Malkin's 5 Point Effort Leads Metallurg to Victory

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(17-0-9-5)

vs

Dynamo

Riga

(7-3-2-19)

Players You May Recognize

Viktor Ignatjev (assistant coach), Mikael Tellqvist Alexandre Giroux, Raitis Ivanans, Kaspars Daugavins, Mathieu Carle, Paul Szczechura

Recap

As North America lives and dies on every word about the NHL lockout negotiations right now, Evgeni Malkin continues to show off his talents to Russia.  Facing last place Dynamo Riga with just 2 games before the KHL's December break, Magnitogorsk looked to stay on the winning track and make a statement.  The team was without Cal O'Reilly again and Paul Maurice stated that O'Reilly might be done for the season after taking a hit from behind (thanks @stapler_87).

Magnitogorsk started slowly until the physical game picked up.  Raitis Ivanans and Sergei Berntasky were sent to the box for roughing and Malkin alone had 3 chances during 4 on 4 play but could not capitalize.  Mathieu Carle was called for holding after 5 on 5 resumed to put Magnitogorsk on the powerplay.  The powerplay went awry though when Sergei Gonchar was caught out of position and Evgeni Malkin tried to stop Gints Meija on a 1 on 1 short-handed break.  Meija cut across Malkin and took a quick wrist shot that beat Ahonen for a 1-0 Riga lead.

Advice: Don't leave passing lanes that open.

Malkin would make up for his inability to stop Meija later in the period when he drew a hook from Alexandre Giroux.  The resulting man-advantage ended with a one-timer goal from the left faceoff circle by Sergei Mozyakin, assisted by Gonchar and Malkin.  Malkin and Gonchar would figure into the scoring again before the period ended as Geno skated the puck around the back of the net and threw a pass across the crease to Gonchar.  Gonchar immediately one-timed it past goalie Maris Jucers who could not cover the nearside post fast enough.  The first period ended with a 2-1 Magnitogorsk lead.

The 2nd period was rather dull as the teams skated up and down the ice without creating many quality chances.  They each added a goal to boost the score to 3-2.  Riga temporarily tied the game at 2 with four minutes left in the period when Yaroslav Kosov missed his assignment covering Robert Burkarts in the slot.  Burkarts took a pass from Meija and easily beat Ahonen glove side.  Nikolai Kulemin regained the lead for Magnitogorsk with just 7 seconds left in the period after Malkin found him wide open in the high slot on the powerplay.

Geno went full leg kick, yell, and stare down.

With a three point night through 2 periods, Malkin was far from done as Magnitogorsk turned this game into a blowout during the 3rd period.  They got off to a rough start, taking 2 high-sticking penalties and giving Riga a 5 on 3 chance within the first two minutes of the period.  Both penalties were killed though and Metallurg turned on the offense a few minutes later.  With 13 minutes left in the game, Magnitogorsk went on the powerplay thanks to a hooking call on Jamie Johnson.  Malkin scored his 13th goal of the season off of a Mozyakin pass as he was left uncovered by the back post.  Midway through the period, Metallurg scored their 4th powerplay goal of the game to make it 5-2.  Malkin found Gonchar at the point and he ripped a slapshot that was deflected in by Kulemin.

Just 35 seconds later, Sergei Mozyakin would get his second goal of the game on a shot that banked off of Jucers pads.  At 6-2, Dynamo Riga called a timeout but it was too late to change momentum or the result of the game.  Magnitogorsk added one last goal by Enver Lisin that deflected in off of a defenseman to make it 7-2.  Malkin finished with 5 points (1g, 4a) and Mozyakin with 4 (2g, 2a).

Final Score:  Metallurg Magnitogorsk 7  Dynamo Riga 2

Magnitogorsk improves to 18-0-9-5 and Riga drops to 7-3-2-20.

Player Notes

Evgeni Malkin - Malkin's 5 point night moved him into second place in the KHL scoring race behind Mozyakin and ahead of Alexander Radulov.  Malkin now has 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points in 28 games.  He finished the game playing just over 22 minutes and went 13 for 24 in faceoffs while recording 8 shots.  Despite his high shot total, he still maintained a pass-first approach during powerplays and it worked to perfection.

Others - Sergei Mozyakin now has a 7 point lead in the scoring race over Malkin and I hope Geno brings him over to the US when the lockout ends.  Nikolai Kulemin had an easily overlooked 3 point night (2g, 1a).  Kulemin-Malkin-Mozyakin on the powerplay has simply been dominant all season.  Sergei Gonchar also had a 3 point night (1g, 2a) and had a strong game aside from the awful start with a short-handed goal allowed.  

Next Game:  12/7, 8am EST vs HC Donbass

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.

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.

Magnitogorsk Ends November on a Sour Note

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(16-0-8-5)

@

Dynamo
Minsk

(7-4-4-14)

Players You May Recognize

Lukas Krajicek, Joe Pavelski, Geoff Platt, Pekka Rinne, Tim Stapleton

Recap

Captain Geno is here to stay.

After losing in overtime to a Vityaz Chekhov team that hadn't won since October 31st, Magnitogorsk looked to right their ship against a Dynamo Minsk team that hadn't won since November 4th.  Ari Ahonen started in net and the first line reverted back to Kulemin-Malkin-Lisin as KHL leading scorer Sergei Mozyakin dropped back to the 2nd line.  Evgeni Malkin wore the C yet again and is now the full-time captain.

Metallurg demonstrated a very strong commitment to defense in the first period, often keeping 2 if not 3 guys lingering back to eliminate odd-man breaks.  The system worked well as they allowed only 7 shots and no goals in the 1st period.  It also hindered their offense for a majority of the period until Dynamo's Teemu Laine was called for interference in the offensive zone.  Magnitogorsk scored quickly on the powerplay when Mats Zuccarello took a one-timer that Pekka Rinne deflected to the slot.  The deflection went straight to Dmitry Kazionov's stick and he took a quick wrist shot for a 1-0 lead.

Minsk fan is not impressed.

Kazionov and Zuccarello continued to build momentum for Magnitogorsk just 2 minutes later as their line added another goal.  Kazionov passed the puck to Hodgman deep in the offensive zone.  Rinne over-committed to Hodgman, who found Mats Zuccarello across the slot for an easy shot into a wide open net to make it 2-0.  The new commitment to defense was working to perfection for Metallurg through the 1st period.

The second period started aggressively though and Evgeni Malkin was sent to the penalty box for roughing.  Minsk took advantage of the chance and Tim Stapleton cut the lead to 2-1 with a wrist shot from the high slot.  The rest of the period would see plenty of anger and frustration as both teams turned up the intensity.  It started with Geoff Platt and Kazionov cross-checking each other in the face shortly after Stapleton's goal.  Minutes later, Mats Zuccarello was hit from behind at the benches which led to Justin Hodgman fighting Andrei Mikhalev in his defense.  The teams traded additional powerplay chances through the middle of the period before things calmed down.

With roughly 2:30 left in the 2nd, Dynamo Minsk had a great chance with Ari Ahonen out of position but Oleg Tverdovsky hooked a player down to save a goal.  It was all for naught though as Minsk went on the powerplay with that hooking call and scored off of the faceoff with a Janne Niskala slapshot from the point.  Tempers flared again with the game tied at 2 as Kazionov and Platt got into it again.  Platt put a high hit on Kazionov after the whistle and Kazionov dropped his gloves, attacking Platt, who dropped to his knees.  Kazionov was given a double minor for roughing and Minsk went to the powerplay.  Magnitogorsk killed the first minor to end the 2nd period.

Maurice breaks out his OT face.

The minor to start the 3rd would not end so well though.  Geoff Platt got his revenge and tapped in a rebound on the crease to give Minsk a 3-2 lead.  Magnitogorsk spent much of the period trying to force long passes and committed turnover after turnover.  Finally, with 4 minutes left in regulation, the 2nd line came through.  Sergei Mozyakin took the puck deep into the corner and curled back towards the faceoff circle.  As he curled back, he drew two defensemen over, including one from Cal O'Reilly on the backside of the crease.  Mozyakin fed a perfect pass to O'Reilly who tapped it into a wide open net to tie the game at 3.

Yet again, Magnitogorsk went to OT, where they had an 0-8 record heading into this game.  Despite Mozyakin taking a tripping penalty in overtime, they survived OT and continued on to a shootout.  Of course, the shootout would drop them to 0-9 though.

Kazionov went 1st and tried to deke to his backhand but Rinne stopped it.
Irgl started for Minsk and beat Ahonen 5-hole.
Malkin then went for Magnitogorsk and was stopped on a wrist shot by Rinne.
Finally, Tim Stapleton took a quick wrist shot that beat Ahonen glove side and the game was over.

Final Score:  Dynamo Minsk 4  Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 (SO)

Magnitogorsk drops to 16-0-9-5 and Dynamo Minsk improves to 7-5-4-14.

Player Notes

Rinne hasn't been great in the KHL,
but he was good enough tonight.

Evgeni Malkin - Malkin had his second disappointing game in a row (and it was his 2nd as Captain with Platonov in the lineup).  He had no points, 2 PIM, 5 shots, and was 11 for 27 in faceoffs in 25:30 of ice time.  Pekka Rinne seemed to have Malkin's number as he looked completely unfazed by anything Geno threw at him.  The roughing penalty he took (that led to Dynamo's 1st goal) was completely unnecessary.  Magnitogorsk as a whole needs a boost right now and it would be nice if Captain Geno would provide it.

Others - Mats Zuccarello had an excellent game, recording a goal and an assist despite only playing 13:51.  Joe Pavelski was pretty quiet for Minsk though he succeeded in the faceoff circle going 15 for 27.  He also had a secondary assist on Minsk's second goal.  Sergei Mozyakin had an assist to boost his league leading point total to 42 (4 points ahead of Alexander Radulov).  Pekka Rinne played much better in his second game against Magnitogorsk this season.  He had 35 saves on 38 shots.

Next Game:  12/3, 8am EST vs HC Spartak Moscow

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.

Mozyakin Sets Up 3 Goals to Power Magnitogorsk to a Win

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(15-0-6-5)

vs

Barys
Astana

(11-0-5-10)

Players You May Recognize

Nik Antropov, Victor Hedman, Andrew Hutchinson, Nigel Dawes, Brandon Bochenski, Dustin Boyd

Recap

Despite some struggles since the KHL's Euro Hockey Tour break, Metallurg Magnitogorsk should be perfectly fine as long as they get to play Barys Astana once a week.  Barys is the only team that Metallurg has defeated since the break, and both wins have been decisive victories with 5 goal outputs.

I kinda wish the Pens still had O'Reilly...
or were playing hockey...

Magnitogorsk got off to a very quick start, taking the lead within the first minute of the game thanks to a Cal O'Reilly one-timer from the slot.  Sergei Mozyakin recorded his first of 3 assists on the opening goal, which helped him pass Alexander Radulov for the KHL's scoring lead.  After dominating the first five minutes, Magnitogorsk ran into some penalty trouble when Evgeni Malkin was called for slashing.  Momentum shifted to Barys, who couldn't score during Malkin's penalty but drew another penalty on Mikhail Yakubov immediately after.  Their second powerplay needed just 35 seconds to score as Nik Antropov found Maxim Spiridonov alone across the crease for an easy tap-in goal.

That would be the only goal Barys scored though as Magnitogorsk fought back to gain momentum with their home crowd and got a little help from some poor goaltending as well.  With 5 minutes left in the 1st period, Nikolai Kulemin held the puck near the goal line by the Barys net patiently.  After surveying his passing options (there were none), he took a bad angle shot which somehow slipped into the net for a 2-1 lead.

Hedman won the battle of 71's here.

Barys put together another effort to tie the game late in the period after Cal O'Reilly was called for hooking and then given a 10 minute misconduct for arguing the call (Abuse of Officials, officially), but Magnitogorsk's penalty kill held strong.  The first 10 minutes of the 2nd period were filled with penalties and chippy play as Sergei Gonchar got into a scrum with Mihail Grigoriev.  The bad blood continued as Malkin went around the offensive zone and cross-checked 3 different players (no penalties were called) and then got into a small wrestling match with Victor Hedman which led to roughing minors for each.

Once tempers subsided on both sides, Metallurg went to work at putting the game away during the rest of the 2nd period.  Dmitry Kazionov scored 2 goals and Sergei Gonchar added a powerplay goal in a 5 minute span to take Barys completely out of the game with a 5-1 score.  After the 5th goal, Barys pulled their starting goalie Lassila and put in backup Pavel Poluektov.

Poluektov didn't let a shot in for the rest of the game and the 3rd period went very quickly and quietly as both teams appeared to be ready to move on.  There were more instances of YMCA, the wave, and thunder sticks being used in the crowd than quality chances on the ice.

Final Score:  Metallurg Magnitogorsk 5   Barys Astana 1

Metallurg improves to 16-0-6-5 and Barys drops to 11-0-5-11.

Player Notes

Evgeni Malkin - Malkin showed a lot of fire in this game with quite a few physical altercations.  He played well but certainly seemed more intent on causing chaos with his body than the puck today.  He only managed 3 shots, an unusually low total for him, and recorded just 1 assist in only 19:50 of ice time (also an unusually low number).  He was only 8 for 18 in faceoffs as well.  My guess is someone woke up on the wrong side of bed today.

I think he was going for the Mighty Ducks jersey pullover

Sergei Gonchar - In 19 minutes of ice time, Gonchar scored a powerplay goal and assisted on another in the easy win.  He was not tested much defensively, but was flawless in his own end when necessary.  He also showed quite a bit of fight today, getting into a couple shoving matches.  He had a talk with the refs after the 2nd period and was laughing with them though, so things couldn't have been too bad.

Others - Nikolai Kulemin was named Magnitogorsk's player of the game with only 1 goal recorded...I'm not sure why.  Mozyakin is the KHL's leader in points with 37 right now, followed by Alexander Radulov with 36 and Evgeni Malkin in 3rd with 33 points.  Cal O'Reilly only played 9:42 because of his 10 minute misconduct.  Head coach Paul Maurice was clearly unhappy and sat him much longer than necessary.

Next Game:  11/25, 6am EST vs HC Yugra

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.

Call It a Winning Streak! Magnitogorsk Wins 5-2!

Another missed game (though Magnitogorsk is 3-0 when I don't watch them)...next one is Friday, 11/2 at 9am vs. HC Vityaz Chekhov.  I'll be on my game and recapping that one fully!

Here's what we missed;

Metallurg Magnitogorsk  5   Severstal Cherepovets  2

Cal O'Reilly - 1a, 8 for 13 faceoffs, 17:19 TOI

Mats Zuccarello - 1a, 1 shot, 16:03 TOI, 2 PIM

Evgeni Malkin - 3a, 5 shots, 8 for 21 faceoffs, 20:11 TOI

Nikolai Kulemin - 1a, 3 shots, 0 for 1 faceoffs, 19:03 TOI
Sergei Gonchar - 1 shot, 20:55 TOI

Magnitogorsk Dismantles Riga Using the Powerplay

(Sorry for the delayed recap, "afternoon" games throw off my schedule)

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(9-0-4-3)

vs

Dynamo

Riga

(3-3-2-10)

Players You May Recognize

Viktor Ignatjev (assistant coach), Rob Schremp, Alexandre Giroux, Raitis Ivanans, Kaspars Daugavins

Recap

This really shouldn't have been a close game as Magnitogorsk visited last place Dynamo Riga, located in Latvia.  Shoddy defense and a very tightly called game kept the teams close though, ultimately helping Metallurg earn the 5-2 victory in the end after a shaky start.

Maybe Paul Maurice should hide his game plan better.

Despite a dismal record of 3-3-2-10, Riga's crowd was jubilant from the start and thought they had a reason to be when Riga appeared to take the lead less than a minute into the game.  The goal would be waived off because the puck last touched a player's hand, but Riga would score 3 minutes later anyways to take a 1-0 lead.  In a major defensive lapse, Magnitogorsk was caught pinching heavily in the offensive zone, leading to a 3 on 1 the other way where Sergei Gonchar was the only defenseman.  Gonchar played the cross-crease pass perfectly, but was helpless as the 3rd man in, Andris Dzherinsh, received the puck and flipped it over an outstretched Ari Ahonen in net.

Shortly thereafter, the tone of the game changed completely as penalty after penalty was called (a total of 24 in the game) and the pace died off altogether.  Magnitogorsk took advantage of their first powerplay in the first period after Evgeni Malkin drew an interference call in the offensive zone.  Sergei Mozyakin took the puck at the left point and fed it down to Malkin to the right of the net.  Malkin wasted no time and one-timed it past goalie Maris Yuchers.  The first period would end with 3 more penalties, but no more goals.

The second period started with 4 more penalties as the pace slowed to a crawl.  During a rare moment of 5 on 5 play, Riga simply embarrassed Magnitogorsk by taking the puck into the zone on a 2 on 3 break where both Riga players skated past all 3 defending players for a 2 on 0 chance against Ari Ahonen.  Ahonen was helpless as Kaspars Daugavins tapped in a cross-crease pass to give Riga the 2-1 lead.  More penalties followed as usual and Magnitogorsk used another powerplay to tie the game as Denis Platonov wristed a puck from the slot.  The second period ended with a "fight" featuring Alexandre Giroux and the third period would start with some 3 on 3 play.


The fight resulted in Giroux receiving a 5 minute major and Misharin only receiving a 2 minute minor.  On the ensuing powerplay, Magnitogorsk took the lead when Sergei Mozyakin one-timed a pass from Malkin into the net.  Shortly thereafter, Malkin would draw a hooking penalty as he drove towards the net and Magnitogorsk would score their 4th powerplay goal - Mozyakin from Malkin again.  The plethora of penalty calls would continue and Riga's Mathieu Carle would be sent to the locker room with a 5 minute major and game misconduct for abuse of the officials.  Though Riga made a last minute push despite the penalties, Nikolai Kulemin would finish the scoring with, of course, a powerplay goal assisted by Evgeni Malkin.

Final Score:  Metallurg Magnitogorsk 5  Dynamo Riga 2

Magnitogorsk improves to 10-0-4-3 and Riga drops to 3-3-2-11.

Player Notes

Four point Malkin is a happy Malkin.

Evgeni Malkin - A four point night finally moved Malkin past Cal O'Reilly in the Magnitogorsk scoring race and he now sits second on the team with 17 points in 13 games (behind Mozyakin who has 20 in 15).  In a game filled with frustration on both sides, Malkin stayed composed and only took one penalty for slashing while drawing two for hooking and interference.  He was the key to the powerplay, scoring 1 goal and earning the primary assist on 3 others.  He finished with 4 shots and went 14 for 25 in faceoffs in 21:35 of ice time to go with his 4 points and 2 PIM.

Sergei Gonchar - Though the powerplay was dominant and there was plenty of time with the extra man, Gonchar was nowhere to be seen.  He finished with no points and only one shot on net despite playing 21:44, much of it on the powerplay.  Gonchar didn't need to be flashy as Malkin took control of the powerplay and the game, but it is rare to see him do so little on the powerplay.

Others - Nikolai Kulemin had a quiet game despite his powerplay goal at the end.  Alexandre Giroux, who notoriously avoided contact in his AHL career, played a very physical game and took it all out on Georgi Misharin in their "fight".  Cal O'Reilly and Mats Zuccarello both assisted on Platonov's powerplay goal.  O'Reilly is now tied for 5th in assists (13) in the KHL with Ilya Kovalchuk.  

Next Game:  10/24, 12pm EST @ Donbass

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.

Magnitogorsk Blows 2 Goal Lead, Falls in Shootout

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(7-0-3-3)

vs

Lokomotiv

Yaroslavl

(8-2-0-4)

Players You May Recognize

Semyon Varlamov started in net for Lokomotiv.  Other NHLers joining him:  Niklas Hagman, Dmitri Kulikov, Sami Lepisto, Artem Anisimov, and Viktor Kozlov.  Goalie Curtis Sanford is also on the roster for Lokomotiv, but currently injured.

Recap

At least it's a hockey night somewhere.

While most KHL teams require an introduction to NHL fans, here is the one where it sadly is not necessary. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl made their return to Magnitogorsk this morning after spending last season in the Russian Major League instead of the KHL.  Coming off of their horrific plane tragedy, they entered this season under a different set of rules compared to other KHL teams.  Lokomotiv is allowed to use more than 6 non-Russian players and they will receive an automatic berth into the playoffs at the end of the season, regardless of where they stand.

Despite the kind allowances, the team is doing quite well on its own this season.  They entered this game as the 2nd best team in the KHL's Western Conference, led by NHL-quality goaltending and a few former NHLers on their first line.  Meanwhile, Magnitogorsk entered the game 4th in the East after a 3-0 win and a five day layoff.

The home team showed no rust off of the opening faceoff and it took Magnitogorsk just 3 minutes to get on the board.  Sergei Mozyakin intercepted a puck in the neutral zone and fed it up to Justin Hodgman, who was breaking through two defenders for a breakaway.  Hodgman went to his backhand and then pulled the puck back over to his forehand to easily beat an outstretched Semyon Varlamov for a 1-0 lead.

The Steel Fox loves it.

After a comical stoppage where Magnitogorsk blasted "Born in the USA" to the crowd, Metallurg continued to put endless pressure on Lokomotiv.  The 2nd and 3rd lines created most of the chances as Lokomotiv did not appear to have enough depth to keep up with Metallurg.  Malkin's line was held rather quiet through the 1st period though as they often faced two NHL defensemen in Sami Lepisto and Dmitri Kulikov.  Geno did have a chance late in the period, but mostly fanned on a one-timer from just outside of the crease.  The first period ended 1-0 in Magnitogorsk's favor.

They continued to dominate play in the second period, forcing Lokomotiv into a penalty kill mentality for a few minutes despite it being 5 on 5 play.  Varlamov was the difference though, making several saves through screens and due to sheer incompetence from his team.  He eventually allowed a second goal with 4 minutes left in the period though as Denis Platonov jammed away at a rebound that Varlamov could not fully control. The assists went to Cal O'Reilly and Sergei Mozyakin.  Magnitogorsk would have a couple more beautiful chances before the end of the period, but Varlamov kept Lokomotiv in it with some dazzling saves and the period ended with a score of 2-0.

Platonov jamming away at Varlamov's glove.

Feeling confident after two dominant periods, Metallurg gave up an awful early goal to start the 3rd period and bring Lokomotiv back into the game.  Defenseman Yaroslav Khabarov made an ill-advised backhand pass from behind the goal line directly in front of the net.  Unfortunately for him, the only player in front of the net was Lokomotiv forward Egor Averin.  Averin took a quick shot before Magnitogorsk goalie Ari Ahonen was set and cut the lead to 2-1.

The teams traded powerplays midway through the 3rd period but neither could capitalize and the game continued on as Lokomotiv gained more steam with every shift.  Finally, with just 2:30 left in the 3rd period, Ahonen made a save and knocked the puck wide behind the goal line.  Lokomotiv's Alexander Chesnikov corralled the puck behind the net and was chased by both defensemen (Sergei Gonchar and Yaroslav Khabarov) AND a forward who I did not catch.  With 3 men behind the net, Egor Averin sat in the slot by himself.  Somehow, Chesnikov beat all 3 men and dished the puck out to Averin, who one-timed it past Ahonen to tie the game.

The game continued through the 3rd and a 5 minute overtime without much action.  After overtime, it was hard not to feel doomed as Magnitogorsk has fared quite poorly in shootouts this season.  The first 3 shooters from each team were stopped (Magnitogorsk: Mozyakin, Malkin, Zuccarello; Lokomotiv: Galimov, Kozlov, Hagman).  Justin Hodgman led off the 4th round for Magnitogorsk but was stopped by Varlamov.  With the game on his stick, Daniil Apalkov completely fooled Ahonen by faking to his right and then snapped a quick wrist shot for the win.

Semyon Varlamov finished with 40 saves on 42 shots and shutout Magnitogorsk in the shootout for a very well-deserved win.

Final Score:  Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 3  Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 (SO)

Magnitogorsk drops to 7-0-4-3 and Yaroslavl improves to 8-3-0-4.

Player Notes

Gonchar, Mozyakin, Malkin, some Letang wannabe
(errr Zuccarello)

Evgeni Malkin - Malkin finished the game with 4 shots in 24:11 of ice time and went 12 for 20 in faceoffs.  He looked a bit off today as he lost the puck in the offensive zone a couple times and also seemed very inaccurate with his shots.  There was one sequence that was out of the ordinary in the KHL (though we have seen Geno do it in the NHL plenty) where he tried to burst past a defender, lost the puck, and went to shoulder the defender before retrieving the puck.  It turned into an offensive zone turnover as the defenseman just kept skating for the puck looking to avoid a physical battle.  I've never thought about it before, but Malkin's big body and physical play certainly lends itself to the NHL much better than the KHL at times despite his skill level.

Sergei Gonchar - Gonchar played one of his worst games of the season from start to finish in this matchup.  Though he did land 5 shots on net in 22:18 of ice time, his offensive zone play was lackluster and his defense was costly.  Like Malkin, Gonchar had turnover issues in the offensive zone and added to it by taking a needless holding penalty in the offensive zone as well.  He also got caught behind the opponent's net on 3 different instances where he passed the puck to the front and it turned into a breakout the other way.  Gonchar was simply trying to force too much in this game.

Cal O'Reilly - Shocking, O'Reilly adds another assist!  He stays in the top 5 in the KHL with 11 assists in 14 games.  He received a big bump in ice time (up to 21:30) and was 9 for 15 in faceoffs.  O'Reilly's play can simply be defined as safe and dependable at the KHL level so far.

Artem Anisimov - Anisimov scattered 4 shots through 22:04 of playing time and went 11 for 22 in the faceoff circle.  He looked to be at his best when he did not have the puck though, causing chaos in front of the net a few times.  I was rather surprised to not see him in the shootout, not that I know much about Lokomotiv's shooters.

Varlamov gets my first star for the game.

Semyon Varlamov - Varlamov had a phenomenal game, getting beat only on a breakaway and a massive scrum where he had no chance to do anything.  He stayed square to his shooters and gave Magnitogorsk very little to shoot at throughout the game.  His fundamentals were perfect as he made quite a few saves through screens as well.  He is easily the biggest reason that Lokomotiv had a chance to even be in this game, let alone win it.

Others - Mats Zuccarello had a quiet game as Lokomotiv seemed very well-equipped to deal with any speed that Magnitogorsk used against them.  Viktor Kozlov looked solid on the powerplay but was not very noticeable at even strength.  Niklas Hagman also did not appear to create much on his own for Lokomotiv.  Sami Lepisto played a strong 2 periods but did not return for the 3rd or extra time.  Finally, Kulikov played very well in keeping Malkin's line quiet and led the game with over 26 minutes of ice time.

Next Game:  10/15, 9am EST vs Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod

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.

Lockout Podcast #4: Hockey Kicks Cancer

The NHL may be dormant, but hockey fans have continued the fight against cancer!  Adam and Meesh lead off this week’s podcast with the results of the Hockey Kicks Cancer Charity Event from this past weekend.  The rest of this episode is a hodgepodge of updates on the CBA, players in Europe, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and a few lengthy tangents.  The lawyer co-hosts finish off with a “Where Are They Now” that updates you on a player with a lengthy criminal record.

Listen below or on iTunes (Search CrosbyFTW or click here)!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Please nominate us for the podcast awards! www.podcastawards.com

Magnitogorsk Special Teams Thrive in 2-1 Win

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(5-0-3-2)

@

Sibir

Novosibirsk

(5-3-2-2)

Players You May Recognize

None.  I didn't recognize a single player on the Siberians.  I looked up their captain (Jonas Enlund) and he was a 2006 Thrashers draft pick that never panned out.

Recap

Coming off of a 2-1 shootout loss to CSKA Moscow, head coach Paul Maurice decided to change up his first line looking for more offense.  Evgeni Malkin started the game centering Sergei Mozyakin and Nikolai Kulemin (instead of Denis Platonov).  Offense could not be found though in a very quick paced first period.  Both teams turned the puck over frequently as shifts often turned into wind sprints back and forth down the ice.  Malkin was able to draw a tripping penalty, but Magnitogorsk could not capitalize on the powerplay and the period ended scoreless thanks to solid goaltending at both ends.

Oleg Tverdovsky interview during the 1st intermission.

The second period started at a much slower pace as both teams generally kept to the perimeter.  Magnitogorsk was rewarded as soon as they tested the slot area as Mikhail Yakubov and Pavel Zdunov broke through the defense.  Yakubov passed to Zdunov skating through the right faceoff circle and Zdunov ripped a wrist shot past Novosibirsk goalie Sergei Gaiduchenko, who could not cover the post quickly enough.

Magnitogorsk drew a penalty shortly after taking the lead but could not capitalize on the opportunity.  Novosibirsk took advantage of returning to 5 on 5 though as captain Jonas Enlund sprung Stepan Sannikov on a breakaway beginning at the red line.  Sannikov deked to the backhand and beat Ahonen high over his glove to tie the game at 1.  Novosibirsk had another quick chance entering the zone with a 2 on 1, but Sergei Gonchar broke it up and took a holding penalty in the process.  Magnitogorsk killed the penalty without a problem and the period ended with a 1-1 tie.

With heavy bags under his eyes, Maurice juggled
lines like a pro.

Maurice opted for more line changes to begin the 3rd period, moving Mats Zuccarello to the top line with Malkin and Kulemin.  Zuccarello drew an early 3rd period powerplay for Magnitogorsk as the line immediately paid dividends.  Metallurg took the lead 2-1 as Zuccarello found a wide open Evgeni Malkin in the corner behind the net.  With all of the time in the world, Malkin threaded a pass between two sticks and right to Nikolai Kulemin on the crease, where the puck was tapped in for what would be the game winning goal.

The second half of the third period was a blur (literally, because the online feed kept cutting out).  Magnitogorsk killed two more penalties, including one in the final two minutes when defenseman Evgeni Biryukov was given a 2 minute minor and 10 minute misconduct for a headshot.  With Malkin centering the penalty kill in the last minute, Magnitogorsk held on to win the game.  Kulemin's powerplay goal and numerous clutch penalty kills were the major keys to their victory.

Final Score:  Metallurg wins 2-1.  

Magnitogorsk improves to 6-0-3-2 and Novosibirsk drops to 5-3-2-3.

Player Notes

Hey Bylsma, try Malkin on the PK.

Evgeni Malkin - Geno finished the game 17 for 29 in the faceoff circle, which included many key defensive zone wins.  He had 9 shots and 1 assist in 21:21 of ice time.  Despite his clear chemistry with Mozyakin, he looked very strong with Kulemin and Zuccarello, especially as Zuccarello's speed created more room in the 3rd period.  His overall shooting percentage is horrendous right now, but I imagine that will inevitably fix itself.

Sergei Gonchar - Sarge had 2 shots on net and a holding penalty in 19:49 of ice time.  The penalty was a smart one since it stopped a 2 on 1 where he was the last man back.  Aside from that, Gonchar was not very noticeable in general.

Cal O'Reilly - O'Reilly eventually inherited Mozyakin and Platonov as linemates from Malkin but showed little chemistry with them, especially Platonov.  There was really nothing else of note in his game today.

Next Game:  10/6, 6am EST vs Metallurg Novokuznetsk

Links:

Go to onhockey.ru for all of your streaming needs.  They are excellent and add feeds as they find them.

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

CSKA Outlasts Magnitogorsk in a Shootout

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(5-0-2-2)

@

CSKA

Moscow

(5-2-0-4)

Players You May Recognize

Ilya Bryzgalov (did not play), Mikhail Grabovski, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Radulov, Oleg Kvasha.
Also, Mats Zuccarello apparently joined Metallurg 2 games ago, but I missed that completely (we'll say lost in translation).  

Recap

Metallurg Magnitogorsk hosted CSKA Moscow and one of the KHL's best and feistiest forwards in Alexander Radulov.  Magnitogorsk entered the matchup on a 3 game winning streak led by Cal O'Reilly (2nd in the KHL in assists with 9) and Sergei Mozyakin (2nd in goals with 6 and 4th in points with 11).  Meanwhile, CSKA countered with Radulov who entered the game 3rd in points (12) and leading the league in penalty minutes (50).  Magnitogorsk started Ari Ahonen in net while Moscow went with Ratislav Stana, leaving Ilya Bryzgalov as a scratch.

CSKA got off to a quick start, taking a 1-0 lead just 1:32 into the game with a goal from Vladimir Zharkov assisted by Alexander Guskov.  Unfortunately, it took me the first 7 minutes to get the game streaming, so I do not have a better description than that.  Here's what we missed, translated from Russian:

"the goal is not got!"

Both goalies looked excellent midway through the period and each made multiple saves on point blank chances from the crease.  The skating started to open up late in the 1st and Evgeni Malkin went to work, first taking the puck on a semi-breakaway that was stopped by Stana, and then setting up two great chances for his linemates in the slot.  CSKA took a hooking penalty in the effort to stop Malkin's line, but goaltender Stana was up to the task as CSKA killed off the penalty. With only two minutes left in the period, Alexander Radulov was taken awkwardly into the boards, which sparked some aggression and shoving, but no goals or penalties.  Radulov wouldn't even miss a shift.

Cal O'Reilly...the KHL star?

The second period was rather quiet for the first 9 minutes.  Oleg Tverdovsky hit the post on a chance to tie the game, but that was the only drama early on.  As the game approached the midway point, Metallurg finally got on the board when Nikolai Kulemin one-timed a Cal O'Reilly pass at Stana.  The puck bounced off of Stana's pads, straight up into the air, and trickled past the goal line to tie the game.

Both teams returned to their quiet pace of the 2nd aside from a scrum centering around another Radulov, Igor.  Igor Radulov took a run at Sergei Mozyakin on the boards.  Mozyakin was fine, but teammate Sergei Bernatsky took offense to the hit and proceeded to attack Radulov.  Pavel Datsyuk got involved in the fun as he shoved Bernatsky's head down while he was on top of Radulov.  The players were pulled apart and only Bernatsky received a penalty in the end.  Magnitogorsk killed it off and the end of the 2nd period arrived, tied at 1.

Two minutes for Gonchar to feel shame.

Metallurg drew a powerplay early in the 3rd period, but it was negated as Sergei Gonchar took a tripping penalty while on the powerplay.  After each team succeeded in killing their penalties, the game tightened up and the pace dropped remarkably.  Aside from 2 or 3 Malkin offensive zone turnovers, the 3rd period was simply nothing to write about as the teams went to overtime.

Overtime was easily the most dramatic period of the game as Magnitogorsk's Justin Hodgman took a 4 minute double minor for high sticking to put CSKA on the powerplay.  A minute into the penalty kill, Metallurg's Mikhail Yakubov drew a tripping penalty on Pavel Datsyuk off of a faceoff which resulted in 3 on 3 play.  Neither team could utilize the open ice of 3 on 3 and CSKA returned to the powerplay when Datsyuk exited the penalty box.  Magnitogorsk held on for the rest of the overtime and the teams proceeded to a shootout.

The shootout began with CSKA and Pavel Datsyuk, who shot wide.  Sergei Mozyakin went next and was stopped.  Alexander Radulov was the 2nd CSKA shooter and he was stopped on a wrist shot.  Evgeni Malkin went 2nd for Metallurg, took the puck wide, but could not get it around Ilya Proskuryakov, who replaced Ratislav Stana at some point prior to the shootout (but I have no clue when).  Oleg Kvasha was the 3rd shooter for CSKA and he beat goalie Ari Ahonen 5-hole.  With all of the pressure on his small shoulders, Mats Zuccarello deked Proskuryakov completely out of position and tied the shootout.

In an odd difference from the NHL, after the first 3 rounds, the teams switched their shooting order and players were allowed to go again.  Therefore, Metallurg began with Mats Zuccarello, who tried the same move but lost the puck.  CSKA changed it up and went with Igor Radulov, who beat Ahonen high, blocker side and won the game for CSKA.

Malkin says something that gets Radulov's attention.

Final Score:  CSKA wins 2-1 (Shootout).  

Metallurg drops to 5-0-3-2 and CSKA Moscow improves to 5-3-0-4.

Player Notes

Evgeni Malkin - Geno played a season high 24:44 and frequently shifted between dynamic and nonexistent from shift to shift.  At times, Malkin and his linemates (Mozyakin and Platonov again) were unstoppable in the offensive zone as they cycled around the net and created chances around the slot.  However, the group committed quite a few turnovers which led to CSKA breakouts.  Malkin finished with 4 shots and went 15 for 29 in faceoffs, though he seemed to lose every big opportunity to Pavel Datsyuk in the offensive and defensive zones.  

Sergei Gonchar - Gonchar had a very quiet game though he also played a season high with 23:26  of ice time.  He had no shots and took an unnecessary tripping penalty while Magnitogorsk was on the powerplay.  The powerplay overall was very quiet as Gonchar could not get set up comfortably at the point.  He didn't play awful defensively, but his usual offensive output was not there today against CSKA.

Cal O'Reilly - O'Reilly added to his assist total amongst the league leaders with a perfect feed to Kulemin on the only Magnitogorsk goal.  Zuccarello joined his line in this game and it appears that these 3 will make an excellent second line.  O'Reilly's big negative at this point is he doesn't take enough shots and looks to pass first a little too frequently.

Malkin vs. Datsyuk...somehow, Geno lost this one.

Pavel Datsyuk - Datsyuk showed his usual strong vision throughout the game, though he did not have linemates that created for him as much as he is used to in the NHL.  He was a dismal 9 for 26 in faceoffs, quite possibly only winning in draws against Malkin.  On many offensive chances, he seemed to slow down and settle into a puck distributor role at the point instead of going deep into the zone.

Alexander Radulov - Without making a comment as to stereotypes, Radulov's effort looked simply wonderful in this game compared to his recent NHL play.  He was gritty and went hard on both the forecheck and backcheck.  He also received both powerplay and penalty kill time, acting quite responsibly on both.  As captain of CSKA, Radulov finished the game leading both teams with over 29 minutes of ice time and leading his own team with 4 shots.  He certainly made his presence felt in this game, though he did not get on the scoresheet.

Next Game:  10/4, 8am EST vs Sibir

Links:

Go to onhockey.ru for all of your streaming needs.  They are excellent and add feeds as they find them.

O'Reilly Sets Up Metallurg For Third Win in a Row

The Matchup:

Metallurg 

Magnitogorsk 

(4-0-2-2)

vs

HC Slovan

Bratislava

(4-2-1-2)

Players You May Recognize

Former Pens:  Miroslav Satan

Recap

After back to back blowout wins, a few of Metallurg Magnitogorsk's players entered this game amongst the KHL league leaders.  Center Cal O'Reilly began the day 3rd in assists, with 7 in 8 games.  Winger Sergei Mozyakin came into this matchup 4th in goals (5), 5th in points (10), and leading the league in game winning goals (3).  Meanwhile, goalie Ari Ahonen was 2nd in goals against average (1.63).

The KHL's website lists him a less intimidating "Shatan"

Ahonen would not get the start though as Georgi Gelashvili was between the pipes against HC Slovan Bratislava.  Slovan entered the game in 4th place in the Western Conference as they continue through their inaugural season in the KHL.  Last year, HC Slovan won the Slovak Championship behind leading point scorer and captain, Miroslav Satan.  Over the summer, they petitioned to join the KHL and were accepted.

Much like the last two wins, Metallurg was off to a quick start on the opening faceoff and would score just a few shifts later.  Defenseman Georgi Misharin pinched into the zone and chipped a puck behind the net to Cal O'Reilly.  O'Reilly quickly fed the puck in front to Enver Lisin who scored from about 3 feet away.  After Metallurg took a 1-0 lead, the teams traded powerplay opportunities and Slovan picked up their pace.  The first would end 1-0 though.

The second period started with more failed powerplay opportunities, first by Metallurg and then by Slovan.  As Slovan's powerplay ended though, Cal O'Reilly made a great diving play at the red line to chip the puck up to Sergei Mozyakin who had just exited the penalty box.  Mozyakin entered the zone on a breakaway and scored on a top shelf wrist shot to make it 2-0 Metallurg.  The second period came to a quiet end with Metallurg holding on to their 2 goal lead.

Slovan finally got on the board 7 minutes into the 3rd period as Miroslav Satan and Libor Gudachek entered the offensive zone 2 on 2.  Satan passed to Gudachek on the right, who beat goalie Gelashvili with a seemingly harmless wrist shot.  The goal sparked Slovan and they tied the game roughly a minute later.  Andrei Stastny got away from Evgeni Malkin on the boards behind the net and deked around defenseman Viktor Antipin in the slot before beating Gelashvili with a nice backhander.

The tie would last 5 minutes before Metallurg took the lead back for good.  As Metallurg worked the perimeter on a delayed penalty, Evgeni Biryukov took a shot from the point and Mikhail Yakubov put a stick on the shot to deflect it into the net.  Slovan pushed for the tying goal in the last minute with their goaltender pulled, but Metallurg held on until the final buzzer.

Starting to like that Steel Fox more than Iceburgh.

Final Score:  Metallurg wins 3-2.  

Metallurg moves to 5-0-2-2 and HC Slovan Bratislava drops to 4-2-1-3.

Player Notes

Things I don't like: Malkin on the ground
after a scrum.

Evgeni Malkin - Malkin had a very quiet game, only recording 2 shots in 22:48 of ice time.  He did go 14 for 24 in the faceoff circle, though he seemed to struggle with big offensive zone faceoffs.  He retained the same linemates from last game (Mozyakin and Platonov) and seems to be developing great chemistry with Mozyakin especially.

Sergei Gonchar - Gonchar was also quiet in this one, only recording 1 shot in 20:56 of ice time.  A big reason both him and Malkin were quiet was because of a great penalty kill effort by Slovan.  Gonchar and Malkin were kept to the perimeter on the powerplay and were pressured immediately before they had the opportunity to create chances.

Cal O'Reilly - O'Reilly added 2 assists to keep him amongst the league leaders and had another great defensive game on the penalty kill and overall.  Through the 5 games I have watched, O'Reilly has been a very solid 2 way center and has shown great vision for where his teammates and/or the puck will end up.

Miroslav Satan - As captain of HC Slovan, Satan led by example and effort in his skating all over the ice.  He was limited to 1 shot in 18:39 of ice time and recorded an assist, but he was easily noticeable because of his presence all over the rink.  He was accountable in the defensive zone and tried to create in the offensive zone, though Metallurg defended him pretty well.  Satan looked far more comfortable with HC Slovan than he ever did in Pittsburgh.

Next Game:  10/1, 9am EST vs CSKA

Links:

onhockey.ru came up big with the live stream again.  It looks like that may be the most dependable site for KHL streams.