Mozyakin, Metallurg in front
27 Apr 2014 | Alan Ilijic
KHL Finals could be described as crazy exchange of comebacks! Magnitka fight back to win twice in a row and before moving the series to the Czech capital get the first matchpoint. After the overtime win, Magnitka are now in front 3-2 and could clinch the title Monday.
Sergei
Mozyakin picked up his 11th goal of the playoffs in overtime to lift Magnitka
over Lev in Magnitogorsk. The line Jan Kovar-Danis Zaripov-Sergei Mozyakin
broke Petri Vehanen twice on the night, when it mattered most.
Lev
never got the hold in the game and after 40 minutes of play were trailing
behind by a goal. In an action-packed match, after the scoreless first period,
Mozyakin opened the scoring five minutes into the second frame.
A
fine rush over the right entering the zone by Danis Zaripov finds a feed on the
left post in the slot, where Mozyakin only had to slide the puck slowly in.
Instead, he decided to go for a wrister, crashing the net up high just below
the post.
Lev
tied the score at 42:54 after a faceoff, Martin Sevc stretched the play to the
blue and fired a slapshot towards the net, with Justin Azevedo deflecting it in
on the way.
In
overtime the game took a turn for the calm-down, Kovar and Zaripov made
connection on the right, the latter sending the backdoor pass to Mozyakin on
the blue line, and the Russian strikes a one-timer past Vehanen to get the
series' lead.
As
mentioned before both teams had their chances, a good number of them, but only
three goals were racked up. A hard-fought win for Metallurg, with defenses
playing the crucial part in the game of both opponents.
Game
6 is scheduled Monday, April 28 in Prague, Czech Republic at 19:00 CET, 21:00
MSK.