OT heartbreak for SKA again

2 April 2025

SKA came up short in overtime for the second time in the first round of the 2024/2025 KHL Gagarin Cup playoffs against Dynamo Moscow, suffering an agonising 4:5 defeat in Saint Petersburg.

In what turned out to be a true blockbuster, our team twice came back from two-goal deficits to force overtime, but Dynamo eventually dealt the killer blow in the second extra period.

A promising start to the first period quickly turned into a nightmare.

Ivan Demidov bundled the puck over the line on an early powerplay as a consequence of his shot taking a wicked ricochet off Dynamo defenseman Kirill Gotovets, but it was all downhill from there on in.

Pavel Kudryavtsev equalised for the visitors on the powerplay in the 12^th minute, completing a flowing passing play on the doorstep. Galvanised by that marker, Dynamo went on to dominate the remainder of the frame, creating chances with alarming ease and testing Yegor Zavragin from all angles.

Cedric Paquette handed Dynamo the lead when unmarked between the circles just as SKA were returning to full strength, before familiar face Artyom Sergeev whacked a firm slap shot into the right corner with Zavragin’s view impeded.

Zavragin was promptly replaced by Artemiy Pleshkov for the second stanza.

Even though SKA didn’t score in the ensuing period, Pleshkov caught the eye with his acrobatic saves.

At point-blank range, both Yegor Rimashevsky and Nikita Gusev looked certain to score for the Muscovites, but Pleshkov conjured up a pair of incredible stops to keep SKA in with a fighting chance.

Motorygin wasn’t sleeping either. He made the one big save while SKA were competing on the man advantage, flashing leather neatly to shut the door on Demidov who had been presented with that chance as a result of a sharp passing move.

SKA did get back to within one in the opening exchanges of the third period.

Lurking on the doorstep, Mikhail Grigorenko cleverly redirected Alexander Nikishin’s effort beyond Motorygin.

Our players were handed a golden opportunity as Dynamo forward Jordan Weal was issued a five-minute penalty for slashing against Evgeny Kuznetsov. To the surprise of many, SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg opted to swap Pleshkov for the extra skater with eight minutes still on the clock, and that decision backfired as Paquette looped the puck into the empty net from distance.

However, SKA weren’t about to wave the white flag.

Pavel Akolzin tipped Grigorenko’s hammer in moments later. Sensing blood, SKA laid siege to the Dynamo net until the buzzer sounded, equalising through Marat Khairullin’s poked attempt on the slot and applying overwhelming pressure on the somewhat shaky away defence.

The first overtime period turned out to be a pulsating affair with plenty of twists and turns.

Khairullin initially wasted a penalty shot after Motorygin had been found guilty of knocking the net off its moorings with intention. Dynamo were awarded a powerplay for a slashing foul from Valentin Zykov in the same play, though, and Pleshkov made one top save with his extended right pad to field a low wrister from Nikita Gusev.

The big talking point arrived towards the end of the period.

SKA initially thought that they had won it when Mikhail Vorobyov pushed the puck in while an almighty goalmouth scramble erupted. But, to our dismay, it was disallowed by the officials following a video review which seemed to last an age.

Dynamo were the better side in the fourth frame, catching SKA on the counter and forcing Pleshkov into 17 (!) saves. Having been cleverly picked out by a teammate on a 2-on-1, Artyom Mikheyev passed up a glorious chance, stabbing the puck against Pleshkov’s pads.

Unfortunately, Dynamo did grab their all-important fifth goal in the 93^rd minute.

Unmarked on the crease, Maxime Comtois pounced on the bouncing puck to score with Pleshkov stuck behind his net.

Game five is scheduled to take place in Moscow on Friday at 19:00 local time.

Match protocol:

SKA – Dynamo Moscow – 4:5 2OT (1:3, 0:0, 3:1, 0:0, 0:1)

Goals:

1:0 I. Demidov (Kuznetsov), 01.45 PPG

1:1 Kudryavtsev (Weal, Paquette), 11.44 PPG

1:2 Paquette (Comtois), 15.25

1:3 Sergeev (Pylenkov), 18.39

2:3 Grigorenko (Nikishin), 42.26

2:4 Paquette, 53.59 SHG EN