SKA – Spartak

SKA – Spartak – 3:2

23 November 2023

In a tense duel, SKA outlasted Spartak Moscow at the Ice Palace in the 2023/2024 KHL regular season, recording an entertaining 3:2 triumph.

SKA came out with all guns blazing.

Competing at a high, intense tempo, the hosts pinned Spartak in their zone for long periods of the opening frame and created clear opportunities with ease.

The breakthrough was quickly made in the sixth minute.

When completely unmarked on the slot, Vladimir Alistrov got the better of Spartak goaltender Patrik Rybar with a smooth move.

Our fired-up players went on to waste a handful of glorious chances in the period, with Zakhar Bardakov, Valentin Zykov and Sergei Tolchinsky all missing the net from inviting positions.

Spartak were visibly struggling in defence. At the start of the second stanza, Rybar practically single-handedly kept his team in the game, notably pulling off a wonderful save with his stick to shut the door on the clean-through Nikolai Polyakov.

The game subsequently turned on its head midway through the period.

Maxim Tsyplakov equalised on the powerplay when tipping under our goalkeeper Nikita Serebryakov, before Andrei Loktionov then completed a flowing play from the right circle. For the second marker, SKA did use their coach’s challenge for a potential high-sticking foul, but following a lengthy video review the officials declared it a clean goal.

The momentum was firmly with Spartak. However, with a minute left in the frame, Mikhail Vorobyov hauled SKA level with an unstoppable wrister which flew beyond Rybar’s glove.

The decisive moment of the showdown arrived in the third minute of the third period.

Shorthanded, Alexander Nikishin received an intelligent pass from Alistrov, powered through 1-on-1 and beat Rybar with superb stick handling.

The rest of the period saw Spartak search for a way back into the match. In the closing stages, Serebryakov denied the Muscovites a shorthanded goal of their own, desperately sticking out the left pad to shut the door on the onrushing Shane Prince.

Nikolai Goldobin and Pavel Poryadin – both two of the KHL’s leading scorers – also forced Serebryakov into fantastic stops. For the concluding two minutes, Spartak did indeed swap Rybar for the extra skater, but brilliant defending from SKA kept them at bay.

SKA will now prepare to host Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in Saint Petersburg on Saturday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 17:00 local time.

Match protocol:

SKA – Spartak – 3:2 (1:0, 1:2, 1:0)

Goals:

1:0 Alistrov (Galimov), 05.27

1:1 Tsyplakov (Cajkovsky, Poryadin), 32.38 PPG

1:2 Loktionov (Goldobin, Poryadin), 35.15

2:2 Vorobyov (Tolchinsky, Galchenyuk), 39.04

3:2 Nikishin (Alistrov), 42.43 SHG

Goalkeepers: Serebryakov – Rybar

Shots: 51 – 44

Shots on target: 25 – 21