Game four. Dinamo Minsk - SKA

Game four. Dinamo Minsk - SKA - 4:2

7 March 2023

In the fourth match of the first round of the 2022/2023 KHL Gagarin Cup playoffs, SKA were made to pay for a series of dreadful defensive mistakes in the third period, conceding a 2:4 loss to Dinamo Minsk.

The series is now deadlocked at 2-2.

There was very little to choose between the teams during the opening two periods. In stark comparison to the third game of the series, this time Dinamo competed in a tight, organised manner, refusing to give our players any space inside their zone.

Chances did begin to appear in the second stanza. On the counter-attack, Ryan Spooner struck the crossbar for Minsk with Dmitry Nikolaev beaten in our net, while Andrei Pedan missed a similar opportunity for our team.

Dmitrij Jaskin thought that he had broken the deadlock in the 33rd minute, as he neatly tipped Alexander Nikishin's effort beyond impressive Belarusian goalkeeper Alexei Kolosov. However, after a lengthy video review, the referees disallowed the marker as a consequence of Jaskin's stick having been slightly too high.

The game burst into life in the third frame.

Nikita Gusev opened the scoring in the 44th minute, pulling clean through and carefully backhanding the puck between the pads of Kolosov.

Seemingly in control of proceedings, SKA were subsequently gifted a powerplay opportunity to continue forcing the issue.

Unfortunately for us, that moment proved decisive in Minsk's favour.

Igor Martynov equalised shorthanded, with his pass across the crease being inadvertently deflected past Nikolaev by Nikishin's stick. Buoyed by that goal, a visibly fired-up Dinamo then took the lead not long later, as Dmitry Sokolov got the better of Nikolaev near-post from the right faceoff circle with a rising effort.

Fortune had once and for all turned against SKA in this game. Playing with a huge amount of commitment and desire, Minsk grabbed their third in rather fortunate circumstances in the 55th minute, and Nikishin was once again the villain of the piece.

Nikolaev managed to deal with the initial wrister from Roman Gorbunov on the break-away, but the ensuing rebound was knocked over the line by the hapless Nikishin who smashed his stick in half in anger.

Nick Merkley iced it with a late empty-netter. In the closing moments, Andrei Pedan did convert a powerplay for SKA from the right of the slot, but it wasn't enough to save the game.

The fifth match of the series will take place in Saint Petersburg on Thursday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

Dinamo Minsk - SKA - 4:2 (0:0, 0:0, 4:2)

Goals:

0:1 Gusev (Nikishin, Bardakov), 43.46

1:1 Martynov, 49.37 SHG

2:1 Sokolov (Spooner, Barberio), 52.04 PPG

3:1 Gorbunov (Merkley, Barberio), 54.22

4:1 Merkley (Alistrov, Barberio), 56.26 EN

4:2 Pedan (Gusev, Khairullin), 58.08 PPG

Goalkeepers: Kolosov - Nikolaev

Shots: 47 - 77