No Razin, no problem for Metallurg. October 7 round-up

All eyes were on Magnitogorsk this afternoon, where Metallurg played its first game following the temporary suspension of head coach Andrei Razin. In his absence, his team won 3-0 against Admiral, avenging Monday’s 2-5 loss. Nikita Gusev got his first points of the season, but could not save Sochi from defeat against Spartak. The Red-and-Whites snapped a six-game skid. Salavat Yulaev won a nine-goal game in overtime at Sibir, and Shanghai Dragons defeated Dynamo Moscow 3-2 as the Muscovites continue to struggle.

Thriller ends with revenge win for Ufa

Sibir Novosibirsk 4 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 5 OT (1-0, 2-1, 1-3, 0-1)

This was a revenge win for Salavat Yulaev, but Sibir was so close to repeating its victory in Ufa last week.

Sibir’s on-going injury woes brought a call-up for Daniil Lazutin, a 23-year-old forward from Dynamo Altai in the VHL. It was his first taste of KHL action after a career that has taken him from Dynamo Moscow to SKA and then CSKA without getting a taste of the country’s top league.

He wasn’t the only inexperienced forward on display. Youngsters Ilya Lyuzenkov and Alexander Pershakov played a substantial role. The latter was involved in the opening goal, starting a play that ending with Pavel Tyutnev shooting past Semyon Vyazovoi. The visiting goalie had a busy first period, making 18 saves as Sibir dominated the early exchanges.

However, Vyazovoi was beaten at the start of the second period when Darren Dietz’s shot came at him through traffic. Another Canadian defenseman conjured a response just 31 seconds later: Dean Stewart moved into the left-hand circle and beat Anton Krasotkin at the other end.

After pulling a goal back, Salavat Yulaev took the initiative. Maxim Kuznetsov was denied his first goal of the season by the piping, and the visiting power play flexed its muscles without finding the net. However, Ufa’s dominance counted for little, and when Stewart went to the box late in the frame, Arkhip Nekolenko converted the PP for his first goal of the season.

It fell to the visitor’s fourth line to start the fightback. Kuznetsov combined with Vladislav Yefremov to help Denis Orlovich-Grudkov trio pulled one back early in the session. Then came the power play. Sibir’s goalscorers, Tyutnev and Nekelenko, picked up minor penalties in the latter half of the third period, and both were punished. Sheldon Rempal was involved in both, setting up Devin Brosseau’s equalizer before scoring himself to make it 4-3 in the 56th minute.

That might have won it for Salavat Yulaev, but Sibir wasn’t done. A fabulous solo effort from Stepan Nikulin took the game into overtime, but with a shoot-out looming, Danil Alalykin potted a winner for the visitor.

Steelmen succeed without Razin

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 Admiral Vladivostok 0 (0-0, 2-0, 1-0)

After defeat to Admiral on Monday, table-topping Metallurg made the shock decision to suspend head coach Andrei Razin. His assistant, Vladimir Vorobyov, took over in the interim, while the club’s statements insisted that this was a temporary decision, not a permanent dismissal.

Vorobyov’s first game in his new role was against the same Admiral team. He was boosted by the return of forward Sergei Tolchinsky, who went straight back onto the first line. The Sailors recalled Ilya Morozov and Yegor Chezganov, and continued with goalie Jelal-ad-Din Amirbekov, who was the star of Monday’s 5-2 win on his return to his former club.

Today, though, it was Yegor Zavragin who claimed the goaltending honours, stopping all 24 shots to claim a shut-out. In front of him, Metallurg made an aggressive start, with Amirbekov called into action after just seven seconds. Vladimir Tkachyov came closest for the home team, but Admiral might have broken the deadlock towards the end of a goalless opening frame when Ivan Yanchenko was all alone in front of the net but failed to beat Zavragin.

The Sailors ran into penalty trouble in the second period, and that ultimately sank them. Oleg Bratash’s team was strong on the power play, but constant short-handed effort drained the visitor’s strength. And midway through the frame, another power play came to an end moments before Nikita Mikhailis opened the scoring with a goal on the wraparound. That goal put the Kazakh forward out in front in team scoring this season with 9 (5+4) points. Not long before the intermission, Nathan Todd banged in Dmitry Silantyev’s feed to claim his 50th KHL goal.

The tempo dropped a little in the third and the play was less fluent. Amid frequent whistles, Mikhails came close to a second but a fine save from Amirbekov denied him. There wasn’t much sign of an Admiral revival: effort, yes; chances, no. Tkachyov’s empty-netter sealed the win and Magnitka got its revenge, even without Razin.

Jaskin’s goal beats former club

Dynamo Moscow 2 Shanghai Dragons 3 (1-0, 0-1, 1-2)

These two teams face contrasting fortunes this season. Shanghai, traditionally a struggler, has made a fine start and today’s result made it six wins from its last seven games. Dynamo, a historic powerhouse, is heading in the opposite direction: seven losses in eight for Leonids Tambijevs’ men leaves the Blue-and-Whites outside the playoff places.

The home team made a good start to this one, but lost its way amid some wayward finishing – and clinical visiting offense. Dynamo dictated the first period, outshooting the Dragons 10-4 and opening the scoring midway through the session on Pavel Shen’s second goal of the season.

But the Muscovites could not build on that advantage. The second period brought more dominance from the host, but no more goals. And worse was to follow: a fourth power play of the night led to a short-handed tying effort from Nate Sucese, leaving the teams level at the second intermission.

A pattern seemed to be established: Dynamo had the territorial advantage and got shots on goal, but the Dragons had the more potent offense. That was underlined in the third, when the visitor scored twice of six shots to build a 3-1 lead. Givani Smith got the go-ahead marker, claiming his first goal in the KHL. Defenseman Colby Williams, recently arrived from Sochi, had an assist for his first point of the season.

Then Dmitrij Jaskin, a familiar figure for Dynamo fans, popped up on 55:48 to make it 3-1. This was a solo effort that owed much to the Czech’s skills, but also plenty to some slack defense. Dynamo got into trouble behind its own net, then allowed Jaskin to skate out in front and find the space to ping a wrister beyond Vladislav Podyaposy.

That was not quite the end: Nick Merkley grabbed a late goal playing six-on-five to set up an interesting finale. But Shanghai held on to claim the win and climb into the top four in the West.

Gusev’s first points can’t save Sochi

HC Sochi 2 Spartak Moscow 5 (0-2, 0-1, 2-2)

Nikita Gusev got his first points for Sochi, spearheading a third-period fightback against Spartak.

But his team could not claw back a 0-3 deficit as Spartak survived a wobble to snap its six-game skid.

Gusev’s first big contribution came 28 seconds into the third period with his team down by three. The Leopards looked to turn defense into offense, and Gusev found a pass to release Matvei Guskov. He skated to Ivan Fedotov’s net and beat the Spartak goalie from close range.

Five minutes later, it was 2-3 and Gusev was involved again. This one came on the power play, Gusev whipped in a one-timer from the left-hand circle and Alexander Khokhlachyov was in position in front of Fedotov to get the finishing touch. Khokhlacyhov is Spartak’s scoring leader in the KHL era with 92 goals and 226 points for the Red-and-Whites. Today, though, he put his former club in danger of blowing a commanding lead.

However, Sochi was unable to build on its momentum. The home team was chasing the game from the 14th minute when Daniil Gutik’s power play goal opened the scoring. Further tallies from Mikhail Maltsev and Sergei Lukyantsev made it 3-0 by the second intermission.

And as the home fightback picked up pace, untimely penalties undermined home hopes. Joey Keane converted a five-on-three power play to made it 4-2 in the 50th minute. And a late power play goal for Yegor Filin wrapped up the verdict: Spartak’s first victory since Sep. 18.