KHL - Playoffs - Round 2 - CSKA Moscow v Lokomotiv Yaroslavl - Lokomotiv Win Series 4-2

Game 1 - CSKA v Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4-2 - Wednesday, March 08, 2017

Two goals from Andrei Svetlakov paced CSKA to victory in the opening game of this Western Conference Semi-final series. The youngster converted two power play chances to give the Army Men the edge and maintain his team’s perfect post-season record. Stephane Da Costa gave CSKA the ideal start with a third-minute goal. The Frenchman got a vital touch on Sergei Alexeyev’s shot from the point as the Army Men kept Loko from clearing its zone in the early stages of the game. Then came a power play for CSKA, and the home team was quick to take advantage. Petri Kontiola spent just 17 seconds in the box before Andrei Svetlakov doubled the lead, lifting the puck over the prone Alexei Murygin after the goalie had denied Kirill Petrov from close range. For a moment, it seemed that Lokomotiv was running off the rails. But the Railwaymen boast a deadly PP of their own, and when Alexander Popov picked up a minor for tripping, Lokomotiv wheeled out the big guns. Defensive duo Staffan Kronwall and Jakub Nakladal had enjoyed great success in the series against Dinamo Minsk, and the pair combined here to reduce the arrears. Nakladal, centrally positioned just inside the blue line, traded passes with Kronwall in the right-hand circle before stepping up to shoot past Ilya Sorokin. Lokomotiv only managed four shots on target in the first period, but still had a vital goal and a lifeline in the game. Nakladal then tied it up in the second period, with Brandon Kozun collecting his 10^th assist of the playoffs. CSKA’s defense fluffed the chances to clear its lines, with Ivan Telegin failing to get a strong contact on the puck as he looked to sweep it away from his net. Kozun collected it, fed Nakladal, and the Czech saw his shot flip up off the stick of the luckless Telegin and deceive Sorokin as it went in off the bar. Parity did not last long. Another Kontiola penalty led to another Svetlakov goal as CSKA regained the initiative. Petrov was involved once again, feeding Svetlakov as the youngster waiting on the goal line. His attempt to play the puck into the danger zone paid off: Mikhail Pashnin slid in to clear, but could only push it into the net with his skate to put the home team back in front in the 29^thminute. This time, CSKA would not relinquish its lead. The second period was enlivened by a fight between Jan Mursak and Pavel Kraskovsky, the Lokomotiv man got the better of that battle, but finished on the losing side in the game, while the battered Mursak did not return to the ice after serving his penalty for fighting. The third saw Sergei Andronov wrap up the win when he made it 4-2 during a spell of four-on-four hockey. CSKA swiftly turned defense into offense, with Andronov setting Telegin on a charge towards Murygin’s net. The goalie blocked the first attempt, but offered up a tempting rebound for Andronov to gobble up. Lokomotiv was done, and CSKA had the early initiative in this series. It wasn’t all good news for the home team, though. Forward Greg Scott was helped off the ice late in the first period after taking a hit to the head from Lokomotiv’s Rushan Rafikov. Dmitry Kvartalnov later described it as “very serious” and feared that the Canadian would not play again in this series.
Game 2 - CSKA v Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 3-4 - Friday, March 10, 2017

Lokomotiv hit back in game two, tying the series before heading to home ice for the next meeting on Sunday. Both teams were forced to reshuffle after CSKA’s victory in the series opener on Wednesday. Injuries to Jan Mursak and Greg Scott prompted returns for the Army Men’s Valery Nichushkin and Artyom Voroshilo. Lokomotiv also had an enforced change, with Rushan Rafikov’s suspension for his hit on Scott leading to a call-up for Denis Osipov. CSKA enjoyed the better of the opening stages, but fell behind to a freakish goal credited to Daniil Apalkov. Denis Denisov seemed to have all the time in the world to control the puck and clear it from danger after Apalkov sent a hopeful pass across the face of CSKA’s net with no Loko forward within sight. But the vastly experienced Denisov suffered a costly lapse of concentration and, after controlling the puck, he mishit his intended clearance and looked on in horror as Ilya Sorokin saw the disk squirm through the five-hole and into the net. Behind the home bench, Dmitry Kvartalnov’s face was a mixture of bewilderment and fury; Lokomotiv celebrated a gift-wrapped goal. That hardly reflected the balance of play in the opening stanza, though, and there was a sense of justice being done when Nichushkin created a fantastic equalizer with 30 seconds to play in the period. The forward collected the puck at the top of the left-hand face-off circle and set off for the net. He slalomed his way through the visiting defense then, unselfishly, slipped the puck to Alexander Popov for a close-range finish. Despite dominating the play, CSKA could do little to prevent Lokomotiv regaining the lead early in the middle frame. Andrei Loktionov won a face-off in the home zone, the puck came back to Yegor Averin and he whipped home a wrister that left Sorokin with no chance. Home frustrations mounted as chances came and went in the second period but Lokomotiv held on to its lead. The visitor’s power play has been one of the most effective weapons in view during this year’s playoffs, and Petri Kontiola reminded CSKA of its potency once again early in the third period. The Finn made it 3-1 in the 44^th minute, getting a deft touch on a Jakub Nakladal shot to beat Sorokin. The Army Men responded almost immediately, with Geoff Platt scoring against one of his former clubs after Dmitry Kugryshev squeezed out a pass even as he fell to the ice. But 15 minutes was not enough to save the home team. Another flurry of penalties, shared between both sides, disrupted the flow of the game and Lokomotiv benefited thanks to some perceptive play from Averin. With a scrum unfolding around the CSKA net, Averin had the presence of mind to slip the puck away from goal and into the path of Andrei Loktionov, who needed no second invitation to fire into the unguarded side of Sorokin’s target. The importance of that goal became even clearer in the last minute when Nichushkin tucked away the rebound from a Stephane Da Costa shot to make it 3-4, but Lokomotiv held on to claim the win.
Game 3 - Lokomotiv Yaroslavl v CSKA 1-2 - Sunday, March 12, 2017

Stephane Da Costa moved onto seven playoff points with a goal and an assist to help CSKA claim a series lead against Lokomotiv. The French international had a helper as Kirill Petrov opened the scoring in the first period, then delivered the game-winner in the third after Dmitry Lugin had tied the scores. Prior to the start of this series, the focus had been on Lokomotiv’s special teams. The Railwaymen had dominated the power play against Dinamo Minsk, while its PK had chipped in with an impressive trio of short-handed goals. The evidence suggested that penalty trouble could cost CSKA in this match-up. And, indeed, penalties played a key role in determining the outcome of this game, but it was Loko that was on the receiving end. The home team fluffed its lines on the PP, and offered too many opportunities for CSKA to enjoy a numerical advantage at the other end. The first chance came midway through the first period and, after diligently probing in the Loko zone, the Army Men went in front with barely 10 seconds of the power play left. Da Costa got to the goal line and fired a pass across the ice to the unmarked Petrov, who beat Alexei Murygin with a wrist shot. Loko levelled early in the second, with Lugin scoring from close range after Yegor Averin’s rush down the right caused chaos in the CSKA defense. But the home power play was faltering. A four-minute advantage in the first period had already been spurned, and late in the middle stanza the visitor had two minors in quick succession, giving Loko an extended period of 5-on-4 hockey without generating a goal. That was even more costly when CSKA showed how to capitalize on an advantage early in the third. Jakub Nakladal and Vladislav Gavrikov picked up minor penalties, and Da Costa made the most of the 5-on-3 situation. The Frenchman exchanged passes with Bogdan Kiselevich before smashing a one-timer low past Murygin from the top of the face-off circle. Two assists for Kiselevich, 1+1 for da Costa and a 2-1 lead that was sufficient to see CSKA claim the win and move ahead in the series. Loko’s penalty problems continued, Petri Kontiola found himself in the sin-bin as CSKA got an unexpected second chance at 5-on-3 play. It didn’t produce another goal, but it scuppered the home team’s hopes of building up some momentum to finish the game. Lokomotiv was allowed just three shots on Viktor Fasth’s net in the third period as the visitor shut the play down superbly to secure the win.
Game 4 - Lokomotiv Yaroslavl v CSKA 5-1 - Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Lokomotiv went goal crazy in the third period of this game to snatch a big victory against CSKA. The margin of the Railwaymen’s success suggests that not only have they tied the series, they may also have tipped the momentum in their favor as the action heads back to Moscow on Thursday. Initially, though, it was a very different game as CSKA had the better of the opening exchanges. Former Lokomotiv forward Geoff Platt did little to endear himself to his former fans when he poached an instinctive goal late in the first period to give CSKA the lead. The visitor had rarely posed a serious threat in a very even game, with even the Army Men’s sole power play chance barely ruffling Alexei Murygin’s composure. But when Artyom Voroshilo fired in a hopeful shot from long range, Murygin allowed a big rebound and after the goalie stopped Vladimir Zharkov’s attempt, Platt pounced to shoot home the opening goal. For Loko it was a case of frustration after an opening stanza that had seen the visitor largely stifled, albeit at the cost of calming the home offense at the same time. The best chance for the host came on the power play, with Max Talbot testing Viktor Fasth as he got a deflection on Staffan Kronwall’s shot, but after the Railwaymen found their special teams so potent against Dinamo Minsk, CSKA showed signs of blunting that weapon. In the second period, however, the home team finally got that PP back on the scoreboard. Max Talbot’s equalizer wasn’t the prettiest goal of the season, he forced the puck home from close range after Fasth blocked Jakub Nakladal’s long-range effort and Brandon Kozun’s attempt on the rebound, but for a Lokomotiv crowd that could sense the series starting to slip away it was undoubtedly one of the most important. The significance of that strike was underlined in the third period as Loko ran riot, firing home four unanswered goals to power to victory. Pavel Kraskovsky got the all-important 2-1 goal in the 44^th minute, left unattended on the slot to fire home Yegor Korshkov’s pass from behind the net. Then the Loko power play struck once again, taking just four seconds to turn Artyom Sergeyev’s interference call into a goal. Petri Kontiola won the face-off, Nakladal delivered a thumping shot to beat Fasth. Lokomotiv’s evening got even better in the 52^nd minute when Alexander Polunin squeezed home the fourth from a tight angle before further penalty trouble for CSKA saw Kozun complete the scoring late on. An emphatic victory to level the series … and possibly hand the momentum to the team from Yaroslavl.
Game 5 - CSKA v Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1-2 - Thursday, March 16, 2017

It’s advantage Lokomotiv as the Railwaymen snatched a vital victory in Moscow to move ahead in this series for the first time. Two first-period goals put the visitor on track for a win in game five, and moved the team to within one game of returning to the final four for the first time since 2014’s Western Conference Final defeat to Lev Prague. For CSKA, a beaten grand finalist last season, the pressure is on. Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team must go to Yaroslavl on Saturday and win if it is to continue pursuing its dream of Gagarin Cup glory. The game was won by Loko duo Vladislav Gavrikov and Yegor Averin. They both tallied a goal and an assist in the opening stanza, taking their combined playoff tally to 12 points and setting up a winning lead for the visitor. The opening goal came in the 14^th minute as Gavrikov turned defense into offense before feeding Andrei Loktionov. He picked out a diagonal pass for Averin at the far post, and the forward beat goalie Viktor Fasth to score with a backhand from close range.
The same line combined again on the power play to double the Railwaymen’s lead three minutes before the first intermission. This time Averin won the puck behind the net and fed Gavrikov out in front for the second goal of the night. Gavrikov almost added a third early in the middle session, but saw his 22^nd-minute attempt bounce to safety off the piping. CSKA, rattled, looked for a response and dominated the remaining two periods. But Alexander Sudnitsin, preferred to Alexei Murygin in the Loko net, proved hard to beat. The home team’s only goal of the game arrived late in the middle session. It was credited to Andrei Svetlakov, after the youngster deflected the puck past Sudnitsin, but the hard work came from Valery Nichushkin after he forced his way into a shooting position and sent a low effort skidding along the ice while the goalie was screened. The final stanza saw plenty of effort from CSKA, with Lokomotiv limited to just two shots on goal. But Sudnitsin was on top of the situation and kept his team in front. The goalie finished with 38 saves, delighting the small, unexpected group of South African Lokomotiv fans who came to the CSKA Arena in Moscow and putting his team to within one victory of clinching the series. Game six takes place in Yaroslavl on Saturday.
Game 6 - Lokomotiv Yaroslavl v CSKA 3-1 - Saturday, March 18, 2017
Lokomotiv steamed into the Western Conference final as it completed an upset win over regular-season champ CSKA to set up a showdown with SKA St. Petersburg next week. The Railwaymen made it three wins from three games to wrap up the series on home ice despite a committed attacking performance from a CSKA team determined to force a game seven decider in Moscow on Monday evening. A goal in each period, and a big penalty against visiting D-man Grigory Panin, eased Loko’s passage into the next phase, while goalie Alexander Sudnitsin claimed his second successive win, making 44 saves. The first period saw CSKA have by far the better of the play, with Valery Nichushkin and Bogdan Kiselevich at the heart of most of the good things in the Army Men’s play. But those efforts went unrewarded, with Sudnitsin once again frustrating the Moscow offense and Loko looking for chances on the counter attack. Come the eighth minute, and one of those opportunities came off for the home team. Pavel Kraskovsky was the scorer, finding the net for the second time in this post season, but Yegor Korshkov was the architect. His rush took him behind the CSKA net, where a perfectly weighted backhand pass found young Kraskovsky on the slot and ready to shoot home the opening goal. For young Ilya Sorokin, recalled to the CSKA starting line-up, it was hardy the ideal start. At the other end, the pressure was intense, but CSKA struggled to get good looks at Sudnitsin’s net. A resilient defensive display, typified by the commitment shown by forward Daniil Apalkov as he twice pulled off vital blocks towards the end of the stanza, limited the Army Men’s opportunities. At the first intermission, Sudnitsin had nine saves, while Loko had blocked 10 shots before they could trouble the goalie. That pattern continued in the second period, with CSKA enjoying the bulk of possession but struggling to carve out clear chances. And again, Lokomotiv was better able to cash in on the opportunities it created, extending its lead on the power play in the 34^th minute. Max Talbot got it, pouching an instinctive finish from close range after D-men Staffan Kronwall and Jakub Nakladal stretched the visiting defense. Talbot was also involved in the other big incident of the middle stanza when he found himself on the receiving end of a high hit from Grigory Panin. The Loko forward was left crumpled on the ice while Panin was awarded a double 5+game penalty for that offense and a similar assault on Brandon Kozun in the subsequent brawl. Nakladal was given a minor for roughing in the same incident. That extended penalty cost CSKA dear, with Loko extending its lead early in the third period as the Army Men remained short-handed. Nakladal kept the puck in the visitor’s zone, just, and fed Kronwall in the right-hand circle. He drilled the puck across the face of Sorokin’s net and Andrei Loktionov was on hand to turn it in at the far post. Now the game was all but out of CSKA’s reach, with two further minutes of the Panin double penalty to kill. Lokomotiv’s defense remained as rigorous as ever, with Vladislav Gavrikov adding his name to the list of players putting their body on the line to block shots from the visiting offense but by now the home team was well on top and the outcome was already beyond serious doubt. There was a consolation goal for CSKA, scored by Stephane Da Costa on the power play in the closing minutes, but this was very much Lokomotiv’s day.