Spartak earns record win, Amur celebrates first success. September 12 round-up

An eight-goal thrashing of Severstal rewrote Spartak’s KHL record books: it was the biggest Red-and-White victory since the league was formed in 2008. Amur claimed its first win of the current season, quietening a rampant Barys offense to win 3-1 in Astana. SKA edged a 1-0 verdict over Sochi, and Dynamo Moscow got a shoot-out success over Dinamo Minsk.

Tigers off the mark in Kazakhstan

Barys Astana 1 Amur Khabarovsk 3 (0-1, 1-1, 0-1)

Maxim Dorozhko defied a rampant Barys offense to backstop Amur’s first win of the season. The Tigers also inflicted a first loss of the campaign on the Kazakhs.

Barys came into the game after blasting 15 goals in two games, and the team’s swashbuckling approach was evident again today. The host fired in 37 shots at Dorozhko in the visitor’s net but managed just one goal for their efforts.

By the time Garrett Pilon scored it, Amur already had two. The visitor killed a five-on-three penalty early in the game and recovered to take the lead on a power play goal from Yaroslav Likhachyov midway through the first. Dorozhko was busy at the other end, making 18 saves to preserve that lead through 20 minutes.

Amur cleaned up its act in the second period, cutting out the penalties and reducing the pressure on Dorozhko. Barys looked less incisive at equal strength, and fell further behind in the 31st minute when Artyom Shvaryov beat Hunter Shepard. There was an immediate response as Pilon coolly slipped the puck home from a tight angle after a rebound got away from the otherwise flawless Dorozhko.

The Tigers defended for much of the final third, protecting the lead and allowing Barys plenty of possession and shots from the perimeter. In the closing stages, a major penalty for Kirill Urakov added to the pressure, but when Barys played six-on-four it ended up allowing an empty-netter from Kirill Petkov to settle the contest. 

Minsk fightback falls short in shoot-out

Dynamo Moscow 3 Dinamo Minsk 2 SO (1-0, 1-1, 0-1, 0-0, 1-0)

A second successive shoot-out win helped the Muscovites improve on their slow start, while Minsk is still seeking a first win under head coach Sergei Brylin.

This game was played in St. Petersburg due to a clash of commitments at Dynamo’s home in the capital; no other suitable venue closer to home was available in time, forcing an unexpected journey north.

But at least Leonids Tambijevs and his team returned with a victory, even if it had to work hard to see off the Belarusians.

Playing on neutral ice did not cool any tempers. The action began with a first-minute fight. Nikita Korostelyov and Artyom Sergeyev got involved for the Muscovites, Minsk’s Brady Lyle and Bogdan Belkin were the main antagonists on the other side. With a few roughing minors tossed into the mix for good measure, Dinamo Minsk earned a five-on-four power play after 18 seconds as the penalty boxes filled up.

But the “home” team withstood that penalty and took control of the play. By the time Yegor Rimashevsky opened the scoring on the power play midway through the first period, the shot count was 10-1 in Moscow’s favor. That advantage, on the scoreboard and on the balance of play, remained until the first intermission.

After the break, Dynamo doubled its lead midway through the second period thanks to Mikhail Melnikov. With Minsk still struggling to generate offense, things looked bleak for the visitor. But Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who arrived from the Wild organization in the summer, got his first in the KHL to reduce the deficit.

The pattern of play changed, and Minsk had the better of the closing stages. Vladimir Alistrov potted his first since rejoining Dinamo, tying the game in the 49th minute. Aube-Kubel almost won it late on, but the game went to overtime with the Bison again on top.

Dynamo held on in the extras, and claimed the verdict after Vladislav Podyapolsky stopped everything in the shoot-out. Jordan Weal converted his attempt at the other end to win it.

Ivanov gives SKA the edge

HC Sochi 0 SKA St. Petersburg 1 (0-0, 0-1, 0-0)

Sergei Ivanov’s 10th KHL shut-out – with 33 saves – was the difference maker as SKA edged a tight verdict at Sochi.

Igor Larionov’s team bounced back from defeat at Spartak to move to four wins from five, leaving Sochi still awaiting a first win of the season. The Leopards have scored just twice in three games, underlying the problem for head coach Andrei Mironov to tackle.

Mironov made four changes to his team for Sochi’s home opener, with forwards Matvei Guskov and Yegor Petukhov joined by defensemen Georgy Solyannikov and Artyom Guryev. Young netminder Pyotr Andreyanov continued in goal.

Ivanov came into SKA’s team ahead of Artemy Pleshkov, while Sergei Sapego and Alexei Maklyukov returned on defense. Up front, Igor Larionov Jr, Valentin Zykov and Ignat Luftullin all got a game.

The first period set the tone for the game. SKA had more possession, Sochi got more shots on goal, but big scoring chances were hard to find. It stayed scoreless until the 28th minute when Lutfullin cut inside from the left, drawing the attentions of three forwards and creating space for Zykov to shoot home the opening – and only – goal.

SKA had the puck in the net again soon after thanks to Matvei Korotky, but a bench challenge wiped that out for offside.

Sochi continued to create chances, and Ivanov was rattled early in the third when ex-SKA man Solyannikov banged a shot against his helmet. Good work from Kirill Slepets created a big chance for Kirill Voronin to tie it up, but Ivanov held on to make 33 saves and blank the home forwards.

Spartak makes history with eight-goal romp

Spartak Moscow 8 Severstal Cherepovets 0 (3-0, 1-0, 4-0)

This was the Red-and-Whites’ biggest ever victory in the KHL as Alexei Zhamnov’s team handed Severstal an 8-0 thrashing in Moscow.

The home team wrapped up its opening home stand in style, despite the absence of offensive talents Max Comtois and Alex Galchenyuk. Daniil Gutik played his first game of the season, as did goalie Artyom Zagidulin.

Spartak got in front early: in the second minute, Alexander Samoilov stopped Daniil Orlov’s shot, only for Alexander Belyayev to convert the rebound. Just 44 seconds later, Gutik doubled the lead when his intended pass evaded Luke Lockhart on the slot and deceived Samoilov.

The fast start continued. Another eight seconds went by and Spartak was up 3-0. Ilya Kotlyarov and Nikita Kholodilin’s odd-man rush brought a goal for the latter. Unsurprisingly, Andrei Kozyrev called a time-out and tried to calm his Severstal players.

That had some effect. Spartak did not score again in the first period and added just one more in the second – Yegor Filin struck after 24 minutes.

But in the end, this turned into a procession for the home team. A power play at the start of the third saw Mikhail Maltsev convert the rebound from a Danila Pivchulin shot, chasing Samoilov from his net. Incoming goalie Vsevolod Skotnikov lasted just 13 seconds before he was beaten: Fillin to Belyayev, 6-0.

Now it was simply a question of how many. Christian Jaros drilled in a shot that bounced off a Severstal skate and into the net. Then German Rubtsov completed the rout during a five-on-three power play.