Game five. SKA - Dynamo Moscow

Game five. SKA - Dynamo Moscow - 4:0

26 March 2021

In the fifth match of the 2020/2021 KHL Gagarin Cup playoffs second round, SKA breezed to a 4:0 triumph over Dynamo Moscow in Saint Petersburg, securing progression to the semi-finals of the playoffs by an overall score of 4-1.

Dynamo started with the initiative. Full of motivation, the Muscovites immediately began to apply pressure on SKA, earning a powerplay after Emil Galimov had hooked the puck out of play in our zone and testing Magnus Hellberg from any angle possible.

Hellberg pulled off a tricky save with his right shoulder to deny the open Andrei Sergeev at the high slot during that particular powerplay.

Not long later, Ilya Kruglov was twice presented with golden opportunities on the doorstep, but he was denied by the alert Hellberg.

SKA were opting for a patient approach. Nevertheless, our players were dangerous on the counter-attack, and Evgeny Timkin opened the scoring with a mere five seconds remaining in the first period as he ruthlessly went top-shelf after collecting the loose puck on the crease.

The visiting team subsequently shot themselves in the foot with a lengthy stretch of ill-discipline in the second stanza.

On the powerplay, Emil Galimov lashed the puck over the line at point-blank range, before Igor Ozhiganov gave Bocharov no chance with a rocket from the blue line.

SKA subsequently sat back in defence for the vast majority of the remainder of the frame. Competing on the front foot, Dynamo regularly tested Hellberg with a series of potentially dangerous attempts from the blue line, but our players didn’t allow the Moscow-based organisation to have many clear openings on the crease.

The hosts practically put the match - and the series - to bed in the 48^th minute.

Alone on the right flank on the break-away, Vladislav Tsitsyura scored the goal which his hard work on the penalty kill had certainly deserved, whipping his wrist shot beyond Bocharov blocker-side to increase SKA’s large advantage to four markers.

In truth, a somewhat forlorn Dynamo side barely created any opportunities during the closing stages, with the visitors lacking the belief to make SKA nervous. Interestingly, Dynamo head coach Vladimir Krikunov pulled Bocharov for the extra skater with nine minutes remaining in the third period, but he soon sent the goaltender back to his net after realising that it wasn’t having any kind of positive effect.

SKA will now prepare for the semi-finals of the tournament, which will be played against either CSKA Moscow or Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. The next series will begin in early April.

Match protocol:

SKA - Dynamo Moscow - 4:0 (1:0, 2:0, 1:0)

Goals:

1:0 Timkin, 19.55

2:0 Galimov (Tkachyov), 24.48

3:0 Ozhiganov (Galimov), 26.01

4:0 Tsitsyura (Podkolzin), 47.34

Goalkeepers: Hellberg - Bocharov

Shots on target: 18 - 25

Faceoffs: 27 - 28

Hits: 11 - 15

Penalty minutes: 8 - 12