SKA - HC Sochi

SKA - HC Sochi - 6:2

16 February 2017

SKA took on HC Sochi at home in the KHL regular season. Following the disappointing defeat to Spartak Moscow on Tuesday, head coach Oleg Znarok made a couple of changes, dropping defenseman Dmitry Yudin and instating Mikko Koskinen between the pipes. Konstantin Barulin was Sochi's starting goalkeeper.

In the mood for getting back to winning ways, SKA made a fast start inside the Ice Palace. Incredibly, within just ten minutes, SKA managed to score three beautiful goals; Nikita Gusev scored on his own rebound, Vadim Shipachyov completed a stunning play and Ilya Kovalchuk rifled a rocket top shelf on a two man advantage. HC Sochi, who had to win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive, were being blown away. However, seconds after Ilya Kovalchuk missed an easy chance to make it four, SKA's number 17 took a penalty which Sochi made full use of. Hanging at the blue line, Oscar Fantenberg wound up for a slapper, firing under Mikko Koskinen's blocker.

Nevertheless, that didn't shake SKA up. Still in control, our players continued to put the pressure on Sochi, crashing their opponents' net. Sochi made their lives even more difficult, committing three fouls in quick succession to gift SKA another five on three. Preditcably, our team didn't let Sochi off the hook, as Anton Belov launched a cannon high into the net. We weren't finished there either, with Evgeny Ketov prodding beyond a stranded Konstantin Barulin to make it five. That prompted Sochi into a change, replacing Konstantin Barulin with Dmitry Shikin in net.

Dmitry Shikin, who previously played for SKA, wasn't going to end the match unbeaten. Vadim Shipachyov notched his second of the day, whipping home a firm wrister. As time rolled on, SKA did take their tempo down, allowing Sochi to steady the ship. Oscar Fantenberg scored another when on the powerplay, but despite Sochi's best efforts, SKA weren't to be denied. 6:2, the battle for first place in the KHL standings continues!

Match protocol:

SKA - HC Sochi - 6:2 (3:1, 2:0, 1:1)

Goals:

1:0 Gusev (Dadonov), 01.10

2:0 Shipachyov (Dadonov), 03.21

3:0 Kovalchuk (Shipachyov, Belov), 10.50

3:1 Fantenberg (O'Dell), 17.27

4:1 Belov (Kovalchuk, Gusev), 28.39

5:1 Ketov (Hersley, Datsyuk), 29.07

6:1 Shipachyov (Dadonov, Gusev), 41.20

6:2 Fantenberg (Levitsky), 45.59

Goalkeepers: Koskinen - Barulin/Shikin