SKA – Neftekhimik

SKA – Neftekhimik – 4:2

11 November 2023

After initially leading by four goals, SKA were made to sweat against a determined Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk team, surviving a spirited comeback to emerge victorious 4:2 at the Ice Palace in the 2023/2024 KHL regular season.

It was a quiet start to proceedings, with the highlight being a seemingly harmless Neftekhimik wrister from distance which appeared to strike the pipe with SKA goaltender Nikita Serebryakov looking in the opposite direction.

SKA subsequently took full charge of the match with three goals in quick succession during the concluding five minutes of the opening stanza.

Croatian forward Borna Rendulic broke the deadlock, forcing the loose puck in after Filipp Dolganov had failed to hold the initial shot in his glove for Neftekhimik. That was indeed our maiden goal against these particular opponents this season having previously drawn a blank in Nizhnekamsk in October.

Just like London buses, two goals came along at once.

Mikhail Vorobyov tallied our second a mere 22 seconds later, carefully backhanding past Dolganov from the right of the slot. On a subsequent powerplay, the same player then increased our advantage to three in the last minute of the period, giving a flowing play the perfect finish.

A rampant SKA grabbed their fourth at the start of the second stanza on another PP, with Alexander Nikishin blasting a huge one-timer over Dolganov’s glove.

However, instead of putting the away team to the sword, SKA contrived to completely switch off and provided Neftekhimik with a route back into the game thanks to a series of avoidable penalties.

The Tatarstan-based organisation duly accepted the gift. Vladimir Bryukvin got the visitors on the board at close range on the powerplay, gleefully whacking the bouncing puck high into the net with Serebryakov already down and out.

Another PP marker for Neftekhimik arrived in the 37^th minute.

Unmarked at the point, former SKA forward Nail Yakupov reduced our lead to two with an unstoppable cannon.

Neftekhimik had sensed blood. Early on in the third period, the away side created a golden opportunity to make it a one-goal game, however Serebryakov came to the rescue to somehow deny Dmitry Sokolov from the doorstep.

That proved to be the decisive moment of the duel. Throughout the majority of the stanza, Nizhnekamsk huffed and puffed against our defence, but to no avail as SKA calmly saw the showdown out – even after Dolganov had been swapped in favour of the extra skater.

Neftekhimik's last major chance was passed up by Ilya Khokhlov, as the defenseman saw his goalbound shot deflected up and over the crossbar with our goaltender already helpless.

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

Match protocol:

SKA – Neftekhimik – 4:2 (3:0, 1:2, 0:0)

Goals:

1:0 Rendulic (Galchenyuk, M. Fedotov), 15.44

2:0 Vorobyov (Khairullin, Tolchinsky), 16.06

3:0 Vorobyov (Rendulic, Khairullin), 19.12 PPG

4:0 Nikishin (Tolchinsky, Zykov), 21.22 PPG

4:1 Bryukvin (Shafigullin), 31.38 PPG

4:2 Yakupov (Klok, Dergachyov), 36.40 PPG

Goalkeepers: Serebryakov – Dolganov

Shots: 59 – 53