Spartak secured a decisive 3-0 victory against the Shanghai Dragons, fueled by Nathan Todd`s two points (1 goal, 1 assist) and Dmitry Nikolaev`s impressive tenth KHL shutout. In another thrilling KHL encounter, Ak Bars held on for a hard-fought 4-3 win against Barys, demonstrating resilience despite conceding three goals in the final period.
Ak Bars vs. Barys: Artem Galimov`s Double Secures Third Straight Win (4-3)
Ak Bars solidified their position in the Eastern Conference playoff zone after recently improving their standing with two home victories against Amur (5:1, 3:1). These matches showcased a much-improved quality of hockey compared to their season start. Likely influenced by these performances, head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin made only two lineup adjustments for the Barys game: Timur Bilyalov returned to goaltending duties, and Artemy Knyazev stepped into the third defensive pairing, replacing Stepan Terekhov.
Barys arrived in Kazan following two consecutive losses: a 1-5 defeat to Lokomotiv at home and a 0-1 shootout loss to Sibir on the road. Despite these results, head coach Mikhail Kravets opted against significant roster changes, maintaining the same skater combinations used in Novosibirsk. The sole modification was in net, with Adam Shiel starting the game.
The hosts wasted no time in scoring, capitalizing on their very first positional attack. Vladimir Alistrov skillfully redirected Alexei Marchenko`s pass across the net off his skate, sending the puck into the mesh. Barys had an opportunity to respond on the power play, exhibiting good puck movement in the offensive zone. However, they narrowly avoided conceding a swift counter-attack when Ak Bars returned to full strength. At even strength, the visitors maintained slightly better puck control, yet failed to generate truly dangerous scoring chances. The most promising opportunity for Astana came from Emil Galimov, who drove to the crease and nearly beat Bilyalov. Ak Bars` power play proved ineffective, and during five-on-five play, Grigory Denisenov found himself all alone in front of Shiel but shot directly at the netminder.
The second period was characterized by frequent penalties, breaking the game into short segments. However, both teams` penalty-kill units performed flawlessly, preventing any power play goals. At even strength, both sides attempted to exploit positional overlaps, achieving some success. Ak Bars consistently involved their defensemen in attacks, a strategy that almost backfired when Nikita Lyamkin lingered in the offensive zone. This allowed Barys to launch a rapid three-on-one rush, which they ultimately failed to convert. Kazan eventually found their breakthrough when Stepan Falkovsky cleared the puck from his zone. Artyom Galimov collected it in the neutral zone, advanced towards the goaltender, and precisely fired into the near corner. Later in the period, Galimov completed his double, as Barys, surprisingly, allowed a two-on-one breakaway while on the power play, which the hosts executed with textbook precision.
Barys started the third period with aggressive attacks but quickly conceded a goal when Nikita Lyamkin`s powerful shot from the blue line found its way into the net. Kazan then played with increased confidence and nearly scored a fifth goal: in one attack, Kirill Semyonov almost scored himself before setting up a wide-open Dmitry Yaskin, who unfortunately hit the post. Barys immediately capitalized on this missed opportunity; Dinmukhamed Kaiyrzhan skated past Falkovsky and unleashed a sharp shot that Bilyalov frankly failed to stop. This was just the beginning of a dramatic comeback; Michael Vecchione scored on a rebound, and Vsevolod Logvin netted a perfectly placed wrist shot, narrowing Ak Bars` lead to just one goal. Astana scored three times in little over two minutes. Reacting to the sudden shift in momentum, Gatiyatulin called a timeout to calm his team. The visitors relentlessly pressed Bilyalov`s net; Vecchione had another chance to tie the game but couldn`t get a clean shot. Barys then earned a power play, and Kravets called another timeout, pulling his goalie with two and a half minutes left, going all-out for the equalizer. It wasn`t enough; Ak Bars heroically held on, with the puck hitting the post in one tense moment, but Barys ultimately failed to level the score. Ak Bars secured a thrilling 4-3 victory, marking their third consecutive win.
Three Stars of the Ak Bars vs. Barys Match:
- Artyom Galimov: Scored two goals (a double), registered three shots on goal.
- Michael Vecchione: Scored a goal, had four shots on goal, and was very active offensively.
- Kirill Semyonov: Provided an assist, won 71% of face-offs (10 out of 14), and delivered three hits.
Spartak vs. Shanghai Dragons: Three Unanswered Goals for Spartak (3-0)
These two teams had a recent history, having last met on September 28th, when the Shanghai Dragons defeated Spartak 3-1 in Moscow. Since that encounter, Gerard Gallant`s Dragons had played only one game, a 5-4 overtime victory against Traktor. Spartak, meanwhile, had also faced Traktor (winning 6-3), beaten SKA (3-1), but suffered a significant 2-6 loss to Metallurg.
For the Dragons, Pavel Akolzin and Alexander Burmistrov returned to the lineup, forming the fourth line alongside Max Ellis. Following their disappointing performance against Metallurg, Spartak`s coach Alexei Zhamnov made changes, replacing his starting goaltender with Dmitry Nikolaev. Lukas Lockhart centered the second line, while Sergey Lukyantsev, Mikhail Maltsev, and Alexander Pashin formed the third. Defenseman Yegor Zaitsev also rejoined the squad.
Dragons` goaltender Patrik Rybár was the standout player in the opening minutes of the match. Spartak dominated the play, exerting significant pressure on the visitors` net, but Rybár remained steadfast, making five impressive saves. After weathering the initial Red-Whites` onslaught, the Shanghai Dragons began to mount their own attacks, only to immediately concede a breakaway opportunity, which Rybár expertly thwarted once again! In the eighth minute, the visitors found themselves shorthanded after Austin Wagner`s penalty, and Spartak capitalized to open the scoring. Nikita Korostelyov, Spartak`s leading scorer, netted his ninth goal of the season with a characteristic one-timer from the left face-off circle. The brief break before the game seemed to have adversely affected the Dragons, as the Chinese team appeared to have completely lost their competitive rhythm.
After the first period, Rybár, who had made 19 saves, was replaced by Andrei Kareev in goal due to illness. Kareev held his ground for five and a half minutes before Nathan Todd found the back of the net. The forward skillfully evaded his checker, closed in on the goaltender, and fired an accurate shot. Shortly before Todd`s goal, Wagner had a breakaway chance, but Nikolaev decisively kept Spartak`s net secure. Spartak maintained a clear speed advantage throughout the match. Unable to match their opponents` pace, the Dragons frequently committed penalties. In the 37th minute, Jake Bischoff was penalized for tripping, and Spartak once again capitalized on the power play. Todd and Adam Ružička, who had combined for the Red-Whites` second goal, this time provided assists for Maltsev.
In the third period, the Dragons nearly scored a shorthanded goal when Bischoff and Gage Quinney broke away on a counter-attack. Bischoff fired a one-timer after a pass from his teammate, but Nikolaev made a brilliant save, moving quickly across the crease. Ultimately, Spartak`s goaltender accumulated an impressive 20 saves, securing his 10th KHL shutout and leading his team to a dominant 3-0 victory.
Three Stars of the Spartak vs. Shanghai Dragons Match:
- Nathan Todd: Scored against the Dragons again, recorded 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist).
- Nikita Korostelyov: Once again showcased his brilliant shot, scoring the winning goal.
- Dmitry Nikolaev: Made 20 saves, earning his 10th KHL shutout.
Neville Woodall