Admiral - SKA - 0:2

SKA took on HC Admiral in Vladivostok for the first match of the Far Eastern KHL road trip. Head coach Oleg Znarok instated newly signed forward Vadim Shipachyov in the second line, while giving Mikko Koskinen the responsibility of guarding the net. Ivan Nalimov, who used to play for SKA, was Admiral's starting goaltender.

Viktor Tikhonov could have given SKA an instant lead against Admiral, but he could only fire directly into Ivan Nalimov's chest at point blank range. SKA went on to hold the majority of possession in the opening period, pressing Admiral's stubborn defence. Maxim Karpov came the closest to a goal, as he was denied by the goalkeeper after pouncing upon a juicy rebound. Mikko Koskinen was forced into one tricky stop, denying Viktor Alexandrov when Admiral had a dangerous counterattack.

Our players continued forcing the issue in the second period. Eventually, the pressure resulted in a goal. On the powerplay, Vadim Shipachyov batted a loose puck over the line for his first SKA goal since rejoining the club. That gave SKA a lift, with the team beginning to slowly increasing the intensity on the hosts. Dinar Khafizullin had an ideal chance to double SKA's advantage, however he contrived to slap wide of a gaping net.

Protecting a one goal lead, SKA opted for a more defensive approach in the third frame. Nevertheless, the best scoring chances still came in Admiral's zone. Ivan Nalimov was single handedly keeping the Vladivostok outfit in the game, pulling off an astounding 46 saves in the match overall. Admiral huffed and puffed, but their fate was sealed when Jarno Koskiranta slid the puck into the empty net after Ivan Nalimov had been pulled for the extra skater. 2:0, SKA defeat Admiral and begin the away series with a victory!

Match protocol:

Admiral - SKA - 0:2 (0:0, 0:1, 0:1)

Goals:

0:1 Shipachyov (Gusev), 23.49

0:2 Koskiranta (Barabanov, Hersley), 59.21

Goalkeepers: Nalimov - Koskinen

Shots on target: 20 - 47

Penalty minutes: 6 - 8

Faceoffs: 23 - 39

Hits: 12 - 7

Referees: Belov, Fateev

14.11.2017. Vladivostok.