The KHL matchday on December 26th began in Vladivostok, where Admiral hosted Sibir. The decisive 4-2 victory for the visitors allowed Sibir to escape the bottom spot in the Eastern Conference standings, sending the Far Eastern club into last place instead.
Admiral Suffers Third Consecutive Defeat
This game marked the start of new series for both teams; Admiral opened a three-game home stand, while Sibir began a road trip. The teams had met just a week prior on December 19th, where Admiral secured a 3-2 win—their only victory since the departure of Leonid Tambiev. Following a 2-3 loss to Lokomotiv, Admiral`s lineup saw the addition of defenseman Alexander Shepelev and forward Ivan Fomin. For Sibir, returning after a tough 0-5 defeat against Avtomobilist were forwards Valentin Pyanov and Alexander Pershakov, with Anton Krassotkin starting in goal.
The start of the game proved difficult for Admiral, coached by acting head coach Ilnur Gizatullin. Just five minutes into the first period, Sibir opened the scoring. Valentin Pyanov expertly maneuvered toward the net and delivered a precise pass from a sharp angle to Vyacheslav Leshchenko, who tapped it in (0-1). The visitors quickly capitalized on a subsequent power play. Yegor Alanov set up Scott Wilson from the blue line, and Wilson`s technical cross-crease pass left Sergei Shirokov with an empty net (0-2).
Sibir continued to maintain an advantage in the second period, converting their dominance into a crucial goal just before the intermission. In the 39th minute, they exploited defensive lapses by Admiral. Alexey Yakovlev passed across the crease, and Ivan Klimovich buried the puck from the far post (0-3). Despite the deficit, Admiral refused to quit. Libor Sulak netted a powerful long-range shot on the power play to narrow the gap (1-3).
However, the three-goal cushion was quickly restored by Yaroslav Lyuzenkov`s side. Taylor Beck scored his first goal since returning to Novosibirsk (1-4). Although Sulak managed to register his second goal of the night just seven seconds before the final buzzer, the 4-2 result was already decided. This victory propelled Sibir into tenth place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Admiral and temporarily cutting their deficit from the playoff zone to three points.
Game Stars
Scored a double and recorded seven shots on goal.
Taylor Beck (Sibir)
Scored his first goal after returning to Sibir and won 57% of his faceoffs (4 of 7).
Scott Wilson (Sibir)
Registered two assists.
Neville Woodall