Yaskin’s Double Lifts Ak Bars Over Amur; Severstal Wins Road Game Against Torpedo

October 3rd saw two exciting KHL matchups unfold in Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod. Ak Bars confidently defeated Amur on home ice, while Severstal leveraged a dominant second period to secure a road victory over Torpedo.

Ak Bars Kicks Off Home Stand with Decisive Win Over Amur

Ak Bars returned home with two wins from a three-game road trip, though they suffered a 4-1 loss to Avtomobilist in their last outing. The team is still grappling with an early-season crisis, which has led to frequent lineup changes. For the game against Amur, head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin reinstated Dmitry Yaskin to the first line, brought in Alexei Pustozyorov for the third line, and added Konstantin Luchevnikov to the third defensive pairing. Notably absent were Alexander Barabanov, Artemy Knyazev, and the injured Timur Bilyalov, whose spot in net was taken by Mikhail Berdin, backed up by the young Maxim Arefyev.

Amur also started their road trip with a loss, falling 3-1 to Avtomobilist in Yekaterinburg. Yaroslav Likhachev made his debut for Khabarovsk in Kazan, joining the first line alongside Alex Broadhurst and Alexander Galchenyuk. Alexei Solovyev replaced Cameron Lee on defense, while forward Sergey Dubakin was also left out of the lineup.

A recurring issue for Ak Bars this season has been their slow starts, having won only two first periods in ten matches. The game against Amur was no different, as the visitors capitalized on their first shot of the game: Kirill Slepets deftly tipped the puck in amidst traffic to open the scoring. Ak Bars responded with chances from Yaskin and Mikhail Fisenko, but then found themselves shorthanded after a penalty to Stepan Falkovsky. Although Amur’s power play has not been impressive, they conceded a shorthanded goal when Nikita Lyamkin fired from the blue line and Ilya Safonov buried the rebound. At even strength, Amur looked better, particularly their bottom lines, with Ilya Talaluev attempting to redirect a flying puck and Slepets dangerously shooting from the hash marks. However, the visitors` slight advantage was nullified by a costly mistake from goalie Maxim Dorozhko, who played the puck unwisely outside his crease, allowing Yaskin to score. This shift gave Kazan a psychological edge, and they began to play with significantly more confidence. By the end of the period, Ak Bars outshot Amur 14-9 and dominated time in attack (3:27 to 2:51), despite Amur having one power play. Crucially, Gatiyatulin’s team won their first period for only the second time in their last nine games.

Amur faced another setback in the first period, losing defenseman Roman Abrosimov to injury, which forced them to play with five defensemen for the remainder of the game. Their second power play attempt was as uninspired as the first, generating only one chance for Galchenyuk, who shot wide. Kazan, however, looked more effective on their power play, with two shots from Alexander Khmelevsky and a dangerous deflection by Brandon Biro. Amur managed one shorthanded breakaway thanks to Slepets’ speed, who skillfully beat a defenseman and got a shot on goal. The visitors successfully killed off two penalties but nearly conceded at even strength when Nikita Dynyak, after a rebound from Dorozhko, skated around the net but couldn`t tuck the puck into the empty corner. Ak Bars’ offensive pressure intensified significantly in the second period, reflected in a commanding 18-4 shot advantage for the hosts. Despite this dominance, the score remained unchanged, a testament to Dorozhko`s incredible efforts and his teammates` defensive play.

The hosts` very first shot of the third period found the back of the net, as Yaskin was afforded too much time and space in front of the Amur goal. Shortly after, it was Biro’s turn: he first scored his maiden KHL goal, then hit the crossbar from a prime scoring position. Amur had a power play, which they executed quite well, but Berdin and his defensemen held firm. The visitors appeared to be fatigued from playing extensively in their own zone, and Grigory Denisenko’s goal effectively sealed the outcome. In the final minutes, Ak Bars seemed closer to a sixth goal than Amur was to a second, but neither team found the net again. The game concluded with a confident 5-1 victory for Kazan.

Three Stars of the Game (Ak Bars vs. Amur)

• Dmitry Yaskin: Scored a brace (including the game-winner) and registered five shots on goal.
• Ilya Safonov: Scored a shorthanded goal, added an assist, made two interceptions, and won 50% of his face-offs (8 of 16).
• Brandon Biro: Scored his first KHL goal and contributed four shots on target.

Severstal Extends Winning Streak Against Torpedo in Nizhny Novgorod

The first of four anticipated matchups between Torpedo and Severstal took place early in the season`s second month. Both teams arrived in Nizhny Novgorod following road trips: the Nizhny Novgorod side secured two impressive victories against SKA, while Cherepovets split points in Minsk with local Dinamo.

Both coaches made minor adjustments to their lineups. For Torpedo, Alexei Isakov gave 17-year-old Viktor Fedorov a chance to debut in the first line in place of the injured Vasily Atanasov, replaced Mikhail Abramov and Alexander Yaremchuk with Alexey Kruchiinin and Nikita Rozhkov on the third line, and entrusted Ivan Kulbakov with the starting goaltender position. Severstal’s Andrei Kozyrev welcomed back defenseman Thomas Gregoire and forward Danil Veryayev from injury, who replaced Nikolai Burenkov and Ilya Ivantsov, respectively. Kirill Tankov was also out of the lineup, with Timur Mukhanov taking his spot.

The opening period was dynamic. Severstal immediately pressed to impose their game, focusing on shots on goal, but the hosts were prepared and responded with confident physical play. The guests` attacking pressure, however, opened up ample space for Torpedo’s counter-attacks. First, Severstal goalie Alexander Samoylov sprinted out of his zone to momentarily beat Maxim Letunov to the puck, then Egor Vinogradov and Daniil Zhuravlev engineered a dangerous 2-on-1 rush. However, Severstal capitalized on a subsequent attack to open the scoring: Alexander Skorenov caught Kulbakov off guard with a precise shot. The Nizhny Novgorod team quickly equalized through Anton Sizov and Alexey Kruchiinin, who together punished the visitors for their excessive offensive focus. The teams headed into the first intermission tied, with the hosts leading in physical play and blocked shots.

The character of the game changed in the second period. The frame began with a goal from Kirill Pilipenko, who fired a shot from the slot into the top corner of Torpedo’s net. Severstal began to control the puck more and increasingly challenged Kulbakov with shots. The hosts, in turn, created chances around Samoylov’s net but often failed to convert their attacks into shots. In the 29th minute, Grigory Vashchenko capitalized on heavy traffic in front of the Torpedo goalie, extending Severstal`s lead with a shot from the blue line. Ten minutes later, Mikhail Ilyin scored a power-play goal, leaving the hosts with the challenging task of overcoming a three-goal deficit in the final period.

The Nizhny Novgorod side rekindled the intrigue in the game in the 45th minute, instantly punishing Severstal for their first penalty of the period. Letunov scored, tapping in a rebound after a shot from Egor Sokolov. In an attempt to change the momentum, Isakov shuffled all his attacking lines. This allowed Torpedo to spend more time in the offensive zone, but without generating truly serious threats. Many shots went wide, while others were blocked by the diligent visiting defensemen.

With two-and-a-half minutes remaining, the hosts replaced Kulbakov with an extra attacker. With just 70 seconds left on the clock, Sergey Goncharuk skillfully tipped in a shot from Robert Nardella, narrowing the deficit to a single goal. Immediately after the face-off, Kulbakov once again yielded his spot to a sixth skater, and the puck eventually found its way into Torpedo’s net. While Skorenov`s subsequent goal was disallowed due to an offside call, Ivan Podshivalov was obstructed by Nardella, and the referee controversially awarded a goal without a clear shot. The final score stood at 5-3, as Severstal secured their sixth consecutive road victory in Nizhny Novgorod.

Three Stars of the Game (Torpedo vs. Severstal)

• Kirill Pilipenko: Scored a goal, registered six shots on target, and made three interceptions.
• Alexey Kruchiinin: Scored a goal, provided an assist, and won 66% of his face-offs (8 of 12).
• Vladimir Grudinin: Recorded three blocked shots (including one with his head on an empty-net attempt) and delivered two hits.