Tigers beat defending champ; road wins for SKA, CSKA. September 25 round-up

Lokomotiv travelled to Amur for the second game of its Far East tour, but fell to defeat after allowing three unanswered goals in the third period. SKA edged a 4-3 verdict over Traktor, despite a rally after the home team was down 1-4. And CSKA proved far too strong for Lada as it reeled off a fifth straight win.

Strong finish gives Amur the edge

Amur Khabarovsk 3 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1 (0-1, 0-0, 3-0)

Three goals in the third period saw Amur defeat the defending champion. Danil Yurtaikin, Kirill Pilipenko and Kirill Urakov were on target to turn the game around in the final stanza.

The visitor was largely unchanged from its hard-fought win at Admiral, with only 13th forward Andrei Pustovoi joining the team. Amur had three changes: Alexei Solovyov made his first appearance of the season, Maxim Kravyakov and Kirill Petkov returned to the team.

Lokomotiv had not lost in Khabarovsk for seven years and looked set to continue that run in the first period. Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team outshot Amur 14-3, but only had one goal to show for it. Alexander Polunin missed a penalty shot, and the only goal of the frame came on the penalty kill when Ilya Nikolayev raced away to convert a breakaway midway through the frame. Maxim Dorozhko performed impressively in the home net to keep the scoreline down.

The Tigers flexed their claws after the intermission, but still struggled to really stretch Daniil Isayev. The power play was unusually toothless in a goalless session.

But in the final frame everything changed. There was menace about Amur’s play from the earliest shifts and Yurtaikin tied the scores after 45 minutes. Ten seconds later, the puck was in Isayev’s net again, but Petkov’s effort was called back for interference on the goalie. By now, though, the home team was building momentum and midway through the third Pilipenko made it 2-1, coolly converting a one-on-one chance with Isayev. Lokomotiv tried to find a way back, but Urakov added a third in the 56th minute. His first of the season sealed the home win

Home fightback falls short

Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 SKA St. Petersburg 4 (1-1, 0-2, 2-1)

SKA had to withstand a big fightback from Traktor, but held on to take a 4-3 verdict and record a third successive victory. Despite an encouraging performance, the home team was unable to build on a win over Avangard last time out.

Traktor made changes from that Avangard game: Dmitry Nikolayev returned in goal, with Andrei Pribylsky and Stepan Gorbunov also back in action. Mark Rodionov played for the first time this season. SKA started with Sergei Ivanov in goal, and Igor Larionov gave Rocco Grimaldi and Nikita Dishkovsky game time up front.

The visitor got ahead early on a third-minute goal from Matvei Korotky, surprising Nikolayev with a shot from out wide. That lead did not last long: a power play saw two defensemen combine: Grigory Dronov sent Ivan Vydrenkov through on goal and he scored against his former club in a manner befitting a forward rather than a D-man.

Vydrenkov moved to Chelyabinsk in a trade that sent Vasily Glotov the other way. And the ex-factor almost applied to both teams: After Vydrenkov’s tally, Glotov beat Nikolayev on a breakaway, only for the play to be called back for offside.

Dronov ended the first period in pain after blocking a shot, but returned for the middle frame and rarely left the ice as he quarterbacked two power plays in addition to his regular defensive duties. Artemy Nizameyev had chances to convert those, but could not find the net, while SKA’s forwards showed him how to do it at the other end. Danil Aimurzin finished off a combination play, then Scott Wilson struck on a power play.

The final stanza saw SKA pad that lead thanks to a powerful shot from Daniila Miromanov. That was the defenseman’s first goal for the Petersburg club after he returned to the KHL from Calgary in the summer.

That felt like the end of the contest, but Traktor kept things interesting until the end. Andrei Svetlakov converted another Dronov feed from close range, then Boris Katchouk made it a one-goal game on 48:37. There was still time to save the game, but SKA’s defense did enough to preserve the win.

Five-in-a-row for CSKA

Lada Togliatti 0 CSKA Moscow 5 (0-0, 0-3, 0-2)

The Muscovites powered to a fifth successive victory – and recorded back-to-back shut-outs in the process. Dmitry Gamzin blanked Lada, while his colleagues scored freely at the other end as Igor Nikitin’s men recorded their biggest win of the season so far.

For Lada, there was little consolation. Even a goalless first period owed more to wayward finishing that a competitive performance from the Motormen. CSKA outshot its host 9-2 in a dominant display.

Reward came in the middle session. Denis Guryanov opened the scoring with his fourth of the season in the 28th minute. Soon after, Maxim Sorkin doubled the lead on the power play and the game was effectively over. Lada simply lacked the firepower to suggest any meaningful fightback, while CSKA continued to threaten.

Prokhor Poltapov scored either side of the second intermission, pushing the lead to 4-0 and leaving Lada with far too much to do. The home team was in damage limitation mode in the closing stages, but Denis Zernov was able to add one more before the hooter.

Barys Astana vs Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk – postponed

Friday’s scheduled game at Barys was postponed due to a national day of mourning in Kazakhstan to commemorate the victims of an accident on naval exercises on the Caspian Sea yesterday. The game will now take place on Saturday, Sep. 26, face-off 11am Moscow Time.