SKA - Severstal - 2:0

In a tense battle, SKA eventually came good against HC Severstal Cherepovets in Saint Petersburg, scoring two goals in the third period to emerge victorious 2:0 in the 2020/2021 KHL regular season.

This is SKA’s third win in three matches against these particular opponents in the current campaign.

Severstal made a really aggressive start inside the Ice Palace. Sticking to their traditional approach of competing with intensity and speed, the visitors crashed the net hard throughout the opening frame, testing Magnus Hellberg on a number of occasions. In practically the very first shift, Jacob Berglund should have given the Cherepovets-based club the lead on a 3-on-1 opportunity, however Hellberg pulled off a stunning save to somehow keep his fellow Swede off the board. Hellberg had to be on his game during a threatening Severstal powerplay in the closing minute of the frame, and he was thankful to see Igor Geraskin smack the pipe with a wicked wrister.

For their part, SKA were also creating chances, with Evgeny Timkin coming particularly close when poking the puck into Vladislav Podyapolsky’s right pad at point-blank range after receiving a clever pass from Lukas Bengtsson.

The second period saw Severstal dominate proceedings.

Sensing blood, the visiting team competed on the front foot and successfully protected the puck in the attacking zone, shooting from any angle possible and simply playing with too much pace for SKA. However, Hellberg was regularly coming to the rescue for our team, with the 29-year-old Swedish goaltender displaying wonderful skill to deny Severstal despite receiving little help from his teammates in front of him. On the rare occasion, SKA did also have opportunities too, and Podyapolsky had to be at his best to shut the door on Kemppainen.

SKA, thankfully, made a huge improvement in the third period.

On the powerplay, Kemppainen made amends for his miss in the second stanza, lashing an instant shot beyond the unsighted Podyapolsky to finally break the deadlock with 44 minutes on the clock. Eager to notch an instant response, Severstal immediately set about throwing bodies into attack, however that only resulted in SKA doubling their money after leaving too much space at the back.

Connecting with an intelligent pass from Emil Galimov, Kemppainen netted his second of the day, tapping the puck past Podyapolsky when unchallenged.

A frustrated Severstal subsequently completely lost their discipline in the concluding stages, with head coach Andrei Razin even being sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct. On the ensuing powerplay, SKA couldn’t score a third, but it made little difference to the outcome as Hellberg kept his shutout intact to help the team claim an important 2:0 triumph!

SKA will now prepare to face Dynamo Moscow in the Russian capital on Saturday. The game is scheduled to begin at 16:00 local time.

Match protocol:

SKA - Severstal - 2:0 (0:0, 0:0, 2:0)

Goals:

1:0 Kemppainen (Tkachyov, Bengtsson), 43.14

2:0 Kemppainen (Galimov, Ozhiganov), 48.28

Goalkeepers: Hellberg - Podyapolsky

Shots on target: 30 - 28

Faceoffs: 25 - 19

Hits: 15 - 26

Penalty minutes: 6 - 34

Referees: Gashilov, Ovchinnikov

24.12.2020. Ice Palace, Saint Petersburg.