A comprehensive look at the past week`s most notable events in the Kontinental Hockey League.
Lada`s Victory and Power Play Woes
Lada managed to halt an agonizing nine-game losing streak, during which they conceded 44 goals while only scoring 13. This much-needed win came against Neftekhimik, a team that had previously secured seven victories in eight matches. However, Lada`s success was short-lived, as they subsequently fell to Admiral in overtime. A persistent issue for the Togliatti team is their season-long power play drought, having failed to convert a single opportunity in 66 minutes and 54 seconds with a numerical advantage.
Try-Out Contract Success for Salavat Yulaev
Salavat Yulaev also put an end to a challenging six-game losing streak. Their turnaround began with a home game against Sibir, which initially looked bleak but saw Ufa rally with one goal in the first period and four in the second. Notably, Alexander Khokhlachev, playing on a try-out contract, scored twice in this crucial victory. Unlike Lada, Salavat Yulaev built on this momentum, securing a second consecutive win against Sochi, where another forward on a try-out, Anton Berlev, contributed with an assist.
Sibir`s Second Coaching Change
The defeat to Salavat Yulaev marked the end of Vadim Epanchintsev`s coaching career with Sibir. Prior to this, Sibir had failed to secure any points from trips to Astana and Magnitogorsk, despite holding two-goal leads in both encounters. Against Barys, they even led twice (2-0 and 4-2). In Magnitogorsk, Sibir allowed their opponent to recover from a 1-3 deficit, which was almost a redemption for Metallurg after they had squandered a 3-0 lead against Ak Bars in their previous game. Under Epanchintsev`s leadership across the previous and current seasons, Sibir played 85 matches, winning 36 of them.
Butsaev`s Debut and a Goalless Battle
Vyacheslav Butsaev stepped in to replace Epanchintsev and started his tenure with a victory, albeit a hard-fought one. Sibir and Barys played out a goalless regulation and overtime period, with the game ultimately decided in a shootout. The primary credit for the defensive standoff goes to the goaltenders: Louis Domingue, who stopped 38 shots, and Andrei Shutov, with 31 saves. This match was the fifth 1-0 game of the current season, the third to go to overtime (one of the previous two also featured Barys with Shutov in goal), and the first to be decided by a shootout.
Barys was incidentally Butsaev`s previous employer, though his time there was very brief, spanning eight games from late September to mid-October last year. In the KHL, Vyacheslav Butsaev has also coached CSKA, Sochi, Neftekhimik, and Vityaz, accumulating 205 wins in 447 total matches, including his first with Sibir.
The Veteran`s Return
The game against Sibir marked the season debut for 39-year-old Roman Starchenko. He was placed in Barys`s top line alongside Michael Vecchione and Mason Morelli, playing over 14 minutes, including nearly four minutes on the power play. Starchenko has been a fixture in the KHL since its very first season, never missing a championship. He belongs to an exclusive “club of honored veterans” that also includes Dmitry Vishnevsky, Grigory Panin, Andrei Stas, Pyotr Khokhryakov, and Vadim Shipachyov.
Nikita Gusev Reaches 700 Points
Nikita Gusev has become the fourth player in KHL history to reach 700 career points, joining the ranks of Vadim Shipachyov, Sergei Mozyakin, and Alexander Radulov. This significant milestone was achieved during Dynamo Moscow`s encounter with Neftekhimik, though it likely brought little joy to Nikita as the Dynamo team suffered a 2-3 defeat. The KHL will have to wait some time for the next member of the “700-point club”; among active players, Sergei Shirokov needs 140 more points, and Sergei Plotnikov requires 149.
Andrei Sergeev Joins 300-Point Club for Defensemen
For defensemen, 300 points may not sound as impressive as the forwards` achievements, but it is, in fact, a very significant result, comparable to Gusev`s 700, as only four players have reached it. Three of them achieved this some time ago: Ilya Nikulin and Kirill Koltsov eight years ago, and Kevin Dallman even earlier. This week, Andrei Sergeev became the fourth, scoring a goal against Barys and adding two assists, with the second assist marking his 300th career point. Almost certainly, the next defenseman to reach this milestone will be Igor Ozhiganov, and very soon, as he only needs nine more points.
Clutch Performances and Traktor`s Overtime Struggles
Dynamo Moscow appears to be gradually reaching its full potential. Although they lost outright to Neftekhimik (despite the modest 2-3 score, they only truly engaged when down 0-3), they followed it with two victories. Their win against Traktor, however, was a struggle: after leading 2-0 and gaining a power play with two and a half minutes left, they conceded two goals and only secured the win in a shootout. A day later, Traktor faced Kunlun Red Star, and history repeated itself with minor variations: they again mounted a late comeback (with just over a minute left on the clock) but ultimately lost, this time in overtime. Remarkably, the same player, Mikhail Grigorenko, acted as the “savior” in both instances for Traktor.
Grigorenko had another crucial goal earlier in September, scoring in the final minute to tie the game 3-3 against Neftekhimik. Before that Nizhnekamsk game in early September, Traktor visited Yaroslavl and Astana. In both of those encounters, another player, Pierrick Dubé, played the role of equalizer in the third period. Traktor lost to Lokomotiv in a shootout and to Barys in overtime. Overall, since the start of the championship, Traktor has gone beyond regulation time five times (matching Dynamo Moscow, other teams less) and has only won one of those extended matches.
Three for Three: Metallurg and Avtomobilist Dominate
Evgeny Kuznetsov is set to continue his career with Metallurg. A player of his caliber would be an asset to any team, but Metallurg, in particular, doesn`t seem to lack offensive firepower: they have scored the most goals in the league and rank second in average scoring efficiency. This past week, while Evgeny is still getting back in form and has yet to debut, they managed perfectly without reinforcements: securing home wins against Sibir (4-3, coming back from 1-3) and successful road trips to Moscow (3-1 against Spartak and 6-2 against CSKA). During this impressive run, Coach Andrei Razin achieved his 300th KHL victory.
Avtomobilist can also boast a perfect three-win week, systematically defeating Ak Bars (4-1), Amur (3-1), and Neftekhimik (5-2). Conversely, Amur lost all three of its matches (all in regulation time), and SKA also suffered three defeats (one in overtime). SKA`s overtime loss came against Torpedo, a team previously coached by Igor Larionov, despite SKA leading 2-0 after the second period. They had also lost to Torpedo in regulation two days prior. This marks Larionov`s third consecutive victory against his former team, SKA.
Neville Woodall