KHL - Results - December 22-24, 2016

Thursday, December 22nd

Sochi v Vityaz 2-5
There wasn’t much retro about this clash between two of Russia’s newest clubs, played in the state-of-the-art Olympic arena in Sochi. But there was plenty riding on the outcome as Vityaz sought a win that would help it pursue its own dream of making history this season and reaching its first-ever KHL playoff.
A first-period blitz saw four unanswered goals set the visitor on the way to victory, and back into the all-important top eight as Sochi slips below the dotted line. Roman Horak set things in motion with a second-minute power play goal before Maxim Afinogenov got his first of the night. Next came Alexander Pankov, who marked his first game for Vityaz with a goal to celebrate his arrival from Ak Bars before a fine first period finished with another power play goal, this time from Mario Kempe. Sochi improved, it could hardly get worse for the host, and Andrei Kostitsyn pulled a goal back in the second period. But by the time Renat Mamashev made it 2-4 the game was already deep into the final stanza and Afinogenov fired into the empty net to wrap up a vital win for Vityaz.

Friday, December 23rd 

Admiral v Ugra 4-1
In Vladivostok, a three-goal salvo in the second period made the difference. Maxim Kazakov opened the scoring in the 26^th minute, Dmitry Sayustov doubled the lead 44 seconds later and Vladimir Tkachyov got his 14^th of the season to make it 3-0 in the 29^th. Evgeny Lapenkov scored for the second game running to reduce the arrears but Pavel Makarenko completed the win for Admiral.
Avangard v Minsk 0-1

A solitary first-period goal was enough to settle this game, boosting Dinamo’s playoff prospects in the West and dampening Avangard’s hopes of topping the table in the East. But the big talking point came on the bench, where Avangard head coach Fyodor Kanareikin was sent to the locker room following an altercation with the officials. As a niggly game threatened to boil over in the middle stanza, Kanareikin lost his temper and got a bit too physical in his protests. It was the second game running that Dinamo had been involved in a hot-blooded confrontation; the previous 3-1 win at Sibir also turned into an arm-wrestle. Once again, though, the Belarusians prevailed on their Siberian tour. Ben Scrivens was inspired between the piping, making big saves early on to deny Pyotr Khokhryakov, Anton Burdasov and Mikhail Yunkov before Alexander Pavlovich went to the other end and scored the only goal of the night. Scrivens finished with 35 saves, Dinamo left with all three points.
Barys v Traktor 3-4
In Astana, two third-period goals from Nigel Dawes could not salvage anything for Barys after Alexei Kruchinin had a stellar game for Traktor. The young forward bagged a hat-trick of assists as two goals from Paul Szczechura and another from Alexei Petrov gave Traktor a 3-0 lead. Then, after Cam Barker and Dawes’ first had put Barys back in the game, Kruchinin scored himself to make it 4-2 and render Dawes’ final contribution meaningless in terms of the final result.
Slovan v Metallurg Mg 2-4

Magnitka rebounded from its defeat in Zagreb to overcome Slovan thanks to goals from Tomas Filippi and Danis Zaripov. The early stages of the game belonged to Alexander Semin, who was in clinical form to give Metallurg a 2-0 lead. His team only managed six shots on Justin Pogge’s net in the first period, but both of Semin’s efforts found the target. Slovan, buoyed by back-to-back wins over Salavat Yulaev and Traktor, hit back. Jeff Taffe halved the deficit before the first intermission and when Semin was sent to the sin bin, Ziga Jeglic converted the power play and tied the game. Cue Filippi, and an unassisted goal late in the second period to put Metallurg back in front. The Czech forward robbed Tomas Surovy of the puck in the Slovan zone and rushed on Pogge to score. This time, there was no fight back. Zaripov extended the lead in the final session and Slovan had no answer.
Medvescak v Ufa
It took a shoot-out to separate Medvescak and Salavat Yulaev in Zagreb. Lukas Lessio claimed the deciding goal, snapping a 2-2 tie. Earlier Lessio helped Medvescak into a 2-0 lead in the second period, with Colby Genoway also on target. But Salavat responded with two in 40 seconds from Evgeny Bodrov and Denis Parshin to force the extras.

Saturday, December 24th

Torpedo v Lokomotiv 1-3
After celebrating hockey’s history on Thursday to mark the 70^th anniversary of the game in Russia, Torpedo chose Saturday’s game to look ahead and anticipate the club’s centenary in 2046. The team hailed the event as a world first, unveiling a futuristic club logo and uniform for the game against Loko. The matchday magazine also looked to the future, featuring interviews with schoolkids currently learning the game within the Torpedo system and perhaps starting out on a pathway towards Olympic or World Championship glory in the 2040s. On the ice, though, the festive mood did not last so long. Despite a goal from Carter Ashton after 22 seconds, Torpedo’s immediate future in this game was not so promising. Staffan Kronwall brought Loko level in the fifth minute and second period goals from Vladislav Kartayev and Max Talbot meant that many home fans looked at the centrepiece of the celebratory display, a vintage DeLorean, star of the feature film Back to the Future, as a ticket to happier memories of back-to-back wins over Torpedo’s Volga rival in Yaroslavl in September.

Torpedo pre game show

Kunlun v Amur 0-1 SO

It took a shoot-out to separate Kunlun and Amur after 65 minutes of goalless hockey was dominated by goalies Juha Metsola and Tomi Karhunen. Metsola had 34 saves for Amur, while Karhunen stopped 30 shots on his net. Clear chances were few in regulation, with a Sean Collins solo rush late in the first period perhaps the best opportunity at either end. Into overtime and Kunlun pushed hard for a winner without finding a way to solve Metsola. Even an incident where a Tobias Viklund slapshot deflected off the skate of an official bounced kindly for Amur, with the puck squirming away from Damien Fleury as the net gaped. In the shoot-out, though, Karhunen’s form deserted him as Tomas Zohorna, Vladislav Ushenin and Alexei Byvaltsev all converted their attempts. Fleury succeeded for Kunlun, but the win went to Khabarovsk and Kunlun’s 100% winning record in Beijing came to an end.