No dream start for Razin, another nightmare for Dynamo. October 20 round-up

Andrei Razin’s first game as head coach of SKA ended in a 1-3 loss at home to Avtomobilist. Razin might have dropped out of the playoff spots on his first day, but Dynamo blew a 2-0 lead to lose in a shoot-out at home to Sibir, and remains in ninth. Neftekhimik’s Andrei Belozyorov scored a club record 92nd goal to defeat Lokomotiv.

Belozyorov’s record-breaking goal downs Lokomotiv

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 0 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 (0-0, 0-0, 0-1)

A solitary goal from Andrei Belozyorov lifted Neftekhimik to second in the Eastern Conference after a hard-fought win at defending champion Lokomotiv. The Railwaymen missed the chance to draw level with CSKA at the top of the West after failing to solve Filipp Dolganov in the visitor’s net.

The teams’ recent form was a direct opposite: Lokomotiv had won three of its last four, with only a 2-5 loss to in-form Severstal spoiling the record. By contrast, Neftekhimik had just an OT win over Traktor to celebrate from its last four games.

Despite those contrasting results, the teams were evenly matched in the first period. Both sides had chances, but the visitor was let down by its finishing. Of 16 attempts at goal, just five reached Daniil Isayev in the home net. Lokomotiv gave Dolganov more work to do, but the home team gave up the puck too cheaply, undermining its efforts to take control of the game.

In the second period, the home team picked up the pace. Lokomotiv had several chances, and Rushan Rufikov alone spurned two fine opportunities to break the deadlock. The stats show that Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team has yet to win a second period this season and that unhappy record continued.

The game was settled on the power play after 48 minutes. Belozyorov, Neftekhimik’s top scorer this season, got the vital goal. He also set a club record 92 goals in the KHL. That effort proved to be enough to win it, but Dolganov’s 34 saves played a big role in securing the points.

Late goals wreck Razin’s debut

SKA St. Petersburg 1 Avtomobilist 3 (0-0, 1-1, 0-2)

New head coach Andrei Razin suffered a tough start to life with SKA, falling to a 1-3 loss against one of his former clubs.

Razin was appointed to replace Igor Larionov on Sunday, and the first line-up he picked for SKA brought some changes. These included debuts for 19-year-old forward German Suzdorf and 20-year-old defenseman Artyom Vilchinsky. Nikolai Goldobin, out for up to two weeks with an injury he suffered yesterday, was the most notable absentee.

In the first period, SKA had more of the puck and created more work for the visiting defense. However, there was no way past Evgeny Alikin. He made 10 saves and his colleagues blocked a further 12 efforts.

That hard work got a reward at the start of the second when Alexander Kadeikin put the Motormen ahead. The visitor had played on the counter for much of the game, and after winning possession in center ice another two-on-one rush saw Danil Gushchin advance down the right to set up Kadeikin for the opener.

In response, SKA built up the pressure. Eventually, that brought a breakthrough when Vladislav Syomin tied the game midway through the session. After the equalizer, Avtomobilist had the better chances to get in front before the intermission. Alexander Barabanov was a constant threat, creating a big opportunity for defenseman Kale Clague, then later almost capitalizing on a defensive error. On both occasions, Sergei Ivanov came up with the answers.

At the start of the third, the home team killed the first and only penalty of the night. After that, SKA looked the more likely to score, and Vasily Glotov dinged one of the piping with five to play. But there was a late twist in the tale as Avtomobilist grabbed a sensational result in the closing minutes.

First, Maxim Tarasov conjured something out of nothing. The 20-year-old forward got past Sergei Sapego, but lost his footing and, seemingly, his chance. However, despite being on his knees he managed to get off a shot from a tight angle and beat Ivanov with 73 seconds left. Razin replaced the goalie with a sixth skater, but his team could not save the game. Roman Gorbunov’s empty netter ensured that the new era ended in defeat.

Muscovites blow 2-0 lead, miss chance to return to top eight

Dynamo Moscow 2 Sibir Novosibirsk 3 SO (0-0, 1-0, 1-2, 0-0, 0-1)

SKA isn’t the only big hitter struggling in the West. Dynamo began the day a point outside the playoff places. The visit of Sibir yielded one point, but it should have been two: the Blue-and-Whites blew a 2-0 lead in the third period and missed the chance to move into the top eight at SKA’s expense.

The home team paid the price for failing to make the most of a dominant first period. Dynamo outshot Sibir 18-5, but the teams were goalless at the first intermission. It was starting to look like the second frame would also be without a goal until Daniil Pylenkov broke the deadlock in the 39th minute. The defenseman beat Anton Krasotkin after hunting down a rebound from the end boards.

The lead was well-merited: Dynamo had steadily pressed through two periods and was up 31-8 on shots. Dominance to that degree demands more goals, and early in the second Maxim Letunov obliged with a power play effort to make it 2-0.

Sibir was struggling to generate offense until Igor Martynov’s trip gave the visitor a power play midway through the third. And that was the trigger needed. Alexander Yaremchuk managed to control a bouncing puck and score after Anton Kosolapov had forced a good save from Maxim Motorygin.

That goal energized Sibir, and the visitor snatched an equalizer on 58:12. Once again, Kosolapov got the assist as Yaremchuk scored and the game went to overtime.

The extras saw Dynamo fail on the power play, and that proved costly in the shoot-out. Krasotkin was at his best, defying all home attempts, before Stepan Nikulin found the target to win it for Sibir.