Game three. Dinamo Minsk - SKA

Game three. Dinamo Minsk - SKA - 3:4 OT

6 March 2021

In Belarus, SKA were given a run for their money in the third match of the 2020/2021 KHL Gagarin Cup playoff first-round series, eventually beating Dinamo Minsk 4:3 in overtime to open up a 3-0 overall advantage.

SKA are now just the one win away from qualification for the second round of the playoffs.

Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi opened the scoring in the first period with a rasping wrist shot. Midway through the second, Emil Galimov doubled SKA's money, connecting with Malte Stromwall's fantastic pass to convert an odd-man rush opportunity.

However, after Alexei Protas had netted Minsk's first marker of the evening from the right flank, Ivan Morozov contrived to take a 5+20 penalty for an illegal check to the head. Pavel Varfolomeev promptly equalised for the hosts on the brink of the second intermission with a high wrister over Alexander Samonov's blocker.

SKA, however, killed the remainder of that five-minute penalty and subsequently regained the lead in the 47th minute, as Igor Ozhiganov hit the jackpot from the high slot on the powerplay.

Dinamo Minsk weren't prepared to throw in the towel. After a lengthy spell of pressure, the home team did equalise again and consequently force overtime, with Ilya Shinkevich beating the unsighted Samonov from the blue line.

The ensuing overtime period saw Samonov pull off a number of key saves to keep SKA in the match. Eventually, with the first overtime frame approaching its climax, Dinamo Minsk shot themselves in the foot as forwards Zack Mitchell (high-sticking) and Rob Klinkhammer (slashing) gifted SKA a 5-on-3 powerplay opportunity.

A chance which Linden Vey capitalised on, as the Canadian forward fired an accurate effort beyond Furch glove-side to end the match.

The next game will take place on Monday in Minsk, Belarus. Puck-drop is scheduled for 17:10 local time.

Match protocol:

Dinamo Minsk - SKA - 3:4 OT (0:1, 2:1, 1:1, 0:1)

Goals:

0:1 Shvets-Rogovoi (Ozhiganov, Galimov), 04.54

0:2 Galimov (Stromwall, Shvets-Rogovoi), 29.56

1:2 Protas (Prince, Menell), 33.46

2:2 Varfolomeev (Menell, Prince), 39.21

2:3 Ozhiganov (Burdasov, Kuzmenko), 46.28

3:3 Shinkevich (Protas, Solovyov), 55.24

3:4 Vey (Marchenko, Podkolzin), 78.41