Goalie goal and clinical finishing. November 4 round-up

Nikita Boyarkin was the key man in Wednesday’s play. The Admiral goalie blanked SKA – and then claimed the final goal in a 4-0 win in Vladivostok. Lokomotiv scored three goals on its first seven shots at Spartak, going on to win 4-1 with Daniil Isayev impressive in the visitor’s net. And Ivan Bocharov had a shut-out in his second game for Salavat Yulaev, backstopping a 5-0 win over Lada. Sibir beat Ak Bars 3-1 and Traktor beat Barys at home for the seventh time in a row.

Goalie goal for Boyarkin

Admiral Vladivostok 4 SKA St. Petersburg 0 (1-0, 2-0, 1-0)

It’s hard for a goalie to have a better day than this. Nikita Boyarkin blanked SKA’s forwards and then was credited with Admiral’s fourth goal in an impressive win for the Sailors.

Boyarkin, 28, became only the sixth netminder to score a goal in the KHL.

Admittedly, his big moment owed to a breakdown on the SKA power play. This wasn’t an intentional shot in the style of Igor Shestyorkin’s memorable effort for the Islanders earlier in the NHL season. Instead, SKA was chasing the game and playing with an empty net on the power play. Boyarkin made a save, the visiting offense regained possession, but Danil Aimurzin failed to control a pass from behind the net and the puck slithered down the ice and into the unguarded net as Yegor Savikov gain chase in vain.

That 54th-minute goal completed the scoring as Admiral added to SKA’s problems. Boyarkin made 39 saves, more conventional goaltending heroics, to backstop the win. The visitor remains outside the playoffs in the Western Conference and has just two wins in six since Andrei Razin took over as head coach.

Today the visitor fell behind to Yegor Chezganov’s power play goal in the ninth minute. The second period began with Ivan Yanchenko doubling the lead, and late in the frame another power play saw Chezganov turn provider for Danial Usmanov to make it 3-0. Boyarkin’s goal completed the job for the Sailors.

Comeback win for Sibir

Sibir Novosibirsk 3 Ak Bars Kazan 1 (2-1, 0-0, 1-0)

Ak Bars suffered its first loss of the season against Sibir, having previously won two shoot-outs against its Siberian rival. Today, though, the game was done in regulation and the home team came from behind to secure the verdict.

Home head coach Yaroslav Lyuzenkov restored two former Kazan players to his line-up: goalie Mikhail Berdin and forward Semyon Koshelev. Anvar Gatiyatulin went with Timur Bilyalov in goal, while Dmitry Katelevsky replaced Alexei Pustozyorov on offense.

In the two previous games, Novosibirsk native Grigory Denisenko scored on his hometown team. Today he continued that record, broke the deadlock early in the game to convert the first power play of the game.

But the lead lasted less than a minute before Alexander Kisakov tie it up with a wrist shot, potting his first goal since joining Sibir. Koshelev then went close to scoring on his former club before Alexander Yaremchuk made it 2-1 midway through the first. He surprised Bilyalov with a shot from a dead angle just as Nikita Dynyak was leaving the penalty box.

In the first half of the game, Sibir enjoyed more control of the puck and made it hard for Ak Bars to get out of its own zone. But as the evening went on, the efforts of Denisenko and Nikita Lyamkin began to test Berdin. Later, Dynyak dinged the post as the visitor gained the initiative.

As in the teams’ previous meeting, Sibir took a one-goal lead into the third period. Last time, Denisenko cancelled that 90 seconds before the hooter and Ak Bars went on to win in the extras. Today, though, there was no late drama. Instead, Stepan Nikulin added a third goal after 52 minutes, putting the game beyond the visitor’s reach.

Barys continues to struggle at Traktor

Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 Barys Astana 1 (0-0, 0-0, 2-1)

A quick-fire double at the start of the third period tipped this game in Traktor’s favor. The home team continued a seven-game winning run over Barys in Chelyabinsk.

Traktor was without the injured Vladimir Zharkov, while defenseman Sergei Telegin was absent after recently becoming a father. Mikhail Rolgizer and Mark Rodionov replaced them. For Barys, Vsevolod Logvin got the nod ahead of Kirill Lyapunov.

The home team dominated the first period, having more than twice as many shots on goal and creating several dangerous chances – notably for Andrei Svetlakov and Nikita Soshnikov. At the other end, the best Barys chance went to Semyon Simonov, who hit the crossbar.

The middle frame was also notable for missed chances. Boris Katchouk was left with his head in his hands after failing to connect at the back door. At the other end, Dmitry Nikolayev had a few key saves and Barys got on the power play late in the frame after Nathan Legare was assessed a simulation minor.

But Legare made the vital breakthrough at the start of the third, putting away a backhand shot. Then Arkady Shestakov was penalized for a foul on Traktor goalie Nikolayev, and Svetlakov converted the power play. Two goals in 52 seconds had the home team in control, but Barys made it interesting when Mason Morelli scored on a five-on-three power play. But that was as close as the visitor got.

Lethal Loko finishing shoots down Spartak

Spartak Moscow 1 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 (0-2, 1-1, 0-1)

Defending champion Lokomotiv bounced back from a surprise loss at home to lowly Lada, easing to a 4-1 win over Spartak. The Red-and-Whites have struggled since the end of a six-game hot streak, and fell to a fourth loss in five.

It was a victory built on clinical finishing. Lokomotiv scored four goals on 19 shots, while Daniil Isayev made 31 saves to frustrate a home team that simply could not take its chances. Spartak had more than 18 minutes of attacking possession, but ran into a wall as the Loko defense blocked 32 shots.

An early lead helped the visitor. Yegor Surin made it 1-0 after five minutes. Lokomotiv got extended time in the Spartak zone, and the forward moved in from the right-hand board to fire a wrist shot through traffic.

After that, Spartak took control of the game. The home team was helped by a couple of power plays, with Daniil Misyul twice visiting the box. But while the Muscovites saw plenty of the puck, the Railwaymen found the net once again. A rare spell of pressure on Artyom Zagidulin’s net saw Danil Romantsev double the lead.

At the start of the second, Denis Alexeyev added a third – off just seven shots – after converting a three-on-one counter. Midway through the session, Spartak finally got past Isayev after catching Lokomotiv on the change. Sergei Lukyantsev’s goal hinted at a way back for the home team, but the visiting defense had other ideas.

The third period rather summed up the game. Spartak had 13 unsuccessful shots at Isayev, and 11 more blocked. Lokomotiv rarely threatened, but in the closing moments Rushan Rafikov put a short-handed goal into an empty net to seal a 4-1 scoreline.

Five-star Ufa halts losing run

Salavat Yulaev Ufa 5 Lada Togliatti 0 (2-0, 1-0, 2-0)

After a three-game skid, Salavat Yulaev bounced back with an emphatic win over Lada. The visitor was hoping to build on a two-game winning streak, but fell well short in Ufa.

The home team got in front early when Jack Rodewald struck in the fourth minute. However, the first period was evenly contested. The difference lay in the teams’ ability to finish their chances. Salavat Yulaev scored two off nine shots, with Alexander Zharovsky doubling the lead. Lada did find the net shortly before that, but a video review ruled that one out for a high stick. Ivan Bocharov made nine saves in the first period to frustrate the visitor.

In the middle frame, the home team took control. Lada ran into penalty trouble early on: Ufa was on the power play for most of the first six minutes, including a spell of five-on-three. That did not bring another goal, but set the tone for a session the Salavat Yulaev dominated. Andrei Mishurov provided stout resistance in the Lada net, making 16 saves in the session, but he was beaten by Maxim Zagrebin midway through.

And Mishurin’s evening came to an early end with 10 minutes to play. Sheldon Rempal added to his assist on the opening goal with a short-handed effort, prompting Lada to give Danila Ovcharik the remaining minutes of the game. He was also beaten by Rempal, who added a power play goal to make the final score 5-0. Bocharov finished with 20 saves for his shut-out.