Winning debut for new Lev head coach Sykora

Avangard Omsk started the game action with an overtime win over long time rivals Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The guests had the better begin and were in front during the first half hour through a goal by Sergei Mozyakin. A double within less than three minutes led to the turn around by the hosts though when Alexander Popov and Sergei Kostitsyn did everything right in front of the opposing net. In an even match Dmitry Kazionov found a way to score the equalizer for the slightly favourites Magnitka. When the audience had good reason to believe in a shootout it was Avangard's Kirill Lyamin who scored the game winner at 64:30 to give Omsk the extra point.

To say it in few words - what happened today in Khanty-Mansiysk is just another typical Avtomobilist loss. They were clearly dominating the match with a lot more shots on goal and pressure and they also were in front through Stanislav Zhmakin until the second intermission. But in the end - as almost always - the result was very little. Not only did Igor Skorokhodov tied the match for hosts Yugra at 41:26, but also gave he the extra point to his side with the shootout winner. For sure there must be more in than a point every now and then if bottom side Avto wants to have a real race to catch up to make the playoffs.

Traktor Chelyabinsk secured a valuable three-point away win against a recently strong Kazakh side Barys Astana. In a pretty one-sided match Traktor only had problems with their opponents in the middle period and also then not too many. First Dmitry Upper cut the two-goal first period lead of Traktor by Maxim Karpov and Andrei Kostitsyn at the start of the second period but Traktor reacted well with a double by Anton Glinkin and Maxim Yakutsenya. Talgat Zhailauov answered again for Barys before Konstantin Panov made it 2-5 for the guests. Still the scoring times were not over in the period as Brandon Bochenski cut the lead for Astana to two once more before the second intermission. In the end Yegor Dugin made everything clear for Traktor at 53:12.

Slovakian newcomers Slovan Bratislava kept the game close in Yaroslavl against local Lokomotiv for a long time but had was beaten by a score of 4-0 in the end. Maxim Trunyov and Alexei Kalyuzhny let Loko move away with a two-goal lead after 40 minutes. When Slovan still could hope for points a double by Artyom Anisimov and Roman Lyuduchin until 43:51 was decisive for Yaroslavl. Loko goalie Semyon Varlamov gained a 32-save shutout.

After struggling terribly in the last months Lev Prague gave their newly appointed head coach Vaclav Sykora a nice debut by winning 3-2 in Nizhny Novgorod. Still the begin could have been better for the Czechs as hosts Torpedo took the lead already at 04:25 through Alexei Ugarov. For sure something you want to avoid in an away game and even more if you have a new coach on the bench. A motivated Prague team turned around the match already in the first period through Jakub Klepis and lockout star Zdeno Chara. At 23:29 Jiri Novotny even managed to get a two-goal lead for the guests - with an assist by reinforcement Roman Cervenka who played for Slavia Prague in the Czech Extraliga for the first part of the lockout. At 50:46 Finnish import Juuso Hietanen brought Torpedo back into fighting distance but also playing without their goalie in the last minutes of regulation didn't help Torpedo anymore.

Spartak Moscow managed to steal a point from top side Salavat Yulayev Ufa. In a hectic begin Mikhail Zhukov earned the Spartak lead already at 01:17 before Yury Trubachyov and Igor Mirnov turned around the result completely until 05:47. When Ufa had the chance to make everything clear in power play they not only wasted their opportunity but also received the 2-2 from Spartak through Alexander Suglobov at 42:01. This goal turned out to be valuable for the hosts as it guaranteed a point for them. In the shootout Yury Trubachyov won the extra point for Ufa in the fifth round - before also Denis Parshin was succesful for Ufa in his attempt.

Vityaz Chekhov had another great performance that leaves them behind with the question if it was a point won or two points lost against current Gagarin Cup holders Dynamo Moscow. Thanks to goals by Alexander Korolyuk, Brian Fahey and Anton Korolyov they were in front with a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes - Swede Nicklas Backström had tied the match for Dynamo in the first period. Another strike by Backström at the begin of the third period and one by Konstantin Volkov extended the game to overtime. This one was ended early when Backström made perfect his hat trick at 64:21.

In a rather disappointing match Atlant Moscow Oblast lost at home against CSKA Moscow with the score of 0:2. Super star Alexander Radulov once more was the decisive man for the guests with a goal and an assist - the second one was finished by Ilya Zubov. Slovak Rastislav Stana earned a shutout by blocking all the only 14 shots he faced by the Atlant attack.

In front of a full Minsk Arena hosts Dinamo tried everything against favourites SKA St. Petersburg but only in the middle period they could use their efforts for goals. A first period double by Patrick Thoresen and Maxim Rybin pathed the way for the SKA win before Teemu Laine scored the deserved 1-2 for Minsk at 32:06. In the last 20 minutes Viktor Tikhonov and Alexander Kucheryavenko decided the match for SKA.

Another exclamation mark by Ukrainians Donbas Donetsk. The KHL newcomers defeated their Russian rivals Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk at home in shootout. The two-goal Donbas lead through Sergei Varlamov and Peter Podhradsky was tied by the guests through Oskar Osala and Renat Mamashev. In the fourth round of shootout Ruslan Fedotenko gained the extra point for Donbas as the only goal scorer.

Latvian side Dinamo Riga couldn't stop the recent negative trend at home against Ak Bars Kazan. The two-time Gagarin Cup winners went in front due to a double by their Finnish imports Niko Kapanen and Janne Pesonen. Still the Dinamo resistence only ended fully when veteran Danis Zaripov found the empty net with six seconds left in regulation.

 

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