This past week in the Kontinental Hockey League was brimming with dramatic moments and significant events that warrant a closer look.
Three for Three
Ekaterinburg`s Avtomobilist delivered a flawless performance, securing three wins out of three games. This impressive run included two convincing victories against the formidable Avangard, triumphing 4-1 in Omsk and then 3-0 in Ekaterinburg. While the final goals in both matches were into an empty net, it doesn`t diminish the Ural team`s commanding play. In contrast, Barys and Neftekhimik both suffered three losses in as many games but managed to salvage one point each – Barys in an overtime defeat in Chelyabinsk and Neftekhimik from a shootout loss against Sibir.
Power Play Success
Lada, recently languishing at the bottom of the standings, made an impressive surge, winning two consecutive matches against Sochi (3-1) and Sibir (4-2). A particularly significant event for the Togliatti team was finally converting on a numerical advantage. This breakthrough occurred in their thirteenth game of the season, after a staggering 67 minutes and 37 seconds played on the power play without a single goal. Nikita Mikhailov put an end to this drought, and in the following game, he assisted Andrei Altybarmakyan on another power play goal. After losing nine out of ten games in September, Lada has turned their fortunes around in October, winning three of four and collecting points in all four matches, with their only loss coming in overtime.
Power Play Woes
In stark contrast to Lada`s success, Yaroslavl`s Lokomotiv faced struggles with their power play efficiency. This is surprising given their roster of skilled players and coach Bob Hartley, renowned for building highly effective special teams during his time with Avangard. Since Yegor Surin`s goal against Severstal on September 24th, Lokomotiv has failed to capitalize on any opponent penalties for six consecutive games. Last week, they squandered four power play opportunities against both SKA and Traktor, extending their goalless power play streak to 36 and a half minutes. In their encounter with Traktor, Lokomotiv not only failed to score on the power play but also conceded a shorthanded goal to Andrei Svetlakov, which ultimately proved to be the game-winner for Chelyabinsk.
KHL Milestones
The past week was marked by significant anniversaries for league veterans. The match against Traktor was the 900th regular season game for Vadim Shipachyov. His teammate, Andrei Stas, could be the next player to reach this milestone, though not until next season as he still needs 62 more games. Another celebrant in the same game was head coach Dmitry Kvartalnov, who secured his 600th career victory. This achievement is unlikely to be matched by his closest pursuer, Igor Nikitin, who still needs 134 wins, not earlier than next season.
Dynamo`s Comeback
Currently, victories aren`t coming easily for Igor Nikitin`s team. In the derby against Dynamo, CSKA seemed to effortlessly win the first period with a 3-0 lead, but then appeared to be a completely different team. Dynamo, however, did not give up, gradually improved their play, and managed to equalize by the end of regulation time. They then clinched the victory in a shootout. It`s noteworthy that this is CSKA`s second loss in a game where they held a three-goal lead; the first also occurred in a derby match against Spartak in mid-September.
Kuznetsov`s Return
At the very beginning of October, Evgeny Kuznetsov signed a contract with Metallurg. He didn`t immediately hit the ice, instead taking time to regain his form. He made his debut in the game against Torpedo, slotted into the fourth line, played 14 minutes, and registered an assist. In his next match, Evgeny moved up to the second line, played 18 and a half minutes, and once again distinguished himself with an assist.
Tkachev`s Streak Ends
In Kuznetsov`s second game — against Avangard — the goal that Evgeny helped Roman Kantserov score was Metallurg`s only one. Vladimir Tkachev did not participate in this goal, thus ending his personal point streak of nine consecutive games. He accumulated 12 points during this period, all of them being assists. Since the start of the championship, Tkachev now has 15 assists and not a single goal scored.
800 Games
Tkachev`s streak actually ended in the game against Torpedo, where he contributed two assists. One of those assists was for Egor Yakovlev, for whom that match was his 799th career game. Consequently, the next game marked his 800th, making Yakovlev the eighth defenseman to reach this significant milestone. The next player set to join this exclusive club is Moscow Dynamo captain Igor Ozhiganov, who needs 12 more games. With four points (2+2), Yakovlev shared the title of last week`s top scorer with fellow defenseman Riley Walsh (1+3) and Tkachev (0+4).
Record Breaker
Among defensemen, Evgeny Biryukov leads in the number of KHL games played (1001), while among active players, it`s Grigory Panin (922). By taking the ice against Spartak at the age of 39 years and 320 days, Grigory broke Salavat Yulaev`s club record, previously held by Alexei Semenov (39 years and 319 days). Although Ufa lost that game, they extended their streak to four consecutive matches without allowing an opponent to score on the power play, thanks in part to Panin, who regularly plays on the second penalty-killing unit.
KHL Club Rating
The league has published its annual club rating, which evaluates teams across nine parameters over the last three seasons. These criteria include sporting achievements (20%), the “cost” of sporting results (20%), the share of state funding (10%), timely salary payments (5%), attendance and arena occupancy (10%), fan services (5%), television index (10%), licensing program revenues (10%), and media relations (10%). The indicators for the most recent season are weighted at 100%, with the two preceding seasons weighted at 75% and 50% respectively.
Neville Woodall