Lesson for KHL newcomers

A long KHL matchday started in Khabarovsk where local side Amur faced Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. The guests twice took a lead through Maxim Trunyov and Yegor Averin. In between Dmitry Tarasov had scored the equalizer for Amur but Lokomotiv kept the close 2-1 lead until the end. Lokomotiv leads Tarasov Division with 6 points in 2 games while Amur is first in Chernyshyov Division with five points in 3 games.

Sibir managed to get their first three points of the competition after losing the first game at home against Lokomotiv. Today they received Torpedo Nizhni Novgorod and beat them 5-3. Mikhail Varnakov who had three points (2 G, 1 A) opened the score for Torpedo before Sibir let no doubts arise with five consecutive goals. Two strikes late in the third period only let the result appear a bit more friendly for the guests.

Atlant is one of only three teams to have already played three matches in the young season with a rising tendency. After getting 0 and 1 points in Khabarovsk, they won they away match in Novokuznetsk today 4-3 in the shootout.

 A far better looking Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg than last year won its home opener 3-1 against Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Twice the Slovakian national team player Branislav Mezei and Russian Fyodor Malykhin pathed the way for the Avto win. For Metallurg Justin Hodgman scored the first goal of the season. The team of Canadian head coach Paul Maurice had a disappointing start with two away losses and the lack of scoring. That let them be last in the Kharlamov Division.

The 2011 Gagarin Cup winner Salavat Yulayev Ufa has yet to find into the season. After losing the home opener against outsiders Vityaz, they also were beaten by Severstal Cherepovets today - this time with a score of 1-3. Alexander Ryazantsev, Vadim Shipachyov and Niclas Bergfors let the guests run away with a solid three-goal lead until 24:50. Late in the second period Oleg Saprykin brought Ufa on the score but it wasn't anything else but only the consolidation goal anymore. After losing the first game in Kazan, Severstal earned their first three points.

Speaking of Ak Bars Kazan, they lost two points today against Belarus-based Dinamo Minsk. A 2-0 lead with only 3:15 to go in the third period wasn't enough to win the match. Evgeny Medvedev and Alexei Morozov had scored for the home side, before Geoff Platt and Pavel Chernook made the result even within 28 seconds. In the last minute of overtime Tim Stapleton won the extra point for Minsk in power play.

Barys Astana from Kazakhstan isn't leaving the best impression so far with two four-goal losses at the begin of the season after being beaten by SKA in St. Petersburg 3-7. A fast goal through Talgat Zhailauov was turned around until 3:44 through strikes by Gleb Klimenko and Tony Martensson. Until the end of the second period it was a 4-2 for SKA. Also in the last 20 minutes Barys couldn't keep the game any closer.

Current champions Dynamo Moscow got their second home win beating Yugra Khanty Mansyisk 5-3. It was a close game that was tied 3-3 after two period when Tomas Starosta and Ivan Khlyntsev made up for the 3-1 Dynamo lead late in the middle period. Filip Novak and Yuri Babenko (empty net) made the win for Dynamo perfect in the third though.

This season we see a changed Vityaz that gained its second shootout win of the season by beating Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 5-4. In an exciting match the guests from Chekhov earned a lead three times with the 3-2 for Neftekhimik in between. With his goal for the 4-4 at 52:11 it was Renat Mamashev who sent the match to overtime. In the shootout Alexander Korolyuk who had scored the initial 0-1 in regulation, was the only player to beat the goalie to give Vityaz the extra point.

CSKA fans not only got to see the first win of their team but also the first two points of their star signing Alexander Radulov. Against newcomers Donbass Donetsk the game was tied 2-2 after 40 minutes. At 45:13 Radulov made an assist to the power play goal of Mikko Maenpaa before Vaclav Nedorost scored the 3-3 less than two minutes later. At 49:13 Radulov had the game-winner for the 4-3 before Oleg Kvasha decided everything in favour of CSKA.

In front of 5,235 spectators in Tipsort Arena home side Lev Prague lost 1-4 against Spartak Moscow despite earning the lead through Jakub Klepis at 13:15, assisted by Lubos Bartecko. Alexander Khokhlachyov tied the match early in the second before Nikolai Bushuyev scored a double for Spartak to start the third period with assists by Stefan Ruzicka and Mikhail Zhukov in both occasions. Nikita Shchitov added an empty-netter with 17 seconds left on the clock. Together with Lokomotiv, Spartak is the only unbeaten team of Tarasov Division with 6 points.

Slovan Bratislava earned their first ever KHL point, losing 2-3 after shootout against Dinamo Riga. As the day before yesterday the Latvians took the lead, this time with only ten seconds played and through Miks Indrasis. Mario Bliznak found the answer for the hosts in the second period before Martins Karsums scored the 1-2 at 37:44. The 8,034 hockey fans saw how Michel Miklik tied the match again at 54:26 to write a little bit of history for Slovan as this gave the Slovaks their first regular season point in their very short KHL history. Aleksandrs Nizivijs and Rob Schremp scored with their penalty shot attempts in the shootout while on the other side only Miroslav Satan was succesful for Slovan. With these two points Dinamo Riga placed themselved between Lev and Slovan at the 6th spot in Bobrov Division.

 

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