Salavat Yulaev - SKA

Salavat Yulaev - SKA - 0:5

10 October 2021

In Bashkortostan, SKA made short work of Salavat Yulaev, coasting to an emphatic 5:0 victory at the Ufa Arena in the 2021/2022 KHL regular season.

Our players made the perfect start. Alone on the doorstep, Vladislav Tsitsyura successfully connected with Danila Moiseev’s clever pass from behind the net, lashing the puck high into the right corner.

SKA then went on to take two successive cheap penalties in the opposing zone. When taking aim from the right wing, Markus Granlund thought that he had got Salavat on the board, but instead the puck had smacked the left post and didn’t cross the line.

With Lars Johansson making a few excellent saves, SKA rode the storm before subsequently taking charge of proceedings. Not long after Ivan Morozov had hit the crossbar, the away team did deservedly open up a two-goal lead, as Andrei Kuzmenko pounced on a big rebound to beat Salavat goalkeeper Alexander Sharychenkov on the powerplay.

SKA then tallied a third marker in the eighth minute of the second stanza after surviving another Salavat onslaught.

On the counter-attack, the impressive Tsitsyura pulled clean through brilliantly, sliding the puck under Sharychenkov.

Predictably, Salavat spent the vast majority of the second frame deep inside our zone, applying overwhelming pressure on our team. Nevertheless, apart from a glorious opportunity missed by Teemu Hartikainen on the doorstep with the goal gaping, Salavat didn’t create any real clear opportunities with Johansson fielding all efforts he faced from distance.

SKA well and truly put the game to bed in the 48^th minute.

Allowed to skate to the high slot, Linden Vey became the next to get the better of the forlorn Sharychenkov, whipping a quick wrist shot under the glove.

In truth, that goal killed all hope of an unlikely comeback for Salavat, as the Bashkir side ceased to compete with the same intensity and urgency in comparison to the opening two periods. At point-blank range, Granlund could have given the home fans a goal to cheer, shooting against Johansson’s left pad with the net waiting to bulge.

Thankfully, that was the only realistic chance which Salavat created in the third period, and SKA rounded off a memorable evening with a fifth goal as Joonas Kemppainen struck gold from between the circles.

This indeed already Johansson’s fifth shutout of the campaign with a mere 16 rounds in the books!

SKA will now prepare to host Dynamo Moscow in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

Salavat Yulaev - SKA - 0:5 (0:2, 0:1, 0:2)

Goals:

0:1 Tsitsyura (Moiseev, Ketov), 02.37

0:2 Kuzmenko (Marchenko, Ozhiganov), 19.39

0:3 Tsitsyura, 28.41

0:4 Vey (Robinson, Johansson), 47.33

0:5 Kemppainen (Burdasov, Ozhiganov), 56.10

Goalkeepers: Sharychenkov - Johansson

Shots on target: 25 - 29