Kunlun Red Star – SKA

Kunlun Red Star – SKA – 3:6

25 October 2023

In a pulsating duel, SKA battled back against Kunlun Red Star in Mytishchi from a two-goal deficit, earning a memorable 6:3 triumph in the 2023/2024 KHL regular season.

SKA initially made a quick start.

When connecting with an intelligent pass from Alex Galchenyuk on the right faceoff circle, Arseniy Gritsyuk got the better of Kunlun goalkeeper Jeremy Smith with the help of the crossbar.

Unfortunately, though, that was as good as it got for SKA in a surprisingly poor first period.

Kunlun immediately equalised through Parker Foo following a dreadful defensive error. On a subsequent 5-on-3 powerplay, the hosts then scored two markers in quick succession, as Teemu Pulkkinen and Ryan Sproul both netted from the left flank.

The SKA coaching staff promptly took the decision to swap the forlorn Artemiy Pleshkov with 19-year-old Pavel Moisevich in our net. Moreover, it was indeed a KHL debut for the giant Belarusian who stands 196 centimeters tall!

Moisevich quickly had to make a brilliant double save to keep SKA in the game, denying the clean-through Jack Rodewald. The Kunlun forward had managed to sneak beyond our defence while playing shorthanded.

That moment proved to be vital.

SKA came out all guns blazing for the second period. Fired up, our players managed to equalise after just five minutes of the frame, with Vasily Glotov hammering an unstoppable slap shot home and the in-form Sergei Tolchinsky netting a simply beautiful wraparound on the PP. The technically gifted 28-year-old forward had previously scored another stunning individual effort against Lokomotiv in Yaroslavl on Monday.

Applying overwhelming pressure on Kunlun across the ice, our go-ahead marker eventually arrived in the 38^th minute.

The lively Stepan Starkov was the scorer, as he neatly tipped in on another powerplay. It marked his first goal since returning to SKA in the summer.

In the second stanza, Moisevich was barely tested in our net, but he did have to make one challenging save on the doorstep with Kunlun playing on the man-advantage.

Kunlun increased their tenacity in the third period. While playing shorthanded, the Chinese outfit looked certain to score after Moisevich had coughed up possession after emerging from his net, but a combination of the teenager and Alexander Nikishin somehow blocked the puck on the line!

We spent the majority of the frame on the PP with Kunlun having seemingly forgotten to play with any discipline whatsoever. Gritsyuk punished the opponents for their lack of ice hockey IQ while playing on a 4-on-3, sending a clattering slap shot in from his favourite position on the right wing.

Not long later, Nikishin etched his name on the scoreboard during a 5-on-3 advantage, wristing in from the blue line. Kunlun were confident that goaltending interference was involved, but the referees ruled it to be a clean goal following a brief video review.

Kunlun subsequently had to swap Smith for Matt Jurusik after the former had received an injury when inadvertently colliding with the onrushing Zakhar Bardakov.

The Mytishchi-based organisation opted to pull Jurusik for the extra skater after SKA took a penalty in the latter stages. But, despite Kunlun’s attempt at pressurizing our team, SKA calmly saw the match out.

SKA will now prepare to face Sochi away on Friday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

Kunlun Red Star – SKA – 3:6 (3:1, 0:3, 0:2)

Goals:

0:1 Gritsyuk (Galchenyuk, Vorobyov), 04.01 PPG

1:1 P. Foo, 05.17

2:1 Pulkkinen (Merkley, Pu), 10.24 PPG

3:1 Sproul (Merkley, Wong), 12.18 PPG

3:2 Glotov (Galimov, Sergeev), 23.17

3:3 Tolchinsky (Nikishin, Rendulic), 25.18 PPG

3:4 Starkov (Nikishin, Bardakov), 37.06 PPG

3:5 Gritsyuk (Nikishin), 49.28 PPG