Magnitogorsk Finds Magic Late to Steal a Win

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(19-0-9-6)

@

Torpedo

Nizhny Novgorod

(13-1-5-14)

Players You May Recognize

Petr Schastlivy, Anton Volchenkov, Alexander Semin

Pregame Notes

• Evgeni Malkin misses Sidney Crosby
• With Cal O'Reilly and Oleg Tverdovsky already out with injuries, Magnitogorsk added Evgeny Biryukov to the injured list.  He left the previous game early after getting his face (cheek) smashed into the boards.
• With Biryukov out of the lineup, Sergei Gonchar received the 2nd "A" on his jersey, joining Sergei Mozyakin.
• Mozyakin has been named to the Team East All-Star team.  He was voted in by journalists for the 2nd line.  Other notable NHLers added were Andrei Markov, Alexander Radulov, and Evgenii Dadonov for Team West.  The full rosters will be unveiled on the 24th and fans can vote for team captains starting January 7th.
• Enver Lisin is still out of the lineup.  I still don't know why, but he's not on the injured list at least.

Recap

As Ari Ahonen fell out of the Top 5 for most goaltending stats over the past month, head coach Paul Maurice started using backup Georgi Gelashvili more frequently.  The move almost cost his team a win tonight against Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.  Gelashvili gave up 3 goals in the first 12 minutes of the game before getting pulled in favor of Ahonen.  The rest would be up to Magnitogorsk's offense.

Semin has been average in the KHL with 12 pts in 15 games

Both teams started at a slow, quiet pace before a scoring frenzy erupted in the first period.  3:09 into the game, Torpedo struck first as Maxim Potapov found Petr Schastlivy wide open in front of the net.  Schastlivy took his time and deked Gelashvili out of position before flipping a backhander over him for the 1-0 lead.  Just 28 seconds later, Metallurg tied the game when Nikolai Kulemin received a pass in the slot from Malkin and ripped a wrist shot past Torpedo goalie Vitaly Koval.  The frenzy wasn't over yet though as Mikhail Varnakov brought the puck into the Magnitogorsk zone with Alexander Semin on a 2 on 1.  Varnakov passed it across to Semin, who made it 2-1 Torpedo with a backhander.

The pace settled down considerably after Semin's goal and both teams kept their defensemen back to put an end to the odd man rushes.  It wasn't enough for Magnitogorsk though.  With Gelashvili flailing like a fish out of water, Radek Smolenak out-battled Sergei Gonchar in front of the net to chip a puck over the goalie's leg pads half way through the period.  This marked the end for Gelashvili as Ari Ahonen took over in net.  This also marked the end for Torpedo's offense.

The teams traded powerplay opportunities for the rest of the 1st period but the score remained 3-1.  After a dismal penalty killing effort in the previous game, Magnitogorsk changed their PK lines and added Ryan O'Reilly which worked nicely.

The second period was a display of more solid penalty killing for both teams, a goal for Magnitogorsk, and a fight for Evgeni Malkin.  Each team had 2 powerplays but neither managed much in the way of shots let alone a goal.  Roughly halfway through the period, Mats Zuccarello and Justin Hodgman entered the neutral zone 2 on 3 against Torpedo.  Zuccarello made a brilliant pass to open ice on the left side where only Hodgman could catch up to it.  As Hodgman sped up to get the puck, he also blew past the closest defender and cut across the crease to beat Koval and cut the deficit to 3-2.  Even the Russian announcers described it with "bravo" and "fantastic!"

Gorbunov was saved by the refs from angry Geno

Late in the period, Malkin stole the show with his fists instead of his skills.  Back behind the play, [the announcers said something about someone doing something to Gonchar], and Evgeni Malkin dropped the gloves with Vladimir Gorbunov.  Gorbunov, a 2000 draft pick of the New York Islanders, didn't get much of a chance to fight though as Malkin fell on him and the refs intervened very quickly.  Both players were given double minors for roughing.  The period ended shortly after with Ryan O'Reilly being pulled away from a shoving match by refs as tempers escalated.  Magnitogorsk outshot Torpedo 14-2 in the second period, but was definitely outhit by Torpedo, who seemed to be targeting O'Reilly especially.

Pure elation for Kulemin after scoring the go ahead goal.

Most of the third period flew by very quickly with few whistles and fewer chances.  Each team had an unsuccessful powerplay and it appeared that Torpedo would hold on for the victory with less than 3 minutes to go.  With just 2:22 remaining in the 3rd period, everything fell apart for Nizhny Novgorod though.  It started with a breakdown in the slot where Ryan O'Reilly was left with a huge opening to receive a pass from Alexei Bondarev and rip a wrist shot past Koval to tie the game.  Just over a minute later, Torpedo had a defensive breakdown in the exact same area of the slot and Nikolai Kulemin was left wide open to take a Sergei Mozyakin pass and fire an identical wrist shot past Koval to take the lead.

Nizhny Novgorod called timeout down 4-3 with 1:16 left in the game, but the damage was done.  Evgeni Malkin soon finished the game off with an empty netter assisted by O'Reilly, and Magnitogorsk stole a regulation win with 3 goals in the last 2:22.

Final Score:  Metallurg Magnitogorsk 5  Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3

Magnitogorsk improves to 20-0-9-6 and Nizhny Novgorod drops to 13-1-5-15.

Player Notes

Evgeni Malkin - Malkin finished with 1 goal, 1 assist, 7 shots, 9 for 19 (47.4%) in faceoffs, and 4 PIM in 20:21 of ice time.  He looked superb skating through the offensive zone and made defenseman and Torpedo captain Dmitry Bykov look foolish multiple times.  His offensive production was more valuable than his stats show since Vitaly Koval played a solid game, especially in the second period.  While Geno has never been one to shy away from physical contact, he certainly sought it out tonight, culminating in his short fight.

O'Reilly's 1st KHL goal was a significant one.

Others (Metallurg) - Ryan O'Reilly was targeted heavily in the hitting game but broke free of it in the 3rd period for a goal and an assist.  I wonder if it was in the Torpedo game plan to "welcome" him to the KHL in such a manner and that bothers me if Crosby eventually joins the KHL.  Regardless, O'Reilly improved drastically in his 2nd KHL game and he won't be on the 3rd line for long at this rate.  Mats Zuccarello and Justin Hodgman continued to play very well together and clearly have a lot of chemistry.  Hodgman's goal in the 2nd period was a huge turning point for Magnitogorsk and Zuccarello's pass and vision was exceptional.

Others (Torpedo) - Anton Volchenkov had a quiet game, amassing 2 PIMs and no shots.  He was only on the ice for 16:24 which is far less than I expected to see.  Alexander Semin reminded me of just how great his hands and stick-handling ability are.  There is no questioning his skill but I don't believe the bigger ice surface is a big advantage for him.  Magnitogorsk defensemen were able to back off from him instead of getting flat out burned by tricky moves.  

Next Game:  12/23, 8am EST @ Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

Links:

A huge thank you to onhockey.ru (@onhockey on Twitter).  Not only have they been dependable for KHL streams, but they even named my blog on the stream for this game (as you can see in the screencaps).

Keep track of Malkin and the KHL scoring race here:  http://en.khl.ru/stat/leaders/222/.

Metallurg Survives a Wild 1st Period for a 7-4 Win

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(16-0-9-5)

vs

HC Spartak
Moscow

(7-3-5-15)

Players You May Recognize

Shaone Morrison, Oleg Petrov

Recap

The last time these two teams met, Magnitogorsk coasted to a very easy 7-2 win that was never in question. This game was just pure insanity throughout.  Cal O'Reilly did not dress, either for undisclosed reasons or disclosed reasons that were in Russian so I didn't understand them.  Backup Georgi Gelashvili started in net for Magnitogorsk against Sergei Borisov for HC Spartak Moscow.  Neither one would survive the start, though one would return.

Metallurg took control of the match early on due to a seemingly harmless shot from the point by Viktor Antipin.  Borisov attempted to glove the shot but deflected it behind him instead.  Thirty seconds later, Spartak forward Alexander Suglobov was called for slashing and Antipin scored his 2nd goal in a minute.  Nikolai Kulemin passed the puck from the high slot to Evgeni Malkin on the side boards. Malkin sent it right back to the crease where Antipin was waiting to deflect it in for a 2-0 lead.  Borisov was immediately pulled before the game was 5 minutes old and Alexei Yakhin (yes, Yakhin) went in for Spartak.

The goaltender change settled down Spartak and they drew a 5 on 3 after Gonchar was called for cross-checking and Khabarov for tripping, but they were unable to score.  Then with 5 minutes left in the period, all hell broke loose.

In the span of 1:41:
- Mikhail Yakubov was called for interference to put Spartak back on the powerplay.  Alexander Budkin cut the lead to 2-1 as he took a pass across the slot and slipped the puck under Gelashvili's pads.
- Anatoly Nikontsev then tied the game at two just 31 seconds later as he beat Gelashvili 5-hole trying to slide across the crease.
- Dmitry Kazionov put Magnitogorsk back in the lead 37 seconds later with a wrist shot from the point (assisted by Antipin) that was helped greatly by Platonov screening Yakhin.  Yakhin never even reacted to the shot.
- Andrei Ankudinov then scored off of an offensive zone faceoff (think of the James Neal play) 17 seconds later to tie the game 3-3.  Georgi Gelashvili was then pulled in favor of Ari Ahonen.

The period ended in a 3-3 tie as everyone tried to catch their breath from that 4 goal outburst.  It wouldn't take long for things to get fired up in the second period though.  Sergei Gonchar took a shot from the point which missed horribly wide, but bounced off the boards behind the net and back out to Kazionov at the faceoff circle.  Yakhin was not ready for the huge bounce to the other side and was completely out of position as Kazionov scored his 2nd of the game to make it 4-3, Metallurg.  A few minutes later, Mikhail Yunkov of Spartak was called for hooking and it took just seconds for Sergei Mozyakin to make it 5-3 with slapshot from the left point.

Yakhin was pulled and Borisov went back in net for Spartak after Mozyakin's goal.  The change didn't matter though as Mozyakin scored another powerplay goal a few minutes later to make it 6-3.  Malkin tried to make a centering pass to Mozyakin in the slot, but misfired on the pass and sent it straight to a defenseman.  The defenseman was not expecting the puck though and he tripped over himself and gave the puck up to Mozyakin all by himself in the slot.  Borisov had no chance to stop the quick wrister.

Malkin scored himself before scoring a goal later.

Spartak would stop the bleeding with a goal of their own when Nikolai Bushuyev found a loose puck on the crease just a minute later to make it 6-4 just before the end of the second period.  After magnificent scoring outbursts in the first and second, the third period went along rather quietly.  Enver Lisin had a penalty shot opportunity but fanned on his deke and then shot the puck straight up over the net.  Then, there was a big scare when Evgeni Malkin blocked a point shot off the faceoff.  Malkin remained down for a couple minutes but eventually skated off under his own power.  In dramatic fashion, Malkin came on for his next shift, took the puck, and skated through a Spartak defender before wristing a shot past Borisov for a 7-4 lead.  That would end the scoring and put the game away for Magnitogorsk.

Final Score:  Metallurg Magnitogorsk 7  HC Spartak Moscow 4

Magnitogorsk improves to 17-0-9-5 and Spartak drops to 7-3-5-16.

Player Notes

#C #C #C #C

Evgeni Malkin - Geno had by far his best game since taking over the captaincy a week ago. He finished with 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 shots, 16 for 27 in faceoffs, and 26:15 of ice time.  He was in pass-first mode during powerplays and stayed out of trouble in the physical game (hooray no stupid penalties!!).  Malkin is currently 3rd in points with 36 and 2nd in assists with 25.  Now hopefully he never blocks another shot until he returns to the NHL.

Others - Sergei Gonchar was named "Man of the Match" for Magnitogorsk despite being absurdly inaccurate with his shots today.  He finished with 2 assists and 4 shots on net, though he also had at least another 5 that missed the net (one turning into an assist).  Sergei Mozyakin had 2 goals to keep him in the KHL points and goals lead with 45 and 18 respectively.  He also leads the league in assists with 27.  Viktor Antipin had a 4 point night (2 goals, 2 assists) and Dmitry Kazionov had a 2 goal night after moving up to the 2nd line in Cal O'Reilly absence.

Next Game:  12/5, 8am EST vs. Dynamo Riga

Links:

ESPN has added a schedule and standings page for the KHL: http://espn.go.com/nhl/khl

Magnitogorsk has a twitter page: https://twitter.com/MetallurgMgn

Go to onhockey.ru for all of your streaming needs.

If you want highlights for the games, check out http://www.youtube.com/user/KHLofficialvideo.

Another Two Points for Malkin, Another Win for Magnitogorsk

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(8-0-4-3)

vs

Atlant

Moscow Oblast

(5-3-3-6)

Players You May Recognize

Anton Khudobin, Nikolai Zherdev, Konstantin Koltsov, Sandis Ozolinsh, Maxim Mayorov

Recap

Based on sheer records alone, this game looked like a complete mismatch as Atlant entered Magnitogorsk on a 3 game losing streak.  Goalie Anton Khudobin ensured it was a tight game in a losing effort though.

The first period was rather quiet despite an enormous shot advantage for Magnitogorsk (15-3).  Georgi Gelashvili started for the second straight game for Metallurg, but faced very little work early on.  Meanwhile, Magnitogorsk was kept to mostly perimeter shots and could not penetrate the slot or crease area whatsoever in the first period.  Of Khudobin's 15 first period saves, maybe 1 was really a challenge.

The game opened up quite a bit in the second period as both teams traded chances and rushed up and down the ice.  Atlant finally got some pressure on Magnitogorsk early, but an errant pass sent Metallurg going the other way.  Evgeni Malkin swooped in past a defender and put a low shot on Khudobin which was stopped.  Malkin fell to the ice though and slid into both Khudobin and the side of the net as the puck sat loose on the crease.  With no whistle to stop play, Enver Lisin crashed the crease and poked the loose puck into the net for a 1-0 lead.

As the game got more physical, Malkin and Kulemin
were quite ready to get involved.

At this point, the online stream died for a little bit, but when it returned Magnitogorsk was killing a penalty on Denis Platonov.  The penalty kill was successful, but Atlant scored shortly thereafter as Jonas Andersson shot a rebound from just outside of the crease to tie the score at 1.  As the second period came to a close, the game got notably physical.  Nikolai Kulemin had a great open ice hit on an Atlant defender which forced a turnover and a solid scoring chance, but Khudobin was ready for it.  Later in the shift, Malkin tried to go 1 on 3 into the slot and an Atlant defender hip checked him, nearly flipping him over on his head.  With that, the period would end 1-1.

The third period played out more like the first as Magnitogorsk returned to dominance, outshooting Atlant 12-4.  Enver Lisin would score his 2nd of the night, the game winner, halfway through the period as his line took advantage of a 3 on 2 break.  Justin Hodgman brought the puck into the zone and passed it off to Lisin in the high slot after both defenders had backed up towards the crease.  Lisin held the puck for a few seconds before sniping it past Khudobin.  The game would come to a close as Evgeni Malkin finished it off with an empty net goal.

Final Score:  Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3  Atlant Moscow Oblast 1

Magnitogorsk improves to 9-0-4-3 and Atlant drops to 5-3-3-7.

Player Notes

Malkin focused on a faceoff late in the 3rd.

Evgeni Malkin - Geno put up a goal and an assist for the second straight game.  He absolutely frightened me when he was flipped on his 1 on 3 effort, but showed no ill effects from the hit.  He finished the game with 6 shots in 19:32 of ice time and was 13 for 22 in the faceoff circle.  If the NHL does return soon, it will be interesting to see if Malkin starts off on fire as he looks to be in mid-season form right now.

Sergei Gonchar - Gonchar played a MUCH better game tonight than 2 days ago.  He was solid defensively, not getting caught out of position even once.  He also played a 2 on 1 perfectly as he pushed the puck carrier to the outside and cut off the passing lane at the same time.  He finished the game with 4 shots in 18:26 in a solid effort.

Others - Nikolai Kulemin looked fantastic in both his physical game and his defensive awareness.  His poke-checking on the PK and in the defensive zone was superb and he caused numerous Atlant turnovers.  Sandis Ozolinsh, who I assumed quit hockey long ago, looked great in playing over 24 minutes for Atlant.  He was smooth with the puck and a workhorse all night.  His game made me wonder why he's no longer in the NHL.  Enver Lisin was pretty much johnny on the spot for loose pucks and open passes in this game.  Finally, Atlant captain Konstantin Koltsov disappointed me in this game.  I was hoping his speed would be a game changer and entertaining, but it looked pedestrian compared to those around him.  

Next Game:  10/22, 12:30pm EST vs Dynamo Riga, on ESPN 3

Links:

Go to onhockey.ru for all of your streaming needs.

If you want highlights for the games, check out http://www.youtube.com/user/KHLofficialvideo.

Played for the Penguins? Here's a Goal!

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(6-0-3-3)

@

Amur

Khabarovsk

(4-2-0-9)

Players You May Recognize

None, I literally didn't recognize a single person on Khabarovsk's roster.

Recap

Quite a long trip back home after this game.

For the final stop of their road trip, Magnitogorsk visited the KHL's most isolated member in Khabarovsk.  Amur Khabarovsk is 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) away from any other KHL team and much further away from Magnitogorsk.  For that reason, opening faceoff was at a slightly early, 4am EST.  Paul Maurice went with the same lines despite coming off of a 4-1 loss.  The only change to the lineup was Georgi Gelashvili in net instead of regular starter Ari Ahonen.

First periods over the past week have been rather quiet in Magnitogorsk games and the trend continued in this matchup.  Both goalies started off flawlessly despite a powerplay opportunity for each team.  Evgeni Malkin had at least three opportunities from the slot and also drew a penalty, but none of it was useful in trying to beat Khabarovsk goalie Alexei Murygin.

After a scoreless first, the home team came out with three strong shifts to open the 2nd period and drew a high sticking penalty.  Magnitogorsk killed it off and went on a short attack before Mats Zuccarello was called for a weak trip that looked very much like a dive.  Though Malkin argued the team's case, Metallurg went to the penalty kill and and succeeded yet again.

Roughly half way through the period, Magnitogorsk drew a powerplay which ultimately led to chaos and a goal.  Sergei Gonchar was unable to control a puck at the blue line and was beat in a race to the puck by an Amur forward.  The forward went in on Gelashvili at full speed on a breakaway, but the goalie stoned him.  As the play turned back to the offensive zone, Gonchar ended up with the puck and took three strides in from his point position before ripping a shot past Murygin for a 1-0 lead.  From potential goat to hero in about 30 seconds summed up Gonchar's powerplay shift.


The second period would end with more Magnitogorsk penalties.  First Nikolai Kulemin took a high sticking penalty late in the period, then Gelashvili was called for slashing on the penalty kill.  With the second period expiring, Khabarovsk would begin the 3rd period with a 5 on 3 for over a minute.

Tyler Kennedy could even finish this chance.

Metallurg continued to win the special teams battle, led by Evgeni Malkin on the 3 man penalty kill.  Both penalties were killed and play opened up as both teams took more chances to get an odd man break.  The play development benefited Magnitogorsk quickly as Cal O'Reilly found himself wide open at the backdoor of the net.  Sergei Mozyakin had no problem finding him for a pass and O'Reilly finished it off into a wide open net.

CHAOS

With a two goal lead, Magnitogorsk drew another penalty and chaos ensued yet again.  Gonchar was beat at the point again and another Amur forward had a breakaway chance.  This time, goalie Gelashvili came out to challenge the shooter/slide into him/take out his legs at least.  Players flew all over the ice and the referees deemed it to be a penalty shot scenario.  Gelashvili stopped the penalty shot and essentially put an end to any fight Khabarovsk had.

The scoresheet was missing just one Pittsburgh-connected player late in the 3rd and he had no intentions of disappointing his fans back in the US.  After taking a pass from Gonchar, Evgeni Malkin skated through a couple of Amur players and deked out the last defenseman.  As he finished his deke and was falling to the ice, Geno unleashed a backhander that found the back of the net for a 3-0 lead.

The game would come to a quiet end shortly thereafter as Magnitogorsk earned their 7th win of the season behind the firepower of Sergei Gonchar, Cal O'Reilly, and Evgeni Malkin and the goaltending of Georgi Gelashvili.

Final Score:  Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3  Amur Khabarovsk 0

Magnitogorsk improves to 7-0-3-3 and Khabarovsk drops to 4-2-0-10.

Player Notes

Evgeni Malkin - The goal was only Malkin's 2nd in 9 games, but certainly a step in the right direction.  He had 7 shots in over 23 minutes of ice time as he continues to throw the puck to the net with every chance he gets.  Overall, he had a strong game and played a big role in the perfect penalty killing effort for Magnitogorsk.  His only weakness was in the faceoff circle, where he went 8 for 24.

Celebrating PP goals like they've been there before...

Sergei Gonchar - Despite his attempts to destroy Gelashvili's shutout, Gonchar managed to play a good game in general.  At even strength, his play on offense and defense was solid.  On the powerplay, his offense was solid but his defense was non-existent.  The two breakaways that Gonchar allowed were simply horrendous.  For today though, he can live by the phrase "no harm, no foul."  He finished with a goal (his first of the season) and an assist in 25 minutes of ice time.

Cal O'Reilly - Going into this game, I was ready to complain that O'Reilly had shown very little chemistry with his new linemates compared to when he was with Nikolai Kulemin.  His work with Sergei Mozyakin changed my mind greatly though.  Aside from the goal (his first of the season), O'Reilly and Mozyakin showed a strong prowess for how to attack the net and provide puck support for each other.  O'Reilly has been impressively productive (11 points) for a guy who only gets roughly 15 minutes of ice time per game.

Next Game:  10/13, 7am EST vs Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

Links:

Go to onhockey.ru for all of your streaming needs.  They had 7 different links for this game.

If you want highlights for the games, check out http://www.youtube.com/user/KHLofficialvideo.  Here are this game's highlights in English.  I'll start finding these and adding them to the recaps: