Game 1 - March 3 - Salavat Yulaev v Avangard 6-4
Both these teams had good and bad streaks in the regular season. At times, both forged ahead at the top of the Chernyshev Division; at others, the two clubs played on their fans’ nerves as a playoff place looked to be in doubt. And, in this opening playoff engagement, the teams replayed that sequence in microcosm, mixing great passages of play with alarming lapses. Salavat Yulaev allowed a three-goal lead to slip before securing its victory; Avangard slumped to a seemingly hopeless position before rallying hard to tie the game. Both teams lacked consistency but will have grounds for optimism going into tomorrow’s meeting.
The early play was all about the host. Salavat Yulaev wasted little time in converting a strong finish to the regular season into a bright start to post-season. Stanislav Gareyev opened the scoring in the fifth minute, then Maxim Mayorov and Teemu Hartikainen added two more in the space of 43 seconds to bring Dominik Furch’s evening to an end in the 12th minute. Hartikainen went on to finish with five points from the game; Mayorov’s goal was the only one to which he did not contribute. Before the Finn could continue his scoring streak, Avangard hit back. A power play goal early in the third saw Dmitry Kugryshev reduce the deficit and 41 seconds later, Maxim Mineyev made it a one-goal game after Andrei Stas went around the back and served up a dish for his team-mate to polish off. Suddenly, it was the home team with plenty to worry about, until Hartikainen created an opening for Linus Omark to make it 4-2.
However, there was another little peak from Avangard on the way. For the second time in the game, the Omsk team managed a quick double blast, and this time Pyotr Khokhryakov and Ansel Galimov tied the scores at 4-4. Now, in the 47th minute, it was time for Salavat Yulaev to change goalies, replacing Andrei Karayev with Ivan Nalimov.
A home power play proved decisive: Hartikainen and Omark combined to set up Philip Larsen on the blue line for the game-winner with 10 minutes left. Then Hartikainen got his second goal of the night to secure the verdict, scoring from the slot after Omark’s feed found him all alone in front of the net.
Game 2 - March 5 - Salavat Yulaev v Avangard 2-7
The goals keep coming in Ufa. Just 24 hours after Salavat Yulaev and Avangard shared 10 goals in the opening game of their playoff series, the teams scored another nine in game two. This time, though, it was Avangard that was much the happier, romping to a 7-2 victory and tying the series before the action moves to Omsk.
Avangard took control of the game in the first period thanks to a blast of two goals in nine seconds. First, Andre Petersson fired home after Maxim Berezin intercepted a Salavat Yulaev clearance at the blue line and fed his team-mate. Then, right from the face-off, Ansel Galimov got the puck on the blue line, held off the attentions of Stanislav Gareyev and whipped in a devastating wrist shot to make it 2-0.
Petersson got his second of the game in the 29th minute, but Salavat Yulaev hit back with two quick goals of its own. Grigory Panin got one back, then Vladimir Tkachyov scored a fine individual effort on the power play to make it a one-goal game. However, Teemu Hartikainen, yesterday’s five-point hero, was silent for the home team and Avangard was able to recover. Pyotr Khokhryakov quickly made it 4-2 and Mikhail Fisenko made it 5-2 before the second intermission.
Salavat Yulaev’s problems intensified in the third period when Linus Omark was ejected from the game for slashing. And Petersson took advantage to become the first player to score a hat-trick in this season’s playoffs. Semyon Koshelev added a seventh to complete the scoring on the night – but in a series that has produced 19 goals in two games, it seems there will be plenty more to come as the match-up continues on Wednesday and Thursday in Omsk.
Game 3 - March 7 - Avangard v Salavat Yulaev 5-3
Johan Sundstrom came to Avangard with a reputation for big-game experience. Twice a Champions Hockey League winner and once a Swedish champion with Frolunda, the 25-year-old also has a World Junior gold medal on an impressive resume. However, he struggled to make an impact in North America, and came to Russia late in the season looking to boost his profile and forge a more permanent place on Sweden’s national team – and today’s two-goal playoff performance goes some way towards achieving that.
For the third game running, Avangard and Salavat Yulaev traded goals – and Sundstrom’s double helped tip a 5-3 verdict in the Omsk team’s favor. Avangard moves in front for the first time in an absorbing series.
Sundstrom, who made just five regular season appearances after his move from Frolunda, got his first KHL goal in the 13th minute. The home PP got the scoring started when Maxim Berezin’s point shot sparked carnage on the crease and, amid of flurry of sticks, Sundstrom got the final touch as the puck flew past Ivan Nalimov. Another PP, and another mid-season import, and it was 2-0 for Avangard when Teddy Purcell picked his spot in the 35th minute. However, Salavat Yulaev responded within seconds as Grigory Panin halved the deficit going into the second intermission.
Panin reward for that success was to find himself on the receiving end of a head-butt from Ansel Galimov. The Avangard man was ejected from the game, but the penalty did not harm his team unduly. Sundstrom struck again, presented with a straightforward chance after Andrei Stas stole the puck in the Salavat end and left the visiting power play in tatters. Then, with the teams playing 4-on-4, veteran defenseman Evgeny Medvedev produced a finish worthy of a sniper to make it 4-1 to the host with eight minutes to play.
Salavat Yulaev rallied: Joonas Kemppainen and Linus Omark got it back to a one-goal game with 90 seconds left. But home nerves were settled when Dmitry Kugryshev found the empty net and Avangard moved 2-1 up in the series.
Game 4 - March 8 - Avangard v Salavat Yulaev 2-4
Two goals from Maxim Mayorov helped Salavat Yulaev tie up its series with Avangard – and ensured the Chernyshev Division rivals will need at least six games to settle their playoff match-up.
Mayorov’s pair came in the second period, snapping a 1-1 tie and setting the visitor on the way to a 4-1 victory in Omsk. The 28-year-old forward only scored three goals in regular season, but he’s already matched that tally in the playoffs. He’s currently on course to better his strongest post-season showing of seven (3+4) points for Salavat Yulaev in 2016.
The visitor was boosted by the return of goalie Ben Scrivens, fit again after suffering an injury during Canada’s Olympic quarter final against Finland. He had faced little action by the time his team went ahead on a third-minute power play goal from Anton Burdasov. That lead was quickly cancelled out by a Maxim Chudinov goal, also on the power play, as the teams went into the first intermission with the scores tied at 1-1. Then came Mayorov. He got his first three minutes into the second frame. Philip Larsen’s point shot was blocked by a defenseman, but the puck dropped kindly for Mayorov to rifle home the rebound. Three minutes from the end of the session, he struck again. This time Alexander Loginov supplied the point shot, and Mayorov shrugged off the attentions of Mikhail Fisenko to deflect the puck beyond Dominik Furch.
The third period saw the teams trade goals. Grigory Panin potted his third of the playoffs, firing home after Joonas Kemppainen won an attacking face-off before Semyon Koshelev got a late power play tally for Avangard. But there was no way back for the home team as Salavat Yulaev made it 2-2 in the series. The action continues in Ufa on Saturday and will return to Omsk for a potentially decisive sixth game on Monday.
Game 5 - March 10 - Salavat Yulaev v Avangard 2-1
The most intriguing series in the opening round of KHL playoff action produced its first real arm wrestle of a game – and Salavat Yulaev proved that it had the resilience to clinch a tight verdict after a run of high-scoring encounters.
Finnish forward Joonas Kemppainen was the key man for Erkka Westerlund’s team, scoring both goals in his team’s victory. Goalie Ben Scrivens also played a big part, making 29 saves to blunt the Avangard offense and put Salavat Yulaev one step away from making the conference semi-finals.
Kemppainen opened the scoring in the ninth minute as Salavat Yulaev profited from a pair of quick penalties against Avangard. The five-on-three power play was just 15 seconds old when Philip Larsen’s perfect pass found the Finn at the back door; his one-time finish gave Dominik Furch no chance. Avangard managed to kill the remainder of that penalty and keep it a one-goal game until the midway point, but Kemppainen added a second to give the home team some vital breathing space. This time, the Finnish centre did it more or less on his own, surging down the left wing before setting up Enver Lisin for a shooting chance. That effort went wide, and Kemppainen collected the puck and took it around the net before squeezing home a shot from a tight angle while Teemu Hartikainen worried the visiting defense.
The visitor got back into contention with 10 minutes to play thanks to Andre Petersson. Avangard pinged the passes around the home zone and eventually freed up Petersson in space in the face-off circle. He took one step forward and zinged a wrister that whipped past Scrivens and went in off the post. Suddenly, the game was on once again – but Avangard’s hopes of salvaging something were hit hard when Kirill Semyonov took a penalty in the 59th minute. It wasn’t until the final 20 seconds that the visitor was able to pull Furch and ice six skaters, by which time it was too late to force the action into overtime.
Game 6 - March 12 - Avangard v Salavat Yulaev 3-2
The epic battle between Avangard and Salavat Yulaev is all set up for a game seven showdown after Avangard kept its season alive with victory in Omsk.
Faced with a must-win game, Avangard began brightly but faced a difficult early penalty kill before taking the lead after seven minutes. Andre Petersson’s fifth goal of the playoffs wasn’t the prettiest the Swede will ever score, forcing the puck home after a series of rebounds and deflections, but it was a vital tally early in the game. With nerves somewhat settled, the host added a second goal in the 18th minute. Salavat Yulaev saw an attack break down and Yegor Martynov’s clearance found its way to Andrei Stas as the visiting defense failed to make a telling intervention. Stas shot, Ben Scrivens made the block, but Ansel Galimov was on hand to convert the rebound despite claims that he had encroached on the crease before scoring.
Avangard looked to have a dominant position in the game, but it was a matter of seconds before Salavat Yulaev got right back in contention. In the last minute of the opening frame, the Ufa team pushed forward and got its reward when Ilya Zubov fed Igor Makarov from behind the net. Makarov’s shot got through Dominik Furch, and Enver Lisin was on the spot to tap into an empty net for his first goal of this year’s playoffs.
The first-period stats highlighted how slender Avangard’s advantage was – the teams were almost levels in terms of shots on goal and time on offense. But an early power play in the second frame saw the host reinstate its two-goal cushion. Anton Burdasov found himself in the box against his former club and Avangard took advantage to record its ninth power play goal of these playoffs. Kirill Semyonov was the scorer, getting his first of post season when he swept home the rebound from a Dmitry Kugryshev shot.
Salavat Yulaev wasn’t done. Another Makarov effort early in the third period produced a rebound that Zubov forced home, setting up a tense finale. With 15 minutes still to play, the visitor had hopes of settling the game and the series in its favor without the need to return to Ufa for a grand finale. However, Furch would not yield in the closing stages and Avangard tied the series and took the action back to Bashkiria on Wednesday.
Game 7 - March 14 - Salavat Yulaev v Avangard 3-2 OT
An overtime winner from Maxim Goncharov finally settled this battle between two of the powerhouses of the Eastern Conference – and Salavat Yulaev moves on to face Traktor in the conference semi-finals. The defenseman struck in the 13th minute of the extras, shooting home from the top of the right-hand circle after Enver Lisin went around the back and fed the puck into the danger zone. But the overtime verdict was hard won for the home team: Salavat Yulaev began the extras with a penalty to kill, the legacy of seeing the team reduced to three men in the last minute of regulation before Avangard snatched a late leveller. And the visitor was more threatening in the early overtime exchanges, with Maxim Berezin and Andre Petersson testing Ben Scrivens.
The flurry of late excitement wasn’t entirely in keeping with the start of the game. When it gets to game seven in any series, it’s time for caution. Salavat Yulaev and Avangard had traded goals with abandon for the previous six games, but tonight everything clammed up for two periods. Concentration levels reached new heights, the fear of making a decisive, season-ending error outweighed the desire to attempt the audacious, game-breaking play. Discipline was the watchword – it was not until the 54th minute that we saw the first penalty of the game, when Avangard’s Ansel Galimov found himself in the box for interference.
Galimov’s indiscretion did not prove costly: Avangard killed the penalty fairly comfortably, a couple of shots from Anton Burdasov notwithstanding. But shortly after the teams were back at full strength – and seemingly coasting towards overtime – the home team thought it had settled the issue. Teemu Hartikainen, who began the series with five points in his team’s 6-4 victory in game one, returned to put Salavat Yulaev up late in this game. The Finn beat Yegor Martynov to the rebound after Grigory Panin’s point shot was saved by Dominik Furch, and his close-range finish sent the home crowd into ecstasy. There were 130 seconds left to play and the job was all but done.
That wasn’t the end of the drama, though. Hartikainen followed his goal with a penalty; Furch headed to the bench and Avangard went 6-on-4 for the final minute. Then Panin took a delaying the game penalty five seconds later, and the three remaining Salavat Yulaev players were unable to hold on. Maxim Chudinov weaved his point shot through traffic, beating Ben Scrivens and tying the game at 2-2 with 17 seconds left on the clock. Chudinov, a double Gagarin Cup-winner with SKA, has wasted little time writing himself into the playoff folklore of his current employer.
It was a breathless finish to regulation time in a game that was something of a slow burner. Avangard made the brighter start of the two teams, determined to make the most of season-saving victory on Monday, and got in front midway through the first period. Ilya Mikheyev’s slaloming rush to the net was not successful, but the puck was only scrambled away as far as Semyon Koshelev who duly potted the opening goal.
Salavat Yulaev responded in the second period with a fine goal. Panin started the play on his own goalline, and sent a pass straight up the ice to Dmitry Sayustov. The former Admiral man deftly played in Burdasov and the forward scored against his former club for the second time in the series. Now Burdasov and colleagues have the chance to produce further post-season scoring; for Avangard, and recently-appointed head coach German Titov, the post mortem begins here after a season that promised much at times came to a frustrating end.
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