Friday 5 May 2017

KHL - Eastern Conference Final - Metallurg Magnitogorsk v Ak Bars Kazan - Metallurg Win Series 4-0

When it comes to Eastern Conference success, Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Ak Bars Kazan are the go-to teams. Between them, they’ve featured in five out of eight Gagarin Cup finals. They’ve represented the Eastern Conference in the last three seasons and both organizations are bidding to become the first team in history to win three Gagarin Cups. Yet their paths to glory have been somewhat different.
For Metallurg, continuity has been the key. The team that has reached this stage bears more than a passing resemblance to Mike Keenan’s 2014 championship roster. Persevering with the Mozyakin-Kovar-Zaripov troika was something of a no-brainer, but it’s impressive to see how many senior players from three years ago are still producing top-class performances. The likes of goalie Vasily Koshechkin and defenseman Chris Lee remain formidable players, while Lee’s partner Viktor Antipin, still just 24, has matured into a player whose contribution belies his relatively young age. New players have been introduced, but they tend to emerge from within the Metallurg youth system, eg Alexei Bereglazov, or get snapped up as promising youngsters, such as Evgeny Timkin or Tomas Filippi. There’s no attempt to buy instant success here; the focus is on establishing a dynasty at the top of the game.
Even behind the bench, the changes have been evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Keenan moved upstairs into an advisory role during the 2014-15 season, bringing his deputy, Ilya Vorobyov, into the spotlight. Vorobyov has continued to work with the coaching infrastructure that existed under Keenan, and the whole organization has reaped the rewards of that consistency. While there may be an element of good fortune in that key players have remained fit and in form for several seasons, there’s no luck at all about consistent results at a club that has established a clear model of how it plays its hockey.
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The Ak Bars story is rather different. On the face of it, it’s easy to draw a direct line linking Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s all-conquering teams of 2009 and 2010 and the present roster. Coach Bill is still in charge, and during his absence on international duty his place was filled by long-term right-hand man Valery Belov. When Bilyaletdinov led the team to the Gagarin Cup final in 2015 at the end of his first season back at the club following his spell in charge of Team Russia, it felt like business as usual at a club he has dominated for more than a decade. Not so. A radical overhaul of the club’s roster followed the 1-4 loss to SKA. It started on defense, where Ilya Nikulin, Evgeny Medvedev and Yakov Rylov were among the stalwarts to move on. Of the nine D-men who suited up in the 2015 playoffs, only Stepan Zakharchuk and Damir Musin are still involved in Kazan, while goalie Emil Garipov has emerged from the sidelines to be the undisputed #1.
Up front, the changes are less prominent, although the departure of Osсar Moller has affected the potency of Ak Bars’ offense. The key new figure, Vladimir Tkachyov, was involved in 2015 but has gone from a bit-part player to a vital component of the attack. Now 23, he’s enjoyed something of a break-out year this time around, winning an All-Star call-up and international recognition. Currently he tops the post-season scoring in Kazan with 11 (2+9) points. This season’s leading playoff goalscorers for the club, Jiri Sekac and Fyodor Malykhin, have both arrived since the previous Grand Final appearance. Sekac, part of the Lev Prague team that reached the 2014 final, has renewed a profitable combination with Justin Azevedo, Malykhin has quietly grown in stature since arriving from Avtomobilist. Perhaps the most intriguing change in the two rosters involves Rafael Batyrshin. This time last year, the defenseman was part of Magnitka’s cup-winning roster. Now, he’s shrugged off the injuries that blighted his regular season and is a solid part of Ak Bars’ defense. An archetypal ‘stay-at-home’ D-man, Batyrshin doesn’t grab the headlines in the manner of Lee or Nikulin – his three post-season assists this time around represent a career high. Now, Kazan waits to see if his insider knowledge of Magnitka’s all-powerful forwards can wrest the cup away from the holder.
The Eastern Conference Final begins in Magnitogorsk on Friday, March 24. The series continues until one team records four victories.1000_01_20170127_AKB_MNK_TKH 3.jpg

Game 1 - Metallurg v Ak Bars 2-1 OT - Friday, March 24, 2017
Sergei Mozyakin’s season to remember continued with an overtime winner as he brought up three figures for the season. Metallurg’s captain took his 2016-17 points tally to 101 with a goal and an assist as the defending champion came from behind to claim the first victory of this year’s Eastern Conference Final.
Mozyakin’s winner came early in the second period of overtime and showed all the hallmarks of a master marksman. Capitalizing on a hasty line change, he took up a menacing position on Ak Bars’ blue line, beyond the defensemen who were slow in covering the danger man. Chris Lee, from beyond his own goal line, picked out the killer pass and Mozyakin was off to the races. A calm approach to Emil Garipov’s net was followed with a devastating finish to leave the visiting goalie with no chance. After 85 minutes of hard-fought hockey, we finally had a winner.
It was probably a fair reflection of overtime. Although Ak Bars had more attempts on goal, Magnitka created the greater danger. Danis Zaripov went close midway through the first extra session, and Tomas Filippi came even closer in the 78th minute, testing Garipov with a shot from a tight angle after Alexander Semin’s delightful feed. The video official was called to adjudicate – no goal. But the early stages of the game were far more encouraging for the visitor. Metallurg had enjoyed a long rest after sweeping Barys in the previous round, while Ak Bars only wrapped up its series against Avangard on Sunday. The difference in sharpness was apparent in the early stages as the Steelmen struggled to shake off a hint of rust and the Leopards looked to pounce on an underpowered opponent. Ak Bars took the lead midway through the game, thanks to a power play goal from Fyodor Malykhin. The forward won himself a dangerous position on the slot in time to divert Atte Ohtamaa’s shot beyond Vasily Koshechkin to open the scoring. But Metallurg gained in strength and composure as the second period progressed, perhaps begin to shake off some of the rustiness that afflicted its game in the early exchanges. And, with two-and-a-half minutes to play before the second intermission, Zaripov tied the scores. The forward showed great vision as he took up a position between the hash marks and opened himself for Viktor Antipin’s backhand pass out of the left-hand circle. Then Zaripov produced an unstoppable shot that ripped past Emil Garipov and flew back out of the net before the goalie could react. Zaripov was part of the Ak Bars roster in the 2009-10 season, the only previous time these two famous clubs met in post-season action. However, injury restricted him to just one playoff appearance in that campaign and he had no impact on the Kazan team’s victory over Magnitka in the Conference Semi-final. This season, though, Zaripov’s contribution has been huge: Friday’s goal was his 12th of the current playoffs, the fifth best return in KHL history in only his 10th post-season game. The KHL’s all-time best goal haul was 15, set by Evgeny Dadonov in SKA’s 2015 title-winning team; Zaripov seems well on course to beat that.
Mozyakin is another player in record-breaking form, and his assist on Zaripov’s goal brought up his 100th point of a monumental season. He was close to adding his 101st on the power play in the third, firing in a shot that Garipov found too hot to hold and seeing Jan Kovar collect the rebound and shoot agonizingly pass the far post from a tight angle. In the event, he had to wait until overtime to add to his tally, which he did in emphatic style. The series continues Sunday in Magnitogorsk. The puck drops at 1500 Moscow time as Ak Bars looks to level the scores before the action moves to Kazan next week.
Game 2 - Metallurg v Ak Bars 2-0 - Sunday, March 26, 2017
The defending champion took a firm grip of the Eastern Conference Final series, opening a 2-0 lead over Ak Bars thanks to goals from Evgeny Timkin and Danis Zaripov, plus Vasily Koshechkin’s second shut-out of the playoffs. Magnitka took the lead after just 76 seconds with a goal that the Ak Bars defense would rather forget. There shouldn’t have been much danger when Yaroslav Khabarov attempted a shot from the point, but Timkin found himself with time enough to beat Emil Garipov to the rebound as Rafael Batyrshin and Albert Yarullin failed to get close enough to the forward. Such an early goal piled up the pressure on Ak Bars and allowed Metallurg to focus on preserving its advantage. While the visitor enjoyed plenty of possession, it struggled to really get inside the home defense and threaten Koshechkin’s net in the first period. The middle session provided more goalmouth action than the first, with Ak Bars gradually asking more questions of the Metallurg blue liners. But the best chances, Justin Azevedo denied a shot on an empty net by Timkin, Damir Musin finding a menacing position to test Koshechkin, came on a power play late in the period with Magnitka already two goals to the good. Zaripov, one of the stars of the first game of the series, was at it again to bag his 13th post-season goal in only his 11th playoff game. This one was a tribute to his partnership with Sergei Mozyakin and Jan Kovar: a rare misplaced shot from Mozyakin turned into a pass to the Czech, who delivered a lovely no-look assist on his backhand for Zaripov to score from close range. The frustration was starting to show for Ak Bars, and Denis Golubev immediately found himself in trouble after picking a fight with Kovar as Metallurg celebrated the goal. A double minor for roughing did little to aid his team’s prospects, even if the visitor successfully killed the penalty. Into the final stanza, and Ak Bars struggled to find those shooting chances. On several occasions, promising positions faded away without Magnitka’s goalie being called into action. The final blow came in the 58th minute, when a penalty on Yarullin robbed Bilyaletdinov’s team of the chance to unleash a final storm on the home net. In the end, Koshechkin finished with 30 saves and a shut-out. Metallurg ultimately came closest to adding to the score, with two efforts hitting the frame of the goal. Defenseman Evgeny Biryukov’s shot found Oskar Osala’s stick on its way through to the net; the Finn’s deflection took the puck onto the post, much to Garipov’s relief. Then, in the dying seconds, Alexander Semin pinged one off the piping as the Ak Bars defense got stretched in the quest for a fightback. The action now switches to Kazan, with Ak Bars hoping that home ice advantage can help claw back a 0-2 deficit in the series. Game 3 - Ak Bars v Metallurg 2-3 - Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Danis Zaripov scored two goals in the last four minutes of this game, snatching a dramatic victory for Metallurg and pushing Ak Bars to the brink of elimination in the Eastern Conference Final. It seemed that home ice advantage was helping the Kazan team claw its way back into this series as the team led 2-1 going into the closing stages of game three … but Zaripov had other ideas. The former Ak Bars man has been in commanding form throughout these playoffs: his double tonight takes him to 15 goals and equals Evgeny Dadonov’s KHL post-season record with, potentially, a Grand Final series still to come. More importantly, his late salvo here turned the game around and a handy 2-1 lead was transformed into a commanding 3-0 advantage in the series. The transformation began in the 57th minute. Zaripov’s 14th post-season goal came on the wraparound after Chris Lee’s slap shot thundered into the boards and left Emil Garipov sprawling across his crease to try to cover the danger. Jan Kovar’s quick-thinking steered the puck away from the goalie into Zaripov’s path behind the net, and the experienced goal-poacher reacted quickly to whisk it away behind the target and in at the opposite post. Then came the game-winner on 58:38. Again, Kovar supplied the feed, collecting Viktor Antipin’s pass and sliding it into the danger zone. This time, even a crowd of defensemen couldn’t deny Zaripov, who turned neatly to place a low shot in off the post and secure a vital victory. The former Ak Bars player has now plundered four goals in three games in this series, and has found the net in seven of his last eight outings as the defending champion hunts an unprecedented third Gagarin Cup triumph.
Earlier, Ak Bars took the lead with a power play goal in the 13th minute. As the shots flew in on Vasily Koshechkin, Albert Yarullin saw his effort blocked. Jiri Sekac fed the puck out wide to Justin Azevedo, who picked his spot on the open side of Koshechkin’s net to make it 1-0.
The home team deserved to be in front, having the better of the opening period as Metallurg’s offense was strangely subdued for long periods and Magnitka picked up too many penalties. But the second period was almost the opposite, with the visitor creating far more dangerous moments and Ak Bars hitting penalty trouble of its own. Twice, Metallurg hit the piping. In the 23rd minute, a Sergei Mozyakin shot flashed across the slot and hit the skate of Atte Ohtamaa. The Finnish defenseman watched in horror as the puck slid towards the net, only to be reprieved when it bounced off the post to safety. Then Tomas Filippi rattled the bar from close range as Ak Bars began to feel the pressure. Finally, Magnitka converted one of its chances and, yet again, it was Mozyakin who made the difference. On the power play, he combined with Lee and Zaripov to probe at the home defense. Ak Bars worked hard at keeping the puck out on the fringes of the zone, but was powerless when a shooting lane opened up for Mozyakin at the top of the right-hand circle and he shot past Garipov as Kovar threw up a screen. Ak Bars hit back, and regained the lead early in the third thanks to Mikhail Glukhov, with a bit of help from luckless D-man Alexander Budkin. After Koshechkin gave up a big rebound from a hopeful dump into the Metallurg zone, Glukhov was first to the puck and flew past Yaroslav Khabarov before whipping in a low shot. It looked to be going wide of the target until it got caught up in Budkin’s skates and the ricochet deceived Koshechkin and squeezed through his five-hole. With 14 minutes to play, the home crowd scented a win that would get their team firmly on the comeback trail … but Zaripov was ready to re-write the script in the closing minutes. The teams meet again here in Kazan on Thursday, with Ak Bars knowing that only victory will suffice if its playoff run is to continue into the weekend.
Game 4 - Ak Bars v Metallurg 1-4 - Thursday, March 30, 2017
Sergei Mozyakin celebrated his 36th birthday in style, setting yet another record and helping his team into its third Gagarin Cup Final in four seasons. Mozyakin got the third goal for Magnitka on the night, having previously posted two helpers. He reinstated the defending champion’s two-goal advantage in the game, pushed the outcome beyond the home team and claimed his 54th goal of the season. That added one more achievement to Mozyakin’s bulging collection of personal triumphs, it overtook the 53 goals that CSKA’s Veniamin Alexandrov scored in the Soviet Championship of 1962-3 to establish another All-Time Russian record. It was a poacher’s goal, robbing Damir Musin on the face-off spot, arcing round to the edge of the opposite circle and flinging a wrister onto the top shelf. Emil Garipov, who, moments earlier, denied Mozyakin in a one-on-one, had no chance; history, yet again, was made. Mozyakin had featured in his team’s first-period goals as well. For the opener, a power play goal in the sixth minute, his pass from the corner enabled Chris Lee to pick out Jan Kovar at the far post and the Czech made no mistake from close range. Five minutes later, another power play, and Mozyakin was marauding out on the right. He fired a pass across the face of the net and, after Kovar’s shot was blocked, Viktor Antipin followed up to double the lead. Ak Bars refused to give up, pulling a goal back late in the first. Albert Yarullin fired the puck in from the point, Justin Azevedo ended up on his hands and knees as he pushed it into the path of Jiri Sekac and the close-range finish offered the host some hope of prolonging the series.
The fighting spirit endured, even when Ak Bars was reduced to three men late in the middle stanza. Indeed, the home team delivered a master-class of committed penalty kill. Lee collected the puck for Magnitogorsk at the point and was startled to find Stepan Zakharchuk leaping back into the game to challenge him. Lee managed to prevent a dangerous counter attack, but only at the cost of a tripping penalty that wiped out the rest of Metallurg’s power play. However, the tide was flowing decisively in Magnitka’s favor. The third period began with a fourth goal, and for once Mozyakin wasn’t on the ice for it. Instead Denis Platonov let fly with a devastating shot from the edge of the circle after the puck dropped for him as Denis Kazionov collided with Andrei Popov. The only thing missing was a goal from Danis Zaripov, on the mark in the three previous games against Ak Bars and tied for the KHL’s playoff goalscoring record ahead of the game. Unusually, Zaripov did not manage a single shot on goal this time, but with a minimum of four more games in this post-season it seems likely that another milestone will be clocked up by Metallurg’s imposing offense. Metallurg moves on to next week’s Gagarin Cup Final after completing its second successive sweep. In total, Ilya Vorobyov’s team has lost just once in post-season, suffering defeat in Beijing in game four of its first-round match-up with Kunlun Red Star. Now it prepares to face SKA in a match-up between the last two champions in a clash of the titans scheduled to start on Saturday, April 8 in Magnitogorsk.

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