KHL Game Day: Lokomotiv Crushes Barys, Avtomobilist Mounts Comeback Against Amur

In recent Continental Hockey League (KHL) matches, Lokomotiv confidently defeated Barys on the road, while Avtomobilist staged a comeback victory over Amur in a home game. Barys failed to offer any significant resistance to Yaroslavl on home ice, while Amur squandered its minimal lead in Yekaterinburg.

Match Results:

• Barys 1 – 5 Lokomotiv
• Avtomobilist 3 – 1 Amur

Lokomotiv Dominates Barys

The reigning champions, Lokomotiv, arrived in Astana after a shootout loss in Minsk. Barys, on the other hand, had won their two previous games, setting the stage for an intriguing matchup.

The visitors dominated the first period, consistently pressuring Barys` net. Following a positional attack, Alexei Bereglazov passed the puck to Andrei Sergeev, who scored with an accurate long-range shot. The goal didn`t change the game`s flow – the hosts barely attacked, often just clearing the puck and failing to execute effective counter-attacks.

The second period also began with Lokomotiv`s offensive pressure. Despite the first line`s efforts, it was the third line that scored: Richard Panik, making his return and playing his first game back for Lokomotiv, assisted Byron Froese. As Yaroslavl began to take penalties, Astana couldn`t convert on the power play but managed to seize the initiative. Several dangerous chances were created, but Alexei Melnichuk played exceptionally well in goal.

At the start of the third period, Georgy Ivanov and Egor Surin each scored – Ivanov from long range, and Surin from the crease. Subsequently, Barys` goalie Adam Shyla was replaced by Andrei Shutov. Riley Walsh managed to get one goal back for Barys. Nikita Kiryanov sealed Lokomotiv`s victory, capitalizing on a superb pass from Sergeev, marking Sergeev`s 300th point in the KHL.

Avtomobilist Secures Comeback Win Against Amur

Avtomobilist`s roster continues to suffer from injuries and illnesses. Nevertheless, coach Nikolai Zavarukhin called up Nikita Miller from the farm club, and young Dmitry Isaev was included in the lineup for the first time. Amur`s head coach, Alexander Galchenyuk Sr., maintained the winning lineup that previously shut out CSKA.

Before the match, a special ceremony took place to raise Pavel Datsyuk`s banner to the arena rafters. He became the fifth player to receive this honor at UGMK Arena, joining Viktor Puchkov, Mikhail Malko, Viktor Kutergin, and Alexander Kartsev.

The solemn ceremony seemed to energize Amur. They started the game aggressively from the first shifts and quickly opened the scoring: Matvei Zaseda, after failing to convert a chance from the crease, outsmarted the disoriented defenders, took the puck behind the net, and passed it to Ignat Korotkikh, who scored into an empty net. After the goal, the visitors appeared faster and more energetic. The hosts only managed to shift play into the offensive zone through dump-ins.

By mid-period, the game opened up. Danil Romantsev missed a prime opportunity, shooting over the net from the crease. Kirill Petkov could have scored, slipping past Avtomobilist`s defenders, while Vladimir Galkin denied Alexander Galchenyuk on a counter-attack. Towards the end of the period, Romantsev eventually tied the score, deflecting a shot from Dmitry Yudin.

In the second period, the Urals team couldn`t capitalize on their home-ice advantage with the longer bench. During their only power play, Amur controlled the puck more and nearly scored, exploiting an error by Reid Boucher. Overall, neither team lingered in the neutral zone, but the game proceeded without significant scoring chances at either net.

The third period started with intensity: the hosts executed a good positional attack, but Boucher`s close-range shot missed its mark. Soon after, Korotkikh could have scored his second goal, but Galkin made the save. Amur also failed to create dangerous chances on their power play. This inefficiency proved costly: a lack of coordination led to a three-on-two counter-attack, initiated by Daniil Malorosiyanov and finished by Egor Chernikov, who broke through on the wing.

The visitors pressed to equalize but conceded another counter-attack: Ivan Mishchenko failed to handle the puck, and the speedy Stepan Khripunov scored on a solo rush. Coach Galchenyuk Sr. replaced the goalie with an extra attacker just 55 seconds before the buzzer, but there was too little time to beat the inspired Galkin.