Friday 2 - Ak Bars @ Neftekhimik 1-2
The Tatarstan derby between Ak Bars and Neftekhimik has turned into a top-of-the-table clash this season – and the unheralded visitor took the honors to close the gap on its neighbor to two points. Oleg Piganovich maintained his fine scoring form, potting the game winner in the 36th minute. That made it four goals in three games for the defenseman. Ildar Shiksatdarov was the architect, turning two Ak Bars D-men inside out before serving up a dish for Piganovich at the far post. Earlier Emil Galimov put Neftekhimik in front in the first period, but Rob Klinkhammer tied it up midway through the second period.
Sunday 4 - Ak Bars v Dinamo Minsk 3-1
Ak Bars strengthened its position on top of the Eastern Conference with a comfortable home victory over Dinamo. Jiri Sekac got the host off to a flying start when he opened the scoring after 65 seconds, converting Stanislav Galiyev’s pass from behind the net. The roles were reversed late in the opening stanza when the Czech put up an assist as Galiyev doubled the lead. Sekac fell victim to a crunching hit from Vladimir Denisov as he fed the puck down the boards, but his team-mate’s finish aided his swift recovery. That duo was also active in the middle frame, combining to set up Anton Lander for the 3-0 goal before Dinamo got one back through Alexander Kulakov’s power play strike in the third.Tuesday 6 - Ak Bars v SKA 2-3 OT
It needed overtime to get there, but Oleg Znarok overcame his old rival Zinetula Bilyaletdinov for the first time as head coach of SKA.
In a game full of incident, SKA got off to a fine start when two recent signings combined for an early opener. Patrick Thoresen got the assist, Vadim Shipachyov claimed the goal. That was theseventh game running that Shipachyov was among the points, a run matched by Ilya Kovalchuk who also played a part in the opening marker. The visitor went on to have the better of the first period but could not add to its lead.
The middle frame initially promised more of the same, but after Sergei Plotnikov doubled SKA’s advantage, Ak Bars hit back. A power play goal enabled Vladimir Tkachyov to reduce the arrears. Then, after SKA killed another penalty, Anton Lander tied the scores in the 34th minute with a classy effort.
Ak Bars was unable to finish the job though. The game went to overtime, and Patrik Hersley produced the winner for the visitor. SKA celebrated its first success in Kazan since lifting the Gagarin Cup here in 2015. The team also stretched its current winning run to 10 games. The record-breaking 20-game streak at the start of the season could yet be overhauled, and few would bet against this team repeating its earlier Gagarin Cup triumphsThursday 8 - Ak Bars v Lokomotiv 1-4
It was supposed to be a celebration of Danis Zaripov’s return. A return on two fronts – back to Ak Bars, where his long, successful spell ended four seasons earlier, and back to hockey after appealing against his two-year doping ban. The titled forward, who won two Gagarin Cups and a Russian Superleague title in Kazan, received a rapturous reception from the home crowd every time he appeared on the video cube, never mind ever time he stepped on the ice. In total, Zaripov played 22 shifts for 17 minutes of ice time as he linked up with Vladimir Tkachyov and Rob Klinkhammer. However, on a difficult night for his team his most notable contribution was an error in the build-up to Loko’s second goal. That struggle was at least partly because Lokomotiv came to Kazan without checking the script for the evening and duly steamrollered the festivities with a 4-1 win. The visitor had the better of the game from the start, even if it took some time to convert that edge into goals. Once Daniil Apalkov opened the scoring early in the second period, though, Loko soon jumped to a 3-0 lead. Brandon Kozun made it 2-0 after Petri Kontiola intercepted a loose pass from Zaripov, then Denis Mosalyov added a third. There was some resistance in the final frame when Artyom Lukoyanov pulled a goal back, but Kozun had the last word as Lokomotiv enjoyed a convincing victory.
Sunday 11 - Ak Bars v Dynamo Moscow 6-2
Danis Zaripov scored his first goal since rejoining Ak Bars, and it proved to be the game winner as the Kazan team overpowered Dynamo. After a goalless first period, Ak Bars moved into a 2-1 lead in the second with goals from Artyom Lukoyanov and Rob Klinkhammer coming either side of a power play strike for former Ak Bars favorite Ilya Nikulin. Then came Zaripov’s moment: not only his first since returning to Kazan, not only the winner in this game, but his 200th regular season goal in a distinguished career. It was a well-worked effort, with some slick passing to carve open the visiting defense before Zaripov applied the finishing touch. The third period saw Ak Bars add three more goals – Anton Glinkin, Anton Lander and Jiri Sekac finding the net – before Nikulin got his second of the night in the last minute.
Sunday 18 - Ak Bars v Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2-1
Danis Zaripov got the winning goal in the latest instalment of the ‘Green Derby’ – but there was controversy about his strike. Zaripov found the net seconds before the end of the middle frame, producing a superb piece of skill to turn away from a defenseman and squeeze a shot through traffic and into the net via a deflection. However, his team-mate Stanislav Galiyev appeared to be standing on the paintwork as the shot came in. Salavat Yulaev called for a video review, but the referees upheld their original verdict and awarded the goal. After the game, visiting head coach Erkka Westerlund admitted that he did not understand why the officials had allowed the goal. The decision meant that, for the second game running, Zaripov claimed the game winner. The goal, and the timing of it, was hugely frustrating for Salavat. The team had recovered from allowing Rob Klinkhammer to put Ak Bars in front early on, and drew level thanks to a power play goal from Teemu Hartikainen. But in the final frame, Ak Bars shut down the game and defended its lead well. The teams managed just nine shots on goal between them, giving little chance for Westerlund’s team to tie the scores.
Tuesday 20 - Ak Bars @ Neftekhimik 0-3
Dennis Everberg’s first goal since joining Neftekhimik helped his new club to victory in the Tatarstan derby – and lifted the team to second place in the Kharlamov Division, just three points behind Ak Bars with a game in hand. The Swede opened the scoring after five minutes of Wednesday’s game, capitalizing on some poor defensive cover to convert Damir Sharipzyanov’s feed. If it was a new face who set Neftekhimik on its way, the goals that put the result beyond doubt came from a familiar source. Dan Sexton added two further markers, one in the second period and one on a power play in the third. Both were assisted by Andrej Nestrasil. At the other end, Ilya Ezhov made 30 saves to collect his second successive shut-out, backstopping his team to a second derby victory of the season.
Sunday 25 - Ak Bars @ Avangard Omsk 3-5
Avangard turned this game around in the third period to claim victory in a clash of the divisional leaders in the East. Ak Bars spent much of the opening stanza on the back foot, but got the only goal through Rob Klinkhammer in the ninth minute. Klinkhammer, hoping to make Canada’s Olympic roster, now has three goals in his last four games. Avangard’s first fight-back came early in the second period when Ilya Mikheyev tied the scores and Kirill Semyonov’s power play goal put the host up. However, Stanislav Galiyev scored twice in two minutes to give Ak Bars the lead at the second intermission. In the final frame, the visitor had more of the play, but some clinical work from Avangard’s unpredictable offense turned the game in the Siberians’ favor. Dmitry Kugryshev tied it up before Mikheyev got his second of the night with 10 minutes to play. Ak Bars worked hard to tie it up, but Pyotr Khokhryakov scored into the empty net to seal Avangard’s win.
Tuesday 27 - Ak Bars @ Barys Astana 5-2
Ak Bars tightened its grip on top spot in the Eastern Conference, but Barys drops to 10th as its loss of form continues. The home team had just two wins in 14 games coming into today’s meeting, and never looked like halting that sequence as the visitor took control of the game early on. Ak Bars scored four unanswered goals inside 33 minutes. Anton Lander contributed a goal and an assist in the first period, with Nikita Yazkov benefiting from the Swede’s helper on the second marker. Rob Klinkhammer’s penalty shot made it 3-0 midway through the game, and Lander was involved yet again as Stanislav Galiyev added a fourth soon afterwards. Linden Vey belatedly got Barys on the scoreboard, but the game was gone and Lander completed a fine personal performance with his second goal and fourth point of the night. James Wright struck in the last minute, but it was scant consolation for the home team.
The following day Ak Bars agreed one-way contract until the end of the season with Alexander Burmistrov, who returns to Kazan after two-and-a-half seasons in the NHL, where he donned the colors of the Jets, Coyotes and Canucks.
Ak Bars also clinched a deal with Torpedo in which defenseman Timur Fatkullin heads for Kazan, with the Nizhny Novgorod club accepting financial compensation.
Thursday 29 - Ak Bars @ Sibir Novosibirsk 1-4
Since appointing Vladimir Yurzinov as head coach, Sibir’s form has turned around. Today’s victory against Ak Bars knocked the long-time Eastern Conference leader off the top of the table and moved the Siberians to within two points of a playoff spot. The foundations for Sibir’s fifth win in six games were laid towards the end of the first period. Vyacheslav Osnovin opened the scoring on 17:32, and within a minute Nikolai Demidov's power play goal had doubled that advantage. Ak Bars responded through Danis Zaripov in the middle frame, but hopes of a comeback were snuffed out in the third. Alexander Bergstrom got his eighth goal in seven games before Jonas Enlund wrapped up the win. Bergstrom’s current productive streak stretches nine games, and totals nine goals and four assists.
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