HC Sochi Celebrates 700th KHL Game with Dominant Victory and a New Club Record

HC Sochi marked a significant milestone, their 700th game in the Kontinental Hockey League, with a resounding 4-0 victory over Lada Togliatti. The match saw Pavel Khomchenko achieve a shutout with 26 saves, while Artur Tyanulin made club history by delivering two assists, surpassing Ilya Krikunov to become the all-time leading scorer for the Black Sea club.

Match Overview

Approaching this landmark game, HC Sochi`s recent form hadn`t been stellar, with only one win in their last five outings – ironically, a 5-4 shootout victory against Lada on the road, the very team they hosted today. Lada Togliatti, however, faced even greater struggles leading up to this rematch. Pavel Desyatkov`s team was in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Furthermore, their head-to-head record offered little solace, with Lada having lost their last seven encounters against the “Leopards.”

HC Sochi`s lineup saw numerous changes under Vladimir Krikunov`s coaching staff, with all offensive lines reshuffled, leaving only the first defensive pairing and Pavel Khomchenko as the starting goaltender unchanged. Lada also made significant adjustments, including the return of Kirill Zhukov, Joshua Lawrence, and Alexey Ozhgikhin to their roster.

Game Progression

This season, Lada has consistently struggled with early game performance, and today was no exception. The visitors were immediately pinned in their own zone, with shots on goal standing at 8-0 in favor of the “Leopards” after just three minutes. In the fourth minute, the spectators witnessed the opening goal as Mark Verba deftly capitalized in front of the visitors` net. Notably, this was Verba`s second goal of the current regular season, with his first also coming against Lada. Conceding seemed to awaken Lada`s players; they began playing with much more energy, balancing the statistical indicators, but Desyatkov`s team couldn`t find an equalizer before the intermission.

Lada started the second period with aggressive play, but Sochi was equally determined not to sit back. Neither team managed to score at even strength, but a double minor penalty benefited HC Sochi: Amir Garaev scored during 4-on-4 play in the 27th minute, with Artur Tyanulin providing one of the assists. This assist marked Tyanulin`s 123rd point as a “Leopard,” surpassing Ilya Krikunov (122) and making him the Black Sea club`s all-time leading scorer. Following this goal, Lada`s play completely unraveled, and in the 35th minute, they surprisingly conceded a shorthanded goal when Pavel Dedunov, scoring his first goal for Sochi, slipped past them during their power play. Subsequently, Togliatti replaced their goaltender, with Ivan Bocharov making his official debut for Lada in place of Alexander Trushkov.

At the start of the third period, the home team continued to create more scoring chances. Soon after, the visitors had their opportunity, but a 2-on-1 rush was denied by the goalpost, saving the “Leopards`” net. Shortly before the end of the game, Ozhgikhin received a major penalty, effectively extinguishing Lada`s hopes of a comeback. Noel Hoefenmayer sealed the victory with a powerful power-play shot, directly benefiting from the penalty Ozhgikhin had committed, making the final score 4-0. HC Sochi celebrated their 700th KHL game with a decisive win, while Lada suffered their ninth consecutive defeat.