovsk 1 OT (1-0, 0-1, 0-0,1-0)

For the second time in three days, Metallurg got the better of Amur. But game two between these teams proved a tighter affair, requiring overtime to produce a result.

Neither team made big changes from Magnitka’s 4-2 win on Sunday. Yegor Zavragin took over as Metallurg’s starting goalie and there were a couple of new faces in minor roles on defense. Amur used the exact same group of players, but switched up some of its lines.

Metallurg’s dominance in the first period was such that Amur was held to a solitary shot on target. At the other end, the home team scored once from 10 attempts: in the ninth minute Mikhail Fyodorov dispossessed an opponent on the boards and sent the puck to Luke Johnson on the slot for the opener. Nathan Todd had a great chance to double the lead on the power play, but fired wide of Maxim Dorozhko’s net.

Amur replied at the start of the second period. Just 30 seconds into the frame, Kirill Pilipenko found Vitaly Abramov in a central position and he made the most of some uncertain defense to get off a shot that beat Zavragin through traffic. The Tigers managed to kill three successive penalties after that and the play remained fairly even.

In the third period, neither team could find a winner, but in overtime Metallurg finished the job. The home team began the extras on the power play, Amur withstood that pressure, but fell to a 63rd minute play when Vladimir Tkachyov’s pace created a two-on-one rush and Dmitry Silantyev’s one timer beat Dorozhko.

Sochi struggles in opening game

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 5 HC Sochi 1 (1-0, 2-0, 2-1)

Sochi had a tough start to the season in Nizhnekamsk, falling to a 1-5 loss after Yaroslav Ozolin made 40 saves in the home net.

The home team began its season on Sunday, blowing a 3-0 lead to lost to Shanghai Dragons in overtime. That persuaded head coach Igor Grishin to give Ozolin the start in goal, as well as handing KHL debuts to Timothy Lovell and Kirill Stolyarov.

For Sochi, new head coach Andrei Mironov leaned heavily on summer acquisitions. Ivan Bocharov started in goal, Gage Quinney centered the first line and fellow forwards Maxim Korostelyov, Ivan Yezhov, Kirill Slepets, Artur Gizdatullin and Kirill Voronin made their debuts. On defense, too, there were new faces: Timur Akhiyarov and Georgy Solyannikov played on the third pair, Yaroslav Belyakov was the seventh man.

The opening shifts favored Sochi, but the visitor got no closer than a shot against Ozolin’s post. Neftekhimik weathered the storm, then opened the scoring with its first half-chance of the night. Nikita Khlystov’s point shot offered little evident danger, with no traffic to distract Bocharov, yet somehow it got through the goalie’s pads. Although the home team improved after the goal, there was no further scoring in the first.

A major penalty for visiting D-man Cameron Lee turned out to be the key moment in the game. Neftekhimik turned that five-minute power play into two goals. Damir Zhafyarov and Rafael Bikmullin stretched the lead to 3-0 and left Sochi with a tough task to get back into contention.

After blowing a three-goal lead two days earlier, Neftekhimik looked to defend its advantage this time. Sochi lacked the creativity to find a way through until the 55th minute, when Denis Vengryzhanovsky earned and converted a penalty shot.

But there would be no fightback today. Barely a minute later, Andrei Belozyorov made it 4-1, and a short-handed effort from Artyom Serikov completed the scoring.

Defending champ wins again

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 3 Shanghai Dragons 1 (1-0, 1-1, 1-0)

A fightback win at Neftekhimik got the Dragons started this season, but a trip to the defending champion was a more demanding challenge. Lokomotiv built on its opening victory over Traktor with Yegor Surin and Alexander Radulov to the fore.

Both players had a goal and an assist, helping Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team to a 3-1 verdict. At the other end, a power play strike from Brennan Menell in the second period kept the contest alive.

Lokomotiv tried to take control of the game in the first period. The home team had more of the play but the opening goal had to wait until seconds before the hooter.

Surin claimed it, but visiting goalie Amir Miftakhov will feel he might have done better. He fumbled his initial glove save and a big rebound flew into a crowd of players, bouncing into the net off a defenseman.

In its opening game, Shanghai went two from four on the power play. The second period tonight saw the Dragons convert their first PK of this game. Menell collected Vladimir Kuznetsov’s pass on the blue line and launched a wrister that beat Daniil Isayev through traffic in the 29th minute.

But when Menell went to the box a couple of minutes later, Lokomotiv regained the lead. Radulov marked his 800th KHL game by converting Andrei Sergeyev’s pass to the back door.

Midway through the third period, Lokomotiv got some breathing space. Surin and Radulov combined for Georgy Ivanov to make it 3-1 and that completed the scoring. Shanghai attempted a late surge and played six-on-four in the final 30 seconds after Maxim Shalunov went to the box. But there was no way to save the game.