KHL - Playoffs - Round 2 - SKA v Dynamo Moscow - SKA Win Series 4-1

Game 1 - SKA v Dynamo Moscow 2-3 SO - Wednesday, March 08, 2017
Dynamo Moscow is fast becoming the overtime king of this post season. For the fifth time in six games the Blue-and-Whites went beyond the scheduled 60 minutes, and for the fourth time the Moscow team came out on top. Maxim Karpov was the hero, adding his third game-winner of the playoffs to his two markers in regulation, delivering the kind of MVP performance that once persuaded SKA head coach Oleg Znarok to sign him for Dynamo. His winning goal came in the 78^th minute after SKA was penalized for too many men. Juuso Hietanen fired in a powerful, if inaccurate, shot from the face-off spot and as the puck headed wide of Mikko Koskinen’s net it got caught up in Karpov’s skates. The forward kept his balance, took control of the situation and stuffed it home from close range to claim the win. Dynamo thought it had secured victory even before that after Yakov Rylov got the puck in the net in the 70^th minute. He bundled the disk over the line after Alexei Tsvetkov’s shot was blocked, but the goal was already off its moorings and the score was ruled out by the video officials. For many, it was a reminder of a notorious incident from the 2012 playoff meeting between these teams when SKA had an overtime goal ruled out on the video and Dynamo snatched victory on the night before going on to sweep the series. That night, Denis Mosalyov scored three for the visitor; this time Karpov became the new hat-trick hero. Karpov, another product of the Traktor organization, made his breakthrough back in the 2012-13 season when he, alongside fellow prospects Valery Nichushkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, helped the Chelyabinsk team to the Gagarin Cup final, where it lost to Dynamo. Karpov made an impression, and Oleg Znarok signed him for the Moscow club. Tonight, with Znarok behind the opposing bench, the forward was ready to shoot down the man who once hired him. He opened the scoring in the sixth minute, holding off the attentions of Yegor Yakovlev on the slot to force home Andrei Mironov’s pass from the point. After that, though, Dynamo struggled to make much of an impression on the home defense as SKA dominated but failed to get past Alexander Yeryomenko. The visiting goalie was finally beaten early in the second period after some fine interplay by the Shipachyov-Dadonov-Gusev line. Nikita Gusev brought the puck into the Dynamo zone, Evgeny Dadonov farmed it out to Vadim Shipachyov, and the forward drew Yeryomenko out of position before slipping a pass back to Gusev for a simple finish at the far post. With the scores level, and SKA so dominant for much of the game, it seemed almost inevitable that the home team would go ahead and take control. Dynamo, though, had other ideas. Apart from one good opportunity for Ilya Kovalchuk, the visitor largely limited the host to half chances. Then Karpov struck again. Alexei Tereshchenko’s feed found the 25-year-old in the right-hand circle. The angle was tight, but Karpov’s rising shot beat Mikko Koskinen at his near post, flying over the goalie’s shoulder to reinstate Dynamo’s lead. The final stanza was tense. Dynamo, noted for its solid defense, looked to keep SKA at arm’s length and preserve its slender advantage. SKA, renowned for its powerful offense, kept on looking for a way through. Chances were scarce at either end, and the clock was ticking towards an anxious finale for the home team when a power play finally brought the scores level. Pavel Datsyuk got the goal, no masterpiece, this time, but a precise finish off a Sergei Shirokov pass. And that was enough to take the game to a fast-paced and absorbing period of overtime.
Game 2 - SKA v Dynamo Moscow 2-0 - Friday, March 10, 2017
Two power play goals in the first period set SKA on the road to tying up this series and cancelling out Wednesday’s overtime loss despite a remarkable late goal from Dynamo’s Andrei Kuteikin. The game began at a high tempo, with chances at both ends in the early exchanges, but penalty trouble hurt the visitor badly as the host took control of the game. SKA went ahead in the 13^th minute while Alexei Tereshchenko sat out his hooking penalty. Anton Belov fired in a shot from the point, Alexander Yeryomenko saved but the rebound went straight to Jarno Koskiranta’s stick. The Finn’s shot got caught up in Evgeny Ketov’s legs, but the forward reacted smartly and stuffed the puck beyond Yeryomenko at the second attempt. That changed the balance of the game, with SKA starting to assume greater control of proceedings. And a second strike not long before the intermission offered them Army Men a measure of comfort. Vadim Shipachyov was the player left in space as Dynamo sought to kill another penalty, Nikita Gusev found him to set up the goal. In the middle session, SKA was the stronger team even though it failed to extend its lead. Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk produced several threatening moments, while the visitor was largely restricted to attempts from the blue line as the home defense worked hard to protect Mikko Koskinen’s net. Dynamo would not lie down, and after a post season full of overtime games there was no doubt about the Blue-and-Whites’ resilience under pressure. But this time there would be no grand revival as SKA did a great defensive job for much of the third period. True, the home team was unable to land a third, knock-out blow on its opponent, but as anyone in hockey will tell you, teams that don’t shoot find it hard to score. Dynamo was limited to just three shots on goal in the final stanza, strangling any chance of forcing yet another period of overtime. One of those shots, though, was a sensation: Kuteikin, frustrated by the solid SKA defense, let fly from well inside his own half and saw the puck rear up off the ice to beat the startled Koskinen in stunning style. A memorable moment for the Dynamo D-man, but not enough to change the outcome of this game.
Game 3 - Dynamo Moscow v SKA 2-4 - Sunday, March 12, 2017
Three players expelled from the game, another red-line goal from Dynamo’s Andrei Kuteikin and a hard-fought victory for SKA head coach Oleg Znarok in front of his former fans in Moscow, game three of this series had plenty of talking points. This gritty clash was settled by two power play goals early in the third period, with the visitor turning around a 1-2 deficit following Lukas Kaspar’s expulsion from the game. Kaspar’s ejection deep in the second period was a turning point. At that time, Dynamo was leading 2-1 and SKA was smarting from a similar sanction against Pavel Datsyuk. The Magic Man rarely gets into trouble, but he was called for charging after a big hit on Alexei Tsvetkov left the Dynamo man needing to be helped from the ice. There was a sense that everything was going astray for the visitor, until Kaspar was sent to the locker room for crunching Sergei Shirokov into the boards with the puck far away. Like Tsvetkov, Shirokov needed assistance to get back to the bench. Early in the third, Alexei Tereshchenko picked up a minor, giving SKA a 5-on-3 opportunity. Vadim Shipachyov duly tied the scores, firing home from a tight angle off Nikita Gusev’s pass. Within a minute, it was 3-2, after Evgeny Dadonov forced home the rebound following Anton Belov’s shot. The drama continued: Alexander Dergachyov became the third player to get an early place in the showers after the SKA forward was called for checking to the head. But, having seen its lead crumble as it failed to kill a major penalty, Dynamo was unable to inflict similar punishment on the opposition. SKA held out, and then had chances to extend its lead: a penalty on Dmitry Vishnevsky, a one-on-one chance for Dadonov to test Alexander Yeryomenko from close range. At the other end, Dynamo had fleeting moments, but struggled to find the killer pass to unlock the visiting defense. An empty-net goal from Ilya Kovalchuk put the outcome beyond doubt. Earlier, things had looked brighter for the home team. Yakov Rylov fired the Blue-and-Whites ahead early on, scoring off a Denis Kokarev pass despite SKA’s claims of offside. Even after Jarno Koskiranta levelled the scores in the 10^th minute, Dynamo got back in front thanks to another mighty strike from Kuteikin, who spotted the chance to lash in another shot from the red line and beat Mikko Koskinen for the second game in a row. But then the penalties started coming, and SKA kept its collective nerve to turn the game around and claim the lead in the series.
Game 4 - Dynamo Moscow v SKA 1-4 - Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Dynamo Moscow likes to include a remix of cult Russian rock song ‘Gruppa Krovi’ in its gameday music. The refrain about ‘wish me luck in the battle’ fits the context, but a less familiar line about not seeking ‘victory at any price’ seems slightly odd, especially when the post-season stakes are high. Unfortunately for the Blue-and-Whites, Tuesday’s game was more about the latter as Dynamo failed to take the lead despite turning the screws in the early stages of this game. Even D-man Andrei Mironov, hardly a regular scorer, got in on the act as he slalomed through the visiting defense only to fail against the pads of Mikko Koskinen. But chances for Denis Kokarev and Yakov Rylov all came to naught and when a SKA breakaway ended in a penalty on Konstantin Gorovikov midway through the stanza, the pattern of play changed. Dynamo successfully killed that penalty, but struggled to regain its early momentum. SKA posed more of a threat and took the lead in the 17^th minute when Jarno Koskiranta fed Anton Belov for a powerful shot from the left-hand face-off circle. That goal came seconds after second home PK; Oleg Znarok’s fist pump said much for his relief at gaining an edge in a tight game. The middle stanza could have been the moment for Kokarev to turn the game around. Twice the Dynamo forward threatened: in the 25^th minute his shot beat Koskinen and bounced off both posts before rebounding to safety. Moments later, he robbed Dinar Khafizullin deep in SKA territory, but the goalie’s pads kept SKA ahead. Finally, Dynamo’s experienced forward did find the net, tying the game in the 37^th minute after Artyom Podshendyalov led a rush from his own zone and Kokarev’s shot good a helpful deflection off Patrik Hersley. Some good luck in the battle at last. But all too soon, fortune swung back behind the visitor. Sergei Shirokov, whose previous game saw him on the receiving end of a brutal hit from Lukas Kaspar, hit Dynamo where it hurts in the last minute of the period. The Blue-and-Whites gave up possession after a long but unthreatening spell in SKA’s zone and Alexander Barabanov looked to capitalize. He fired the puck to the net, and Shirokov was on hand to force home the rebound before staring down a section of home support. After a check on the video, the goal was given and SKA was back in front. The final period was another case of little luck and missed chances for the home team. Going forward, things looked good until the final shot. Daniil Tarasov and Martins Karsums were both thwarted by Koskinen, while the visiting defense did well to hold the host at arm’s length and restrict the bulk of the shooting chances to distant efforts from D-men. Then, almost inevitably, came the sucker punch. A SKA power play and a decisive goal for Hersley. Belov and Shirokov combined to find the Swede at the top of the circle and his slapper made it over Alexander Yeryomenko’s glove to end Dynamo's hopes. The same player was involved again as Evgeny Ketov fired into the empty net for 4-1; SKA looks poised to wrap up this series.
Game 5 - SKA v Dynamo Moscow 2-0 - Thursday, March 16, 2017

SKA advanced to the Western Conference final for the third year in a row after ending Dynamo’s resistance in game five. The visitor, shocked by the hospitalization of head coach Sergei Oreshkin on the eve of the game, went into action with Vladimir Vorobyov standing in behind the bench. However, Vorobyov oversaw a struggle for his charges. Evgeny Ketov set the tone when he hit the post in the second minute, while at the other end there were few opportunities to take the puck to Mikko Koskinen’s net in the first two periods. SKA dominated, outshooting Dynamo 16-4 in both of those sessions, but for a long time it could not find a way past Alexander Yeryomenko. The veteran goalie, twice the inspiration behind Gagarin Cup wins for the Blue-and-Whites, held firm against the onslaught until the 35^th minute when the home team’s persistence paid off at last. Patrik Hersley, increasingly influential in this post season, took a pass from Nikita Gusev and shot at Yeryomenko. But the Swede gathered the rebound and had the composure to return the puck to Gusev and the forward had little difficulty in catching the goalie out of position.
Once ahead, SKA quickly increased its lead. Artyom Zub’s shot from the blue line found Ilya Kovalchuk right in front of Yeryomenko, and the goalie had no chance to react as Kovy deflected the puck into the net. Two periods played, two goals in front and SKA was on its way to the final four. Dynamo tried to raise its offensive efforts in the third period, and finally began to give Koskinen something to think about. Alexei Tsvetkov tested the goalie from a good position early on, Maxim Karpov, whose hat-trick to win the first game of this series feels a long time ago now, hit the post as he emerged from behind the net. But those efforts came to naught, Koskinen completed a shut-out with 20 saves and SKA marches on to face CSKA or Lokomotiv when the Conference Final begins in a week’s time. For Dynamo, playoff defeats to SKA are becoming something of a habit. The Moscow team twice defeated its rival from the Northern Capital on its way to those Gagarin Cup wins of 2012 and 2013, but has now lost out in four successive post seasons. This season, for the first time, former Dynamo head coach Oleg Znarok was the mastermind of his former club’s downfall, an extra sting in the tail for the Muscovites and further grounds for SKA fans to hope that the club can add to its 2015 triumph by the end of April.