OT disappointment in game two

29 March 2025

SKA conceded a bitterly disappointing defeat in the second match of the first round of the 2024/2025 KHL Gagarin Cup playoffs against Dynamo, coming up short 1:2 in overtime to consequently go 0-2 down in the series.

Our team produced a strong performance across the initial 60 minutes in Moscow, but profligacy in front of goal and defensive slips once again proved our downfall.

Just like Thursday, the opening stanza was contested at an intense pace.

As a consequence of an early tripping penalty taken by Mikhail Grigorenko, Dynamo competed with the initiative for the majority of the first period, testing Yegor Zavragin in our net on a regular basis.

His best save was pulled off against Artyom Chernov midway through the stanza, as he brilliantly shut the door on the clean-through Dynamo forward.

We promptly broke the deadlock in the subsequent shift.

Lurking on the doorstep, the lively Ivan Demidov calmly turned a wonderful pass from Nikita Zaitsev home with Dynamo goalkeeper Maxim Motorygin already out of the picture.

Zavragin once again made a fantastic save against the onrushing Maxim Dzhioshvili while playing 4-on-4. However, our netminder was powerless in the 19^th minute, as Chernov pounced on a poor defensive error and sent a firm wrister in with Zavragin’s view blocked.

Dynamo competed on the front foot for the majority of the second frame.

In fine form, Zavragin was continuing to make several smart saves, with our players allowing Dynamo to charge unchallenged towards his net with alarming regularity. Artyom Ilyenko burst past our back line to skate through 1-on-1, wristing low against Zavragin’s right pad with our goalkeeper exposed.

Although the Muscovites were attacking with gusto, we had our chances too. Matvei Korotky really should have done better when skating away on the counter, aiming his effort into Motorygin’s glove with other options available.

The third period saw SKA take the game to Dynamo with intent and carve open a handful of guilt-edged opportunities, especially in the closing stages.

When skating away 2-on-1, Demidov and Evgeny Kuznetsov dished out one too many cute passes with the goal gaping, before Marat Khairullin blasted inches wide of the mark.

Those misses came back to haunt us.

Familiar face Nikita Gusev struck the dagger in the 11^th minute of overtime, whipping a powerful wrister into the left corner from the blue line having pounced on another loose SKA pass.

Game three is scheduled to take place in Saint Petersburg on Monday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

Dynamo Moscow – SKA – 2:1 OT (1:1, 0:0, 0:0, 1:0)

Goals:

0:1 I. Demidov (Zaitsev, Bardakov), 10.23

1:1 Chernov, 18.30

2:1 Gusev, 70.41

Goalkeepers: Motorygin – Zavragin

Shots: 71 – 69

Shots on target: 37 – 33

Faceoffs: 21 – 42

Blocked shots: 24 – 19