Game 1 Monday, February 22
(4) Salavat Yulaev Ufa 4 (5) Ak Bars Kazan 1
Salavat Yulaev leads the series 1-0
Much of the pre-game talk was about the coaching duel between Zakharkin and Bilyaletdinov, but the opening game in this eagerly-awaited series was settled by Igor Grigorenko. The forward, back at Salavat Yulaev this season after a spell with CSKA Moscow, has fond memories of helping the Ufa team lift the Gagarin Cup in 2011. And his two goals in this game got his team’s post-season campaign off to the perfect start as these old playoff foes clash once again. His opening goal was a cracker: Linus Omark’s quick turn and pass out from behind the goal found Grigorenko standing astride the red line. In a split second the forward sized up the situation, spotted the gap and pinged a wrister into the top corner off the shoulder of goalie Stanislav Galimov. The second, deep in the middle period, involved the same combination. Andreas Engqvist found Omark behind the net, the Swede picked out Grigorenko in front of the target and this time a one-timer from the slot left Galimov with no chance. Ak Bars, having been comprehensively outplayed in the early stages, raised its game in the third in a bid to force a way back into the encounter. But Salavat held firm with goalie Niklas Svedberg making 12 saves in the final stanza before a frantic final minute saw empty net goals from Teemu Hartikainen and Denis Khlystov put Salavat on course for a big win and Dmitry Obukhov snatched a last-gasp consolation for the visitor.
Game 2 - Wednesday, February 24
(4) Salavat Yulaev Ufa 5 (5) Ak Bars Kazan 2
Salavat Yulaev leads the series 2-0
Last season’s Gagarin Cup runner-up Ak Bars is staring down the barrel of a first-round exit in 2016 after a second heavy defeat in Ufa. After a 1-4 reverse on Monday, Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s team was once again undone by Igor Zakharkin’s roster and desperately needs to raise its game when the action switches to Tatarstan on Friday. The stars on Monday’s win, Igor Grigorenko and Andreas Engqvist, didn’t get among the points here but Linus Omark continued his impressive start to the playoffs with two more assists to take his tally to four. Both those contributions came in the first period, creating Alexander Loginov’s opener on the power play after 12 minutes and setting up Denis Bodrov to make it 2-0 90 seconds later. Bodrov then supplied the assist for Oleg Saprykin to make it 3-1 after Artyom Lukoyanov offered Ak Bars a way back early in the second. Ryan Wilson made it a one-goal game once again just after the midway mark but, once again, Salavat responded quickly to the danger. Nikolai Prokhorkin reinstated the two goal advantage within a couple of minutes and Denis Khlystov rattled in the fifth early in the third period, snaffling up a chance to unleash a wrist shot from the right-hand face-off spot and place the puck right in the top corner.
(5) Ak Bars Kazan 3 (4) Salavat Yulaev Ufa 0
Salavat Yulaev leads the series 2-1
After two convincing wins in Ufa, Salavat Yulaev looked to be in complete control of this series. But anyone who has followed the rivalry between these two teams over the years would need no reminder that a clash between Tatarstan and Bashkiria is one that neither side is willing to give up lightly. So, as the action moved to Kazan, Ak Bars rose to the occasion and delivered an emphatic performance of its own to reinvigorate the series. It took some time to find a breakthrough: the home side had the better of the first period but had to wait until the 18th minute before Vladimir Tkachyov opened the scoring when he potted the rebound from a Marek Daloga shot. Early in the middle session it was 2-0 after Dmitry Arkhipov stripped Maxim Goncharov of the puck and went on to score an unassisted goal. A series of minor penalties on both sides disrupted the game’s flow for a time but it was the host that settled down quicker. Artyom Lukoyanov made it 3-0 when he converted Andrei Chibisov’s sizzling diagonal pass. Salavat Yulaev’s task got that little bit harder soon afterwards when unhappy defenceman Goncharov was ejected from the game for boarding. Salavat Yulaev looked for a way back into contention in the third period, but despite outshooting Ak Bars 12-1 there was no way past Stanislav Galimov. The home goalie finished with 34 saves for his first shut-out of these playoffs.
Game 4 - Sunday, February 28
(5) Ak Bars Kazan 1 (4) Salavat Yulaev Ufa 4
Salavat Yulaev leads the series 3-1
Last season’s Gagarin Cup finalist Ak Bars is one game away from exiting this year’s competition at the first hurdle after suffering a third heavy defeat in four games against Salavat Yulaev. If Friday’s shut-out win on home ice raised hopes that Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s team was poised to launch another famous fight-back, Sunday’s reverse leaves Tatar fans fearing the coup-de-grace in Ufa on Tuesday. This time the damage was done in the first 10 minutes. Dmitry Obukhov took a penalty after 61 seconds, Linus Omark converted the power play to make it 1-0. Then, midway through the opening session Sergei Soin doubled the lead. Dmitry Makarov’s shot got caught up in traffic in front of Stanislav Galimov’s net, but Soin still had plenty to do to lift home the rebound on the backhand. Going into the middle stanza Salavat had two goals from seven shots. The visiting offense didn’t get any more creative in the second period, but remained almost as ruthless in converting chances. A power play goal from Andreas Engqvist in the 40th minute took the score to 3-0 and all but ended the game as a competitive encounter. Albert Yarullin got one back for Ak Bars midway through the final session as Maxim Goncharov set out a penalty for fighting with Ryan Wilson, but any flickering home hope was extinguished by Anton Lazarev’s empty-netter. Salavat Yulaev can wrap up the series on home ice in two days’ time.
Game 5 - Tuesday, March 01(4) Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 (5) Ak Bars Kazan 4 Salavat Yulaev leads the series 3-2
Ak Bars reasserted some regional pride and kept its play-off dream alive after a battling win in Ufa denied Salavat Yulaev the chance to progress to the Conference semi-final. Despite two goals from Linus Omark, the home team could not find a way to wrap up the series in five games and must try again in Kazan on Thursday. Vladimir Tkachyov’s goal at the start of the third period proved crucial: he found the shooting lane past two defensemen and into Niklas Svedberg’s top corner to claim Ak Bars’ fourth goal of the game and open up a two-goal cushion for the first time on the night. Anton Lazarev halved the deficit for the home team with 10 minutes to play, but there was no way back. Earlier Omark opened the scoring in the fourth minute, finishing from close range after he began the move on the boards. The Swede moved back up to the blue line where Dmitry Vishnevsky’s pass found Andreas Engqvist in the slot and his shot was deflected into Omark’s path. But two goals in a minute late in the first period disrupted Salavat’s hopes of a smooth passage into the next round. Denis Golubev tied the scores when he got free of the defense and arrived on the slot to put away the rebound from Vasily Tokranov’s shot. Then, on the power play, Albert Yarullin gave Ak Bars the lead when he skated in from the point and let fly with a slap shot across the face of Niklas Svedberg in the home net. Omark tied the game early in the second period but Ak Bars went ahead once more after Sergei Soin was expelled from the game. Justin Azevedo got that goal, picking his spot from the deep slot to maintain Ak Bars’ hopes of salvaging the series.
Game 6 - Thursday, March 03(5) Ak Bars Kazan 8 (4) Salavat Yulaev Ufa 0 Series tied at 3-3
The Ak Bars revival continued in emphatic fashion as three goals from Vladimir Tkachyov and two more from Artyom Lukoyanov paced the Tatar team to a resounding victory over Salavat Yulaev. Having trailed 1-3 at the start of the week, Ak Bars not only levelled the series but inflicted a potentially damaging psychological blow on its rival with such a comprehensive triumph. From being one game away from progressing, Salavat now faces a do-or-die showdown in a series where the momentum feels like it has shifted over the last two games. A second-period blow-out made all the difference here as Ak Bars rattled in four unanswered goals to take total control of the game. More worryingly for the visitor, it came off just 10 shots on goal: a combination of clinical finishing and questionable goal-tending that needs to be urgently addressed before Saturday’s decider. Tkachyov got things rolling. He opened the scoring in the first period, deflecting Nikolai Belov’s shot past Niklas Svedberg in the 16th minute. Then he produced his best goal of the night in the 25th minute, bursting in from the left channel, outwitting his marker and putting a well-placed wrist shot beyond the Swede. Seconds later Lukoyanov got in on the act, holding off a defenseman to score with a one-timer off an Albert Yarullin feed. Lukoyanov quickly made it 4-0, completing a devastating burst of three goals in 69 seconds to take the game away from Salavat Yulaev and see Svedberg chased to the bench in favor of Vladimir Sokhatsky. The visitor’s evening didn’t improve significantly. Konstantin Makarov was ejected for spearing and that power play helped Ryan Wilson to add a fifth. And the final stanza saw the goal rush continue. Tkachyov completed his hat-trick and there were late contributions to the score sheet from Denis Golubev and Fyodor Malykhin. The margin of victory outstripped the 7-0 thrashing SKA handed to Atlant in the first round in 2013 and Ak Bars’ 1-7 reverse at Sibir in 2014.
Game 7 - Saturday, March 05(4) Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 (5) Ak Bars Kazan 2
Salavat Yulaev wins the series 4-3
The ‘green derby’ went the distance and the outcome of this heavyweight clash remained in doubt until the siren sounded, but Salavat Yulaev held its nerve to win through to an Eastern Conference semi-final against Avangard. The Ufa team recovered from a chastening 0-8 reverse on Thursday to shrug off the setback of conceding a goal in the first minute and claw its way to a narrow 3-2 verdict against its most bitter rival. Dmitry Makarov’s first goal of the playoffs ultimately proved the difference between two teams that produced seven games of compelling, unpredictable hockey. He struck in the 39th minute to haul Salavat Yulaev into the next round. The game got off to a pulsating start as the teams traded goals in the first 65 seconds. Ak Bars took the lead with the first attack of the game as Dmitry Arkhipov went coast-to-coast before startling Niklas Svedberg with a shot from the boards. But Salavat tied it up within seconds after some lax defense gave Makarov a shooting chance. The attempt got caught up in the skates of an Ak Bars D-man and fell perfectly for Enver Lisin to fire home the equalizer. Lisin then played a big role in Maxim Goncharov’s go-ahead goal in the 16th minute. He emerged with the puck from behind the net and fed the defenseman at the top of the circle. Goncharov needed no second invitation, unleashing a mighty one-timer that gave Emil Garipov no chance. Makarov then weighed in with his all-important goal. Swivelling away from a defenseman and getting a shot off even as he fell to the ice, he beat Garipov from the slot to open up a two-goal cushion going into the final stanza. Now all the attention was on the Salavat defense. After giving up eight goals on Thursday, could it hold out here and secure a place in the next round with a minimum of fuss? The early signs were not promising, Denis Khlystov took a penalty early in the third and Ak Bars seized the initiative. Mikhail Varnakov went agonizingly close but found the angle too tight as the net gaped before him and it seemed that the home team might be in for a long third period. Instead, it kept Ak Bars at bay until the dying moments when a simple, direct play gave Ak Bars the lifeline it craved with just over two minutes to play. Stepan Zakharchuk, deep in his own zone, played a long pass to Fyodor Malykhin as the forward waiting on the Salavat blue line. Malykhin’s pass inside set up Dmitry Obukhov for a one-timer that ripped past Svedberg to make it one-goal game and ensure a nerve-jangling finale. Linus Omark was denied a goal that would have settled it for Salavat before Garipov made way as Ak Bars unleashed its final storm. But the hooter came too soon; last season’s beaten finalist bows out at the first hurdle in 2016.
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