Vityaz v Barys 4-2
Two of the senior players on the Vityaz roster came to the fore as the playoff hopeful picked up a valuable home win against Vityaz to move back into the top eight. Maxim Afinogenov had a goal and an assist for the Moscow Region team, while Alexei Kopeikin reached 300 career points with his helper on Mario Kempe’s 53rd-minute goal to make it 4-1. Afinogenov was a big influence earlier, setting up Alexander Nikulin’s first-period goal then scoring himself at the start of the third to make it 2-1 following Kevin Dallman’s equalizer. Then youth had its fling as 21-year-old Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi scored his first ever KHL goal in his 54th appearance for Vityaz. After Kempe’s goal, Martin St. Pierre got one back for Barys but it was already too late to save the game. The win lifts Vityaz to seventh in the Western Conference, while Barys missed the chance to close on eighth-placed Sibir in the East.
Minsk v Ufa 2-3 SO
Dinamo Minsk scored two goals in a minute to turn around its game at home to Salavat Yulaev, but still ended up losing in a shoot-out. Alexander Materukhin and Evgeny Lisovets struck in the third period to cancel out Evgeny Bodrov’s first-period opener, but the lead did not last and Evgeny Korotkov scored in the 53rd minute to send the game to overtime. Maxim Mayorov was the only player to succeed in the shoot-out, giving Salavat Yulaev the win.
Dynamo v Ugra 6-0
The goalies in this game faced widely contrasting fortunes. For Dynamo’s Alexander Yeryomenko, his 17 saves earned him his 75th career shut-out in Russia’s top league. For his opposite number, Alexander Sharychenkov, six unanswered goals added up to an unhappy return to his former club.
Yeryomenko made it two shut-outs in a row following Dynamo’s 3-0 win over Barys on Wednesday, and also completed his second blank against Ugra following a 1-0 win in Khanty-Mansiysk on October 22. Ugra, meanwhile, slumped to a sixth successive defeat. Mat Robinson led the home scoring with two goals, while Artyom Fyodorov had a goal and two assists, Daniil Tarasov got 1+1 and Alexei Tsvetkov contributed three assists. Martins Karsums and Juuso Hietanen also found the net, matching Fyodorov’s achievement of scoring in back-to-back games. The Blue-and-Whites move up to fifth, but in an incredibly tight section they are just two points clear of ninth-placed HC Sochi.Lokomotiv v Avtomobilist 5-3
Young Lokomotiv forward Yegor Korshkov has been one of the brightest prospects of the current season, forming part of a lively home-grown line for his club and getting a call-up to represent Russia at last month’s Karjala Cup.
But after scoring a first-period goal in Loko’s victory over Avtomobilist, the 20-year-old suffered a broken leg after a collision with opposing D-man Dmitry Megalinsky and now faces a long injury lay-off. Head coach Alexei Kudashov confirmed the injury and added that he would be giving a chance to more youngsters in the absence of the forward. Korshkov’s goal cancelled out an early opener from Alexander Torchenyuk, and the pattern repeated early in the second period when Torchenyuk put Avto 2-1 in front only for Vladislav Kartayev to tie the game. The home team got in front for the first time with a Stanislav Chistov goal early in the third, but needed two late strikes to clinch the victory after Denis Mingaleyev made it 3-3 in the 49th minute. Andrei Loktionov and Petri Kontiola scored in the final two minutes to keep the points in Yaroslavl.Slovan v Metallurg Nk 4-5 SO
Metallurg Novokuznetsk picked up its third win on the spin – but remains 13 points adrift at the foot of the Eastern Conference table after a shoot-out success at Slovan. Evgeny Solovyov got the decisive goal after a 4-4 tie in regulation. Kuznya led three times in regulation, with Fyodor Polishchuk and Vladislav Arbuzov claiming two-point hauls, but was pegged back each time. Michal Hlinka’s 55th-minute equalizer forced the extras.
Riga v Metallurg Mg 4-3 SO
Two goals from Miks Indrasis and some shoot-out heroics from Janis Kalnins gave lowly Dinamo Riga a memorable win at home to the defending champion.
Not even a late equalizer from Danis Zaripov, who tied the game at 3-3 on 58:17, could deny the Latvians a hard-fought triumph. Kalnins stood firm in overtime before pulling off shoot-out saves to deny Zaripov, Jan Kovar and Sergei Mozyakin. That meant Gints Meija’s successful attempt proved decisive.
Earlier Oskars Cibulskis gave Dinamo a first-period lead when he collected a loose puck on the blue line and skated forward to beat Vasily Koshechkin. But it seemed that Magnitka was on track for victory when Tomas Filippi and Sergei Mozyakin struck early in the second period. Indrasis, though, had other ideas, tying the game in the 32nd minute after Lauris Darzins’ pass set up a breakaway. Then, late in the middle stanza, he put Dinamo back in front with a shot from a tight angle on the power play. Dinamo remains 10 points adrift at the foot of the table, but Magnitka’s slip gives Ak Bars the chance to reclaim top spot in the Eastern Conference.
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