Four in a row as Avangard defeated at the Ice Palace!

23 September 2024

SKA notched their fourth consecutive victory in the 2024/2025 KHL regular season, keeping Avangard Omsk at arm’s length to earn a confident 4:1 triumph in Saint Petersburg.

In control for the majority of the duel, SKA did have to survive a few scares against an Avangard team which is potent on the powerplay, but two goals midway through the third period well and truly put the Omsk fire out.

Artemiy Pleshkov was initially the busier goalkeeper in the first frame, standing his ground well to shut the door on both Stanislav Galiev and Dmitry Zlodeev at close range.

Nevertheless, SKA gradually took the initiative as the period wore on, opening the scoring with exactly nine minutes remaining as Sergei Tolchinsky whipped a firm wrister into the far corner from the left circle.

We didn’t have to wait long for our second either.

Mikhail Grigorenko doubled our money in the 16^th minute, bundling the puck over the line after Avangard goalkeeper Pavel Khomchenko had lost track of it as a result of a wicked ricochet off the boards. Avangard did use their coach’s challenge for goaltender interference, but the officials ruled it a clean goal following a lengthy video review.

SKA were in cruise control, albeit until two quickfire penalties taken by defensemen Alexander Nikishin and Nikita Zaitsev subsequently gifted Avangard a way back into proceedings.

Alexei Makeev - who had caused SKA nightmares during last season’s playoffs - was the scorer for the away side while playing 5-on-3, carefully turning Linden Vey’s gorgeous pass beyond the powerless Pleshkov.

Subsequent fouls committed by Avangard allowed SKA to get back on track. However, our PP effort was somewhat lacking in this game, with nowhere near enough shooting lanes being created. Grigory Kuzmin did come close with two huge one-timers, but Khomchenko got just about enough on the puck.

With the seconds ticking down in the second period, Vladimir Alistrov really should have reinstated our two-goal advantage, however he wristed wide of the mark with only Khomchenko to beat on the break-away.

Avangard were then guilty of wasting a glorious opportunity of their own in the first knockings of the third period.

All alone on the slot, Cole Cassels somehow failed to notch Avangard’s equaliser and their second PP marker, tipping the puck against the left post.

That miss proved decisive. Mikhail Vorobyov provided the sucker-punch when brilliantly beating Mikhail Gulyayaev to a searching pass, before Valentin Zykov gave a flowing counter the perfect finish a mere matter of 30 seconds later.

SKA will now prepare to host Severstal Cherepovets at the Ice Palace on Friday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

SKA – Avangard – 4:1 (2:0, 0:1, 2:0)

Goals:

1:0 Tolchinsky (Khairullin), 11.00

2:0 Grigorenko (Alistrov, Nikishin), 15.55

2:1 Makeev (Vey, Dietz), 21.18 PPG

3:1 Vorobyov (Khairullin, Nikishin), 51.12

4:1 Zykov (Gritsyuk), 51.42

Goalkeepers: Pleshkov – Khomchenko

Shots: 69 – 50

Shots on target: 35 – 27