SKA - Spartak

SKA - Spartak - 4:1

16 January 2018

SKA hosted HC Spartak Moscow in Saint Petersburg for the first match since the 2018 KHL All-Star Weekend. Head coach Oleg Znarok put Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk and Sergei Kalinin in the first line together, giving Mikko Koskinen the nod between the pipes. Alexander Trushkov was Spartak's starting goaltender.

Our players immediately took the initiative at the Ice Palace, creating a number of excellent goalscoring chances in the opening frame. The deadlock was broken within four minutes, as Sergei Kalinin capitalised on a juicy rebound to make it 1:0. SKA continued dominating proceedings, forcing away goaltender Alexander Trushkov into several solid saves. Nevertheless, with the period drawing to a close, SKA doubled the lead. Sergei Shirokov cut sharply to the slot, stuffing his effort beyond the goalkeeper's outstretched left pad.

In control of proceedings, our team confidently had the match under control. However, against the run of play, Spartak had a fantastic opportunity to get on the board. Artyom Podshendyalov looked sure to score at point blank range, but Mikko Koskinen somehow denied him with a stunning stick save. That miss eventually proved to be crucial. In practically the last shift of the frame, Patrick Thoresen bundled the loose puck in on the slot. 3:0 after 40 minutes.

Unfortunately, Spartak ruined Mikko Koskinen's shutout hopes in the third period. Sergei Kalinin earned a cheap penalty for violating the faceoff rules, allowing Lukas Radil to thump a one timer over the netminder's extended left arm. SKA weren't to be denied though, scoring a crucial fourth instantly. Evgeny Ketov completed a broken play at the high slot, aiming a first wrister into the net. SKA comfortably kept Spartak at bay, sealing a 4:1 victory!

Match protocol:

SKA - Spartak - 4:1 (2:0, 1:0, 1:1)

Goals:

1:0 S. Kalinin (Datsyuk, Kovalchuk), 03.02

2:0 Shirokov (Khafizullin, Gavrikov), 16.56

3:0 Thoresen (Voynov, Kablukov), 39.31

3:1 Radil (Lajunen, D. Kalinin), 41.30

4:1 Ketov (Kablukov, Thoresen), 46.25

Goalkeepers: Koskinen - Trushkov

Shots on target: 40 - 14

Faceoffs: 29 - 27

Hits: 12 - 14