This KHL.ru report covers the key events from Thursday`s KHL 3×3 Championship matches, which determined the final participants for the Superfinal.
Metallurg (Magnitogorsk) – Salavat Yulaev (Ufa) — 5:4
Pavel Varfolomeev was unexpectedly held out of the game. He was ready and prepared, but… His emotional reaction to a heavy loss in a previous game, specifically towards the referees, resulted in a two-match suspension. Unfortunately, the club wasn`t informed in time, so the tournament`s leading scorer and points leader was preparing as usual. However, just before stepping onto the ice, officials stopped him, citing the directive. As a result, Metallurg played the first game day with only seven skaters.
Shocked by the news, the player transformed into a makeshift equipment manager. Standing near the bench (as he couldn`t sit there without a coaching role), he helped teammates with skates and gear, watching his team`s dramatic game unfold from the sidelines.
Metallurg led 3:1 after the first period, but by the start of the final frame, the score was tied 4:4.
The hero of the Ural derby was Metallurg`s Denis Polukarov. He scored a brace in the first period, giving Magnitogorsk their initial lead. Salavat twice closed the gap and eventually tied the score but couldn`t quite finish the job.
Polukarov intervened again, scoring the winning goal just a minute and a half later to make it 5:4. This was his third hat-trick of the season – a hat-trick of hat-tricks.
Meanwhile, Sergey Shmelev, who had the same number of points as Varfolomeev, only managed one assist, modestly capitalizing on the absence of his teammate and main competitor for the scoring title.
Metallurg (Magnitogorsk) – Sibir (Novosibirsk) — 7:2
This round was a moment of truth for Sibir, essentially a do-or-die situation. They were eight points behind Dynamo Minsk before the day started. To overtake Minsk for the third, Superfinal-qualifying spot in the division, Novosibirsk needed to win all their games and hope for their competitor`s failures. However, Sibir`s crucial chase began with a setback.
Frankly, Sibir`s chances against the “Steelworkers” were slim from the start. Not only are Magnitogorsk the division leaders, but they also rarely give Sibir a chance in head-to-head meetings, winning six of the previous eight matchups, including dominant scores of 10:4 and 9:1.
Sibir offered a comparable level of resistance only in the first period. This was reflected not just in the score – Magnitogorsk led modestly 2:1 after the period – but also in other metrics. However, in the second period, either Metallurg stepped up or Sibir faltered: the Urals team won the period 4:0, deciding the outcome.
Sergey Shmelev, it seems, decided not to fully exploit the advantage from Pavel Varfolomeev`s absence. Despite seven goals scored by his team, the Metallurg captain again limited himself to just one assist. A gentleman indeed…
But even with this modest output, he is now the sole leading scorer of the tournament with 115 points.
Dynamo (Minsk) – Salavat Yulaev (Ufa) — 3:7
Ildus Suleymanov completed his hat-trick with just a second left in the third period. Pavel Kutyakov sent him on a breakaway against the Dynamo goalie with a pass from behind his own net, and Salavat Yulaev`s top sniper didn`t disappoint.
Goalies generally have little chance against Suleymanov in a one-on-one situation. His shot between the pads has become a real puzzle for goaltenders during the regular season: knowing where Ildus will shoot, they still concede…
Sirotkin was a debutant in the 3×3 tournament, playing his first game in the new format against Metallurg. Against Dynamo, Salavat coach Ruslan Suleymanov entrusted the goal to 3×3 veteran Georgy Dubrovsky, and it paid off.
By losing this game, Minsk kept the intrigue alive regarding the last Superfinal participant from the Winline division, although they could have secured the spot here.
Dynamo led 2:1 after the first period, but by the end of the second, Salavat had taken the lead 4:2. At the start of the final period, Vyacheslav Andryushchenko again reduced Minsk`s deficit to a minimum, 3:4, but then his team started conceding goals one after another.
Dynamo (Minsk) – Sibir (Novosibirsk) — 5:4
The KHL 3×3 Championship schedule must have been put together by astrologers. To align the question of the last Superfinal participant with a head-to-head clash between the contenders is remarkable!
Despite the nerves and high stakes, Pavel Perepekhin, the head coach of Minsk, was not afraid to trust the goal in this crucial match to tournament debutant Nikita Mytnik.
The Belarusian champion with Minsk`s Yunost team wasn`t just playing his first round in the 3×3 format, but his very first game! And it didn`t start well for him.
By the fifth minute, Sibir led 2:0. This was a great start for keeping the Superfinal spot intrigue going. But then, the player from whom the Minsk team expects the most took over – Vitali Pinchuk. Just 18 seconds later, he successfully executed a penalty shot, and then scored twice more within 71 seconds of the second period.
Pinchuk finished the match with a poker (four goals). Notably, three of his goals came from penalty shots. Vitali had never scored this many goals in the 3×3 format before. He broke through – significantly – at the most critical moment.
Sibir fought until the very end. Throughout the third period, they created arguably more chances than in the previous two combined, especially in the final minutes when they had to put everything on the line. However, unlike the earlier periods, Sibir failed to convert any of these crucial chances.
Thus, the lineup for the Superfinal was finalized today, after the first game day of the 24th round. From the Fonbet division, Metallurg, Avangard, and Salavat Yulaev will participate. From the Winline division, Ak Bars, Traktor, and Dynamo Minsk have qualified.
Statistics
Metallurg (Magnitogorsk) – Salavat Yulaev (Ufa) — 5:4
Goals: Polukarov (3), Marchenkov, Kharkin – Ivanov (2), Khammatov, Kutyakov.
Goalies: Kuzmenko (13/17) – Sirotkin (17/22).
Metallurg (Magnitogorsk) – Sibir (Novosibirsk) — 7:2
Goals: Marchenkov (3), Shenfeld, Polukarov (2), Oleynikov – Zyryanov, Sannikov.
Goalies: Shashkov (22/24) – Podlipaev (7/13), Leonov (4/5).
Dynamo (Minsk) – Salavat Yulaev (Ufa) — 3:7
Goals: Andryushchenko, Slysh, Kuznetsov – Suleymanov (3), Gareev, Shchitov, Krikunov, Ivanov.
Goalies: Osipkov (12/19) – Dubrovsky (20/23).
Dynamo (Minsk) – Sibir (Novosibirsk) — 5:4
Goals: Pinchuk (4), Lipsky – Gritsenko (2), Elizarov, Krivchenkov.
Goalies: Mytnik (14/18) – Podlipaev (18/23).
Gareth Tenby 
Neville Woodall