Game four. SKA - Metallurg Magnitogorsk

Game four. SKA - Metallurg Magnitogorsk - 3:2

14 April 2017

Game four between SKA and HC Metallurg Magnitogorsk took place in Saint Petersburg. Head coach Oleg Znarok made a couple of changes, notably bringing Alexander Khokhlachyov into the line-up in place of Sergei Shirokov. Mikko Koskinen and Vasily Koshechkin were the starting goaltenders.

Unfortunately, Metallurg struck in the very first shift. Viktor Antipin powered down the right flank, SKA’s back line went missing and the Metallurg defenseman wristed firmly into the far corner. Nevertheless, despite that early setback, SKA put the pressure on the visitors. Our players registered 23 shots on target during the period, but, amazingly, they failed to beat Vasily Koshechkin. Alexander Barabanov had one of the best chances, failing to connect with a brilliant pass at point blank range.

SKA continued crashing Metallurg’s net, finally scoring at the start of the second. Vasily Koshechkin saved Vadim Shipachyov’s low wrister, but he was powerless against Dinar Khafizullin’s rebound. However, after that goal, the initiative slowly shifted to the Magnitogorsk outfit. Their pressing ended up with them scoring a second marker. Oskar Osala drove towards our net, took aim and went five hole on Mikko Koskinen. Predictably, SKA threw everything at Metallurg before the second break, somehow not making it a tied game. Nikita Gusev went closest, backhanding into the goalkeeper when clean through.

To the delight of the Ice Palace, SKA made amends in the third frame. Andrei Zubarev made it 2:2 within two minutes, launching a huge slap shot beyond Vasily Koshechkin’s reach. Both teams passed up golden opportunities after that, as the match became increasingly stretched The next goal was always going to prove crucial, and on the powerplay, SKA grabbed their first lead of the day. Dinar Khafizullin was the hero again, squeezing a loose puck over the line. Metallurg pulled Vasily Koshechkin for the extra skater in the final stages, but it made no difference as SKA held on to win 3:2! The series advantage has now been extended to 3:1.

Match protocol:

SKA – Metallurg Magnitogorsk – 3:2 (0:1, 1:1, 2:0)

Goals:

0:1 Antipin (Biryukov, Mozyakin), 00.27

1:1 Khafizullin (Shipachyov, Gusev), 22.39

1:2 Osala (Santala), 34.14

2:2 Zubarev (Prokhorkin, Gusev), 41.28

3:2 Khafizullin (Hersley, Gusev), 52.05

Goalkeepers: Koskinen – Koshechkin

Shots on target: 50 – 24

Penalty minutes: 6 – 8

Faceoffs: 31 – 34