SKA - Severstal

SKA - Severstal - 1:0 SO

1 March 2018

SKA hosted HC Severstal Cherepovets in Saint Petersburg for the final 2017/2018 KHL regular season match. Head coach Oleg Znarok was back on the bench for this match, selecting a full strength team without Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk in the roster. Igor Shestyorkin and Julius Hudacek were the starting goaltenders.

Requiring a point to qualify for the Gagarin Cup playoffs, Severstal began the match on the front foot. The visitors had the majority of scoring chances during a tepid opening frame, registering eleven shots on target compared to SKA's six. Igor Shestyorkin was on his game, stopping a number of difficult attempts while our players struggled to create in the attacking zone.

Nothing changed in the second stanza. Severstal were continuing to control proceedings, easily keeping SKA on the outside. The Cherepovets outfit had a perfect opportunity to break the deadlock towards the end of the period, however Igor Shestyorkin pulled off an excellent double stop at point blank range. Alexander Barabanov came closest for SKA, shooting into the goalkeeper's pads.

In the third period, SKA finally started increasing the intensity. Yegor Yakovlev should have got the better of Severstal goaltender Julius Hudacek, smashing the crossbar with a hugely powerplay slapper. As time wore on, SKA took charge of the match, creating decent scoring chances against Severstal. Nevertheless, the opponents held on to claim the required point to qualify for the KHL Gagarin Cup playoffs.

Following a goalless overtime, Yegor Yakovlev scored the only penalty shot to seal a 1:0 SKA victory!

SKA will play Severstal Cherepovets in the Gagarin Cup playoffs first round.

Match protocol:

SKA - Severstal - 1:0 SO (0:0, 0:0, 0:0, 0:0 - 1:0)

Goals:

1:0 Yakovlev, 65.00

Goalkeepers: Shestyorkin - Hudacek

Shots on target: 29 - 23

Faceoffs: 34 - 25

Hits: 14 - 18

Penalty minutes: 12 - 10

Referees: Odins, Frano