Sochi shocks Salavat Yulaev, Dragons beat Metallurg. September 30 round-up

Struggling Sochi hit Salavat Yulaev for six to record only a second win of the season. Another Eastern powerhouse had a tough evening in the West as Metallurg fell 1-4 at Shanghai Dragons. Traktor added to Spartak’s woes with a 4-2 win in Moscow, and there were home wins for Lokomotiv, Ak Bars and Lokomotiv.

Back-to-back wins for Avto

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 3 Lada Togliatti 1 (2-0, 0-0, 1-1)

The clash of the Motormen saw Avtomobilist make a victorious return home following a seven-game road trip. A 3-1 verdict sealed back-to-back wins for Alexei Kudashov’s team, and extended Lada’s losing streak to six.

Although the teams began steadily, the opening goal was not long in arriving. Lada struggled to clear its lines, and Jesse Blacker’s point shot was too good for Andrei Mishurov. The defenseman picked up his first point of the season.

The visitor responded with a good counterattack, but captain Dmitry Kugryshev fired straight at goalie Evgeny Alikin when well placed. However, Avto had the better of the opening frame and doubled its lead through Maxim Tarasov. A slick passing combination unlocked the visiting defense and Tarasov was presented with a simple finish for his first goal of the season.

After the intermission Lada swapped its lukewarm first period form for a more aggressive approach. The visitor began to apply some pressure on Alikin’s net and clawed back its deficit on the shot count. However, too many of those efforts came from long range and were straightforward for the goalie. It wasn’t until the end of the session that we saw the home offense return to the fore, but there was little memorable action in the middle frame.

That pattern continued in the third. Lada continued to work hard, but had little to show for those efforts. Gradually, though, chances started to come. An Avtomobilist error created a three-man breakaway for the visitor only for the team to fluff its chance. Kugryshev eventually scored in the 49th minute, making the most of some lethargic defensive work from the home forwards and exploiting the space to pot his first of the season.

That brought the game back to life. An Avtomobilist breakaway forced a great save from Mishurov at full stretch. The home team looked to finish the game off, but had to wait until the closing stages before Yaroslav Busygin’s empty-netter made it safe.

Three goals in three minutes puts Ak Bars in control

Ak Bars Kazan 4 Barys Astana 1 (0-1, 3-0, 1-0)

There are signs that Barys’s blistering start to the season may be slowing. Today saw a third successive loss for Mikhail Kravets’ team. Despite taking a first-period lead, the visitor was pegged back by three goals in as many minutes in the middle frame. Raul Yakupov had two assists for Ak Bars, getting his first points of the season to trigger the fightback.

Anvar Gatiyatulin was forced into changes after the loss at Metallurg. Artyom Galimov was injured in that game and his absence saw Semyon Terekhov elevated to the top line with Alexander Chmelevski moving to second. Maxim Bykov played on the third and the fourth comprised Nikita Dynyak, Dmitry Katelevsky and Alexei Pustozyorov.

Despite back-to-back home losses, Barys made few changes. Andrei Shutov returned in goal, and Kirill Lyanpunov was switched to the third defensive pair.

The visitor posed an early threat, twice testing Timur Bilyalov in the opening exchanges. At the other end, Ak Bars looked toothless on occasion, and it was little surprise that the first goal went to Barys. Logan Day launched a parachute pass, Vsevolod Logvin picked it up then used Mitch Miller to screen his shot past Bilyalov. Ak Bars picked up the pace and only a huge save from Shutov denied Terekhov a breakaway goal before the intermission.

Gatiyatulin found a way to revive his team during the intermission. Ak Bars returned for the middle frame and scored three times in two-and-a-half minutes to turn the game around completely. Katelevsky tied it up on a breakaway, Grigory Denisenko made it 2-1 on the wraparound, then Miller wired a wrister from the blue line to give some breathing space. Shell-shocked, Shutov went to the bench to be replaced by Hunter Shepard.

He also faced a tough time as the scoring chances kept coming. Terekhov twice went close from the slot, the top line send the puck spinning around the Barys zone and the visitor dug deep to keep the scoreline down. Gradually, the Kazakhs moved play away from their net and posed some questions on the counter, but it was 3-1 going into the third period.

Once again, the intermission changed the pattern of play. Barys emerged with extra zest, seeking a way back into the game. Ak Bars anticipated that and defended sensibly before a too many men penalty helped the home team wipe a couple of minutes from the clock.

Later, Barys had a couple of power play chances of its own but could not take advantage. Instead, Kirill Semyonov’s empty-netter 46 seconds from time secured a 4-1 verdict.

Loko sinks Sibir again

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 3 Sibir Novosibirsk 1 (0-0, 0-1, 3-0)

For the second time in four days, Lokomotiv got the better of Sibir. Once again, though, the defending champion had a battle to defeat Yaroslav Lyuzenkov’s team.

In Siberia, it took a third-period goal from Nikita Kiryanov to secure a 2-1 verdict. Today, the Railwaymen came from behind to win it on three unanswered goals in the final frame.

Lokomotiv was boosted by the return of Artur Kayumov for his first game of the season. But in the early exchanges, it was the Sibir offense that saw more of the puck, even if it struggled to parley possession into chances. Indeed, the visitor managed just two shots at Daniil Isayev in the opening frame, while Loko’s best chance came when Yegor Surin sprang Giovanni Fiore into a scoring position, only for Anton Krasotkin to close the door.

Early in the second, Sibir found the breakthrough. A power play for the visitor saw Alexander Yaremchuk score on Lokomotiv for the second game in a row. The home team, back from its Far East voyage, looked leggy and struggled to test Krasotkin, even when it got a power play.

The home special teams finally got it right early in the third when Rushan Rafikov blasted a long-range effort past Krasotkin on the power play. That provided a jolt of adrenaline for the home team, which shook off its earlier lethargy and took control of the play. More pressure brought another power play, and a go-ahead goal when Alexander Radulov redirected Rafikov’s shot into the net. Artyom Kuzin’s empty-netter finished the job

Revenge win for Traktor

Spartak Moscow 2 Traktor Chelyabinsk 4

Traktor enjoyed a revenge win over Spartak, having suffered a 1-3 loss on home ice on Sep. 18.

Today’s 4-2 verdict in Moscow makes it three from four for Scott Gordon’s team, while the Red-and-Whites fell to a fourth straight loss.

The early exchanges were indicative of how the game would play out. Spartak roared forward, lost possession and gave up a counter attack that saw Vladislav Valentsov skate away to give Traktor a second-minute lead. The home team responded with a power play goal, Mikhail Maltsev grabbing a rebound on the slot in the sixth minute.

Another power play goal midway through the second period put Spartak up 2-1 through Danil Pivchulin. But Traktor’s counterattacking play was strong, and Alexei Rykhmanov skated onto Nikita Soshnikov’s feed to tie the game three minutes later. Within a minute, Alexander Rykov made it 3-2 to the visitor, and before the intermission, Mikhail Grigorenko converted a power play to build a 4-2 lead.

Spartak responded by sending Ivan Fedotov to the bench. Artyom Zagidulin replaced him, and denied Traktor any further goals. The visitor also lost Soshnikov, stretchered off after a hit.

The final frame saw Henrik Haukeland hard at work in the Traktor net. The Norwegian goalie made 12 saves to preserve his team’s lead, and his team-mates blocked a further seven shots as Spartak battled in vain to find a way back.

Dragons’ PP punishes Metallurg

Shanghai Dragons 4 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 1

Penalties cost Eastern Conference leader Metallurg dear as it fell to defeat at Shanghai Dragons. The home team clinched a fourth straight win after Magnitka filled the box at SKA Arena midway through the game.

Yegor Yakovlev’s trip on 29:41 started the exodus; he was followed by Stepan Starkov, Yegor Zavragin and Artyom Minulin. The latter’s double minor on 32:09 made it 10 penalty minutes handed out in just three minutes of game play.

It took some time for the Dragons’ power play to settle. But David Chen was credited with his first KHL goal on 33:36 when he drilled the puck across the slot and saw it bounce home off Alexander Siryatsky. That came during a five-on-three PP; a minute later, Riley Sutter scored his third in two games on a five-on-four play.

The penalty trouble wasn’t over. Danila Palivko went to the box late in the second period and, once again, a Metallurg indiscretion led to a goal. This time, though, it was a shorthanded effort for Nikita Korotkov 30 seconds before the intermission. The game was back on.

But there would be no fightback. Instead, the Dragons closed out the win. Takhir Mingachyov potted his first for his new club midway through the third, spiking a promising start to the period from Metallurg. A Nick Sucese empty net goal put a definitive end to the Steelmen’s five-game hot streak.

Leopards’ goal blitz shocks Salavat Yulaev

HC Sochi 6 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 (1-0, 2-2, 3-1)

Sochi pulled off the surprise scoreline of the day, smashing six past Salavat Yulaev to claim only a second win of the season. The result halted Ufa’s two-game winning streak.

It all happened either side of the second intermission. Salavat Yulaev recovered from a poor first period, cancelling out Matvei Guskov’s eighth-minute opener. The visitor got ahead in the middle frame on goals from Yegor Suchkov and Dean Stewart, with Danil Alalykin assisting on both.

But Sochi produced a stunning response, starting in the 38th minute. Yegor Petukhov converted a power play to tie the game. Then, on 39:16, with the teams playing four-on-three, Gage Quinney got his first of the season to put the Leopards back in front.

Then came a third-period blitz as the home team padded its lead to 6-2 by 45:58. Yegor Petukhov got his second of the game on 42:40, and Ufa’s discipline deserted it. Vadim Shipachyov took an interference minor, and Artur Gizdatullin converted the power play. Two minutes later, tempers flared: Devin Brosseau and Denis Vengryzhanovsky tangled, picking up minors for roughing. But the same play also brought interference calls on Brosseau and Sheldon Rempal, giving Sochi a five-on-three power play and a goal for Timur Khafizov. Timur Akhiyarov collected his fourth assist of the game – an unusual achievement in the big leagues.

Amid all the carnage, Viktor Kozlov somewhat surprisingly kept faith with starting goalie Nikita Bogdanov. The 31-year-old, called up from the VHL following Ilya Konovalov’s departure, was playing his first KHL game since November 2023 when he came off the bench in a 2-6 loss for Sochi at Dinamo Minsk. Today’s result was slightly better: Artyom Nabiyev made the final score 3-6, but Salavat Yulaev could do nothing to save the game.