Avtomobilist - SKA

Avtomobilist - SKA - 3:2 SO

5 December 2023

Despite having mounted a spirited comeback, SKA just couldn't grab that extra point in Ekaterinburg against Avtomobilist, suffering a slender 2:3 setback in a penalty shootout away in the 2023/2024 KHL regular season.

Unlike our team, Avtomobilist had come into this game on the back of poor recent form. However, even though SKA had initially started on the front foot, the Ural hosts suddenly opened up a two-goal lead towards the end of the maiden period.

Andrei Obidin made up for an earlier miss when hitting the jackpot from the doorstep on the powerplay, before Vladimir Kuznetsov beat Nikita Serebryakov on the counter. That was indeed Serebryakov's last action of the game, as he was promptly swapped for tall Belarusian goaltender Pavel Moisevich.

The commanding, self-assured 19-year-old provided SKA with confidence as a result of his calm performance between the pipes.

Moisevich kept SKA in with a fighting chance thanks to a series of fantastic stops when under pressure. In truth, an increasingly confident Avtomobilist side were bossing proceedings in the second stanza, but Zakhar Bardakov conjured something out of nothing in the 39th minute.

When receiving an intelligent pass from Borna Rendulic on the break-away, he finally got the better of impressive Avtomobilist goalkeeper Vladimir Galkin with his unstoppable one-timer.

Buoyed by that goal, SKA went on to dominate the entirety of the third period.

Sergei Tolchinsky quickly found our equaliser in the 46th minute, netting at the second time of asking after we had won a faceoff draw inside the attacking zone. Applying heavy pressure on the Avtomobilist defence, SKA created several more promising opportunities, but Galkin held firm for the home side - even when the visitors were handed a late powerplay in the penultimate minute.

That PP came and went without anything to report. Following a goalless overtime period, a shootout was consequently required, but home forward Anatoly Golyshev was the only player to score for either club.

SKA will now prepare to face Traktor in Chelaybinsk on Thursday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 17:00 Moscow time.

Match protocol:

Avtomobilist - SKA - 3:2 SO (2:0, 0:1, 0:1, 0:0 - 1:0)

Goals:

1:0 Obidin (Makeev, Byvaltsev), 14.53 PPG

2:0 Kuznetsov (Macek, Tryamkin), 16.27

2:1 Bardakov (Rendulic, Pashnin), 38.27

2:2 Tolchinsky (Sergeev), 45.35

3:2 Golyshev, 65.00 SO

Goalkeepers: Galkin - Serebryakov/Moisevich

Shots: 41 - 83

Shots on target: 22 - 44