SKA - Neftekhimik

SKA - Neftekhimik - 5:1

4 September 2016

SKA completed their five match home-stand with a fixture against HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Head coach Oleg Znarok reinstated Mikko Koskinen between the pipes, and his opposite number was fellow Finn Ville Kolppanen. Superstars Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk and Sergei Plotnikov were kept together in the first line.

It has been a tough stretch of games for the players, and the tiredness seemed to take its toll in the first period. Neither team seemed willing to play at a high tempo, and most chances came about as a result of mistakes. Nevertheless, a couple of Neftekhimik penalties did give us the opportunity to take the initiative, and Sergei Shirokov’s deft tip smacked the right post. The visitors were focused on shutting up shop, but when coming forward, they did pose a threat. Mikko Koskinen had nine saves to make in the period, and away forward Dan Sexton came close to scoring when he hit the woodwork from distance.

Our team had to up the intensity, and we began to play with more hunger. Neftekhimik were coming under siege, and after Alexander Barabanov struck the bar, we finally scored. Vadim Shipachyov set up Nikita Gusev, and the latter expertly slotted beyond the beaten Ville Kolppanen. Sergei Konkov came close for the visitors when he saw his goalbound effort ring off the pipe, however after that brief scare, SKA continued piling on the pressure. It was rewarded with a second goal, as Yegor Yakovlev buried a juicy rebound. The away side were rattled defensively, and before the period was out, we grabbed a third. Maxim Chudinov escaped his marker, picked out Vadim Shipachyov, and Vadim clinically fired into the net.

The visiting team were in a deep hole, and they never really looked like getting back into the game. SKA were calmly controlling proceedings, and on the powerplay, we made the win safe. Sergei Shirokov was left unmarked, and he smashed in emphatically. To their credit, Neftekhimik refused to throw in the towel, and on the counter, Bogdan Yakimov ruined Mikko Koskinen’s shutout hopes. Our players weren’t going to be denied though, and after Evgeny Dadonov had a marker ruled out for offside, Pavel Datsyuk backhanded in with a man’s advantage. 5:1, and SKA thrash HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk in Saint Petersburg!

Match protocol:

SKA – Neftekhimik – 5:1 (0:0, 3:0, 2:1)

Goals:

1:0 Gusev (Shipachyov), 24.51

2:0 Yakovlev (Plotnikov), 30.20

3:0 Shipachyov (Dadonov, Chudinov), 36.09

4:0 Shirokov (Kovalchuk, Voynov), 53.05

4:1 Yakimov (Sallinen), 54.19

5:1 Datsyuk (Shirokov), 57.38

Goalkeepers: Koskinen – Kolppanen

Shots on target: 41 – 24

Penalty minutes: 8 – 12