No points in SKA Arena opener

17 December 2024

SKA were left without any points from the opening match of the 2024/2025 KHL campaign at the SKA Arena, conceding a slender 2:3 loss to Lokomotiv.

In what turned out to be a scrappy, nervy affair, a late powerplay go-ahead goal from leading Lokomotiv scorer Maxim Beryozkin proved enough for the Yaroslavl-based organisation to take the two points home with them.

The opening stanza saw eventual winners Lokomotiv take the game to SKA with their aggressive approach.

However, after Pavel Moisevich had pulled off a handful of challenging saves, our players made the breakthrough against the run of play. Sergei Plotnikov was the scorer, carefully lifting the puck high into the left corner having won it on the doorstep.

Unfortunately, our lead didn’t last for long. Lokomotiv got back on level terms a mere matter of three minutes later, as the unmarked Alexander Radulov whipped the puck beyond the stricken Moisevich following a poor defensive turnover.

SKA really should have retaken the lead on the PP at the start of the second stanza. At close range, both Mikhail Grigorenko and Vasily Glotov appeared certain to score, but Isayev made two excellent saves to rescue his team.

Lokomotiv then gained the advantage moments later. Once again it was a cheap goal for SKA to concede, as a defensive mix-up allowed Maxim Shalunov to pick his spot and give Moisevich no chance with an unstoppable wristed attempt.

Nevertheless, a subsequent powerplay allowed our team to draw level. A wicked ricochet fooled Isayev, and Vladimir Alistrov was on hand to gather the loose puck and cleverly redirect it in.

A huge opportunity to move into the box seat was missed before the frame was out. All of a sudden, the lively Ivan Demidov found himself skating clean through with only Isayev to beat, but he ran out of space when shaping to shoot and the chance went begging.

The same player subsequently wasted another guilt-edged opportunity in the third period, opting to make a pass instead of taking the shot when skating away 2-on-1.

To our dismay, that miss proved vital. Plotnikov contrived to take a somewhat untimely slashing penalty with eight minutes remaining on the clock, a foul which was punished to the maximum as Beryozkin conjured up a moment of magic to dance through the SKA defence and wrist perfectly past Moisevich.

SKA came agonisingly close to salvaging a point in the dying seconds through Glotov at a tight angle on the right flank, but Isayev stood tall to the challenge and saw the game out for his team.

Our next match is scheduled to take place in Saint Petersburg against Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod on Thursday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

SKA – Lokomotiv – 2:3 (1:1, 1:1, 0:1)

Goals:

1:0 Plotnikov (Bardakov), 12.13

1:1 Radulov (But, Ivanov), 15.01

1:2 Shalunov (Beryozkin), 24.29

2:2 Alistrov (Rendulic, Khairullin), 28.32 PPG

2:3 Beryozkin (Shalunov, Gernat), 52.07 PPG

Goalkeepers: Moisevich – Isayev

Shots: 52 – 58

Shots on target: 26 – 27

Faceoffs: 29 – 23