Dramatic shootout triumph in Novosibirsk!

13 November 2024

SKA edged past Sibir on the road in Novosibirsk in the 2024/2025 KHL regular season, tallying a dramatic 1:0 shootout triumph.

Following 65 goalless – albeit engrossing – minutes, Valentin Zykov became the only player across the entire game to hit the jackpot, beating home goaltender Denis Kostin with a snappy wrister to clinch the shootout and two important points for SKA.

SKA possessed the initiative for the majority of the match, with Sibir waiting patiently for counter-attack opportunities. Seconds after bursting out of the penalty box, Nikita Korotkov was presented with a golden chance for the Siberian hosts when 1-on-1, but he contrived to smack Yegor Zavragin’s left post.

19-year-old Zavragin would indeed go on to stop all 29 Sibir shots which he faced.

The pattern of play continued for the entirety of the game. While SKA were running the play, Sibir were having the best of the chances, with Andy Andreoff somehow failing to turn the puck in from point-blank range on the PP in the second stanza; Zavragin was already beaten after the initial shot had struck the pipe.

Despite applying consistent pressure on Sibir, our team couldn’t break the home team down in the third frame either. In the ensuing overtime period, Evgeny Kuznetsov thought that he had finally got the better of Kostin when slamming the rebound home, but the referee had already blown his whistle a second before the puck had crossed the line.

A shootout was indeed required. And once again it was time for Zavragin to shine, with our goalkeeper keeping Sibir out and Zykov netting the decisive marker.

SKA will now prepare to face Ak Bars in Kazan on Friday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:00 local time.

Match protocol:

Sibir – SKA – 0:1 SO (0:0, 0:0, 0:0, 0:0 – 0:1)

Goals:

0:1 Zykov, 65.00 SO

Goalkeepers: Kostin – Zavragin

Shots: 62 – 79

Shots on target: 29 – 38

Faceoffs: 22 – 32

Blocked shots: 19 – 16

Hits: 12 – 12

Penalty minutes: 6 – 8