KHL - Playoffs Round 1 - Traktor v Neftekhimik 4-1

Game 1 - March 4 - Traktor v Neftekhimik 4-3 OT

The match-up between Traktor and Neftekhimik always looked likely to be tight. The teams were separated by a mere two points in the regular season table, and their most recent meeting had ended in a tight 4-3 verdict for Neftekhimik.
The opening game of this Eastern Conference playoff series repeated that scoreline but needed overtime to separate the pair. Vitaly Kravtsov snatched the overtime winner for Traktor, something that will not have gone unnoticed as this draft-ready 18-year-old gets his second taste of KHL playoff action.
Kravtsov’s big moment came eight minutes into the extras when he took an Igor Polygalov feed and fired home from the base of the right-hand circle. Alexei Kruchinin made a nuisance of himself in front of Ilya Ezhov, unsighting the Neftekhimik goalie, and Traktor had its game-winner. That was rough justice for the visitor, though. After a rocky start, which saw Traktor jump to a 2-0 lead on markers from Kruchinin and Nick Bailen in the first nine minutes, Neftekhimik hit back. Pavel Kulikov quickly reduced the deficit and the game proceeded with chances at both ends. Even after Linus Videll made it 3-1 with 10 minutes to play, Neftekhimik did not give up. Andrej Nestrasil quickly found himself in place to convert the rebound from a Dennis Everberg shot to make it 2-3, and Ildar Shiksatdarov produced a fine individual effort to tie the game with six minutes left. Shiksatdarov, one of the rising stars of Tatar hockey, collected the rebound from his own shot and brought it out from behind the net before reaching the deep slot and swivelling to fire in the 3-3 goal.
In overtime, Neftekhimik had its chances to win it: Everberg twice went close, and his fellow Swede Richard Gynge kept Pavel Francouz busy in the home net. But it was Kravtsov who came away with the plaudits for his winning goal.
Game 2 - March 5 - Traktor v Neftekhimik 4-1

For the second game in a row, Traktor’s game-winner was a product of its youth system. After Vitaly Kravtsov settled yesterday’s meeting in overtime, 20-year-old Marsel Sholokhov got the winner here.
Sholokhov is something of a slow-burner: 30 appearances in 2016-17 did not yield a single point (admittedly, from limited game time), but he took advantage of his opportunities in the second-tier VHL to grab his first goals in adult hockey. His role with Chelmet also netted him a call-up to the World Juniors over the New Year, where he scored twice in five games for Russia. Today brought his first playoff goal in the KHL, and it ended up being the game-winner. It was something of a poacher’s effort, reacting fastest on the slot after Yury Petrov’s effort was blocked by Ilya Ezhov and giving Traktor a 2-0 lead after 25 minutes. Earlier, Richard Gynge had opened the scoring after 80 seconds, and Neftekhimik never really recovered. Oleg Piganovich got one back on the power play late in the middle frame, deflecting Erik Gustafsson’s shot past Pavel Francouz, but that was as good as it got for the visitor. The third period saw Traktor extend its lead and ease to victory. Gynge combined with Linus Videll to set up a blistering counter-attack that ended with Videll making it 3-1, then Alexei Kruchinin found the empty net to wrap up the scoring. Neftekhimik heads home for games three and four in this series, but knows that it has to find answers not just to Traktor’s experienced players, but also a response to its emerging talents.
Game 3 - March 7 - Neftekhimik v Traktor 2-3

Traktor’s youngsters have been a feature of this season’s playoffs – and Vitaly Kravtsov made a splash in game three of the series against Neftekhimik.
Kravtsov, 18, already had an overtime winner from game one to his credit; here, he grabbed two goals in 59 seconds to set Traktor on its way to a commanding lead in the series before the first period was out. The youngster’s contribution was a highlight in a game marred by a record number of penalties in KHL playoff action – the teams combined for 155 minutes in total, surpassing the previous high established by Torpedo and Jokerit.
However, while Kravtsov was enjoying an evening to remember, Neftekhimik’s Ildar Shiksatdarov had a game to forget. He was sitting in the box when Richard Gynge opened the scoring for Traktor, and Kravtsov’s double blast came as his team-mates tried to kill the major penalty he incurred for boarding. Kravtsov took maximum advantage. For his first, he exchanged passes with Alexei Kruchinin the right-hand circle before putting a wrister beyond Ilya Ezhov. The same pair combined for his second, attacking down the other flank and releasing Kravtsov to advance from the face-off spot and beat Ezhov from close range. That spelled the end of the goalie’s evening.
Shiksatdarov’s penalty was not an isolated incident: in total, the teams compiled more than 100 PIMs, with misconduct calls against Oleg Piganovich, Alexei Petrov and Dmitry Ogurtsov, plus a fight between Pavel Poryadin and Marsel Sholokhov. So, it wasn’t all that surprising that Neftekhimik’s replies came when the teams were playing at unequal strength. First, Ogurtsov pulled a shorthanded goal back in the 28^th minute, intercepting a Pavel Francouz pass and firing into an empty net with the Traktor goalie well away from his net. Then Andrei Sergeyev made it 2-3 on the power play, before another string of flashpoints saw Traktor’s Nikita Nikitin and Nick Bailen get 2+10 penalties for high hits, either side of Ogurtsov’s ejection for a similar offense. That took the penalty count beyond 145 minutes, setting a new KHL playoff record.
Game 4 - March 8 - Neftekhimik v Traktor 3-2

Neftekhimik came into this game under intense pressure. Trailing 3-0 in the series, it had to win – but would have to do so without four players, suspended following the riot of penalties incurred in the 2-3 loss on Wednesday. Ildar Shiksatdarov, Kamil Fazylzyanov, Bulat Shafigullin and Alexander Bryntsev all missed out, while head coach Andrei Nazarov faced a barrage of criticism for his team’s performance after seeing his team collect the bulk of the 249 PIMs issued in the game.
In the face of advertisty, though, Neftekhimik responded strongly. The latter stages of Wednesday’s game had seen Nazarov’s team battle back from 0-3 to 2-3 without managing to salvage anything; Thursday began with Andrei Sergeyev putting Neftekhimik ahead with a power play goal in the 13^th minute. The defenseman met Robin Hanzl’s pass with a powerful slap shot from inside the right-hand circle. Now, there was a chance to at least extend the series and bring the action back to Chelyabinsk on Sunday.
The second period saw Neftekhimik build a commanding lead. Traktor’s goalie Pavel Francouz picked up an injury during the first period as he made a save from Andrej Nestrasil, and Vasily Demchenko came in to replace him. Marat Khairullin doubled the advantage midway through the session as he circled Traktor’s zone before shooting home from between the hash marks. Three minutes later, Ilya Arkalov added a third, leading a 3-on-2 counter-attack and opting to shoot himself, beating Demchenko high on the stick side.
Traktor got its chance on the power play, and pulled one back before the second intermission. Igor Polygalov did the hard work to stop Neftekhimik clearing its lines, then collected a Richard Gynge feed and scored at the second attempt. In the third period, the visitor worked hard to try and salvage the game – and potentially wrap up the series on the night. However, Traktor managed just one more goal, Igor Isayev scoring his first KHL goal in the 56^th minute to make it a nervous finish for Neftekhimik. Nazarov & Co found some answers for their critics, and the series continues on Saturday in Chelyabinsk.
Game 5 - March 3 - Traktor v Neftekhimik 4-3
Traktor won its first playoff series since 2013’s run to the Gagarin Cup Final, finishing off its match-up with Neftekhimik in five games. The decisive passage of play here came in the early stages of the second period, when three goals in six-and-a-half minutes put the game beyond reach of a spirited Neftekhimik revival. In a series dominated by discussions about the teams’ disciplinary issues, it was perhaps not surprising that much of the early scoring came on the power play. It wasn’t until Traktor made it 4-1 that we saw an even-strength goal; five of the seven goals on the night came on the power play.
The first goal came after 10 minutes – and it took Ivan Vishnevsky just 11 seconds to convert a Traktor power play. The defenseman smashed home a one-timer off Alexei Petrov’s feed; Alexander Sharov screened Andrei Makarov in the Neftekhimik net. The visitor, though, found a response on its first power play of the game, tying the game through Oleg Piganovich in the 17^th minute.
Then came Traktor’s charge. Vishnevsky was involved again as Vitaly Kravtsov made it 2-1 in the 22^nd minute; the D-man’s thunderbolt of a point shot was padded away by Makarov, but Kravtsov was on the spot to continue his own encouraging form in post-season. Next, Vishnevsky potted his second of the game, moving along the blue line from the right point before unleashing another devastating slapshot. And, after 28 minutes, Yury Petrov finished off a lightning counter attack to make it 4-1 – the first equal-strength goal of the game, and Traktor’s only score that did not involve Vishnevsky. Alexander Chernikov was the architect of the home counter attack.
At 1-4 in the game, and potentially 1-4 in the series, Neftekhimik needed something big to keep its season alive. Alexander Bryntsev gave the visitor hope with a shot from the face-off shot that beat Vasily Demchenko seconds before the second intermission. Then Alexander Sorokin made it a one-goal game 10 minutes from the end, setting up a tense finale. Demchenko made big saves to deny Andrej Nestrasil, Nikita Filatov and Andrei Sergeyev as the seconds ticked down, and the home goalie was able to celebrate a vital victory with his team-mates when the hooter sounded at last.