SKA - CSKA - 4:3 SO

22 December 2020

In a true KHL classic, SKA outlasted HC CSKA Moscow in what was a scintillating battle in Saint Petersburg, beating the opposing team 4:3 after a tense penalty shootout.

SKA made a hugely energetic start inside the Ice Palace. On a powerplay, Anton Burdasov gave our team a deserved breakthrough within the opening three minutes, as he beat Alexander Sharychenkov when powering to the crease on the left wing. However, a mere 80 seconds later, CSKA suddenly tallied an equaliser against the run of play as Nikita Soshnikov completed a flowing break-away with an unstoppable one-timer.

Nevertheless, to their credit, SKA didn’t let that setback affect them. Throughout the remainder of the first period, the hosts dominated proceedings with their intense, physical play, applying heavy pressure on the Muscovites. In the closing moments of the frame, SKA did have the puck in the net again after a hopeful wrist shot took a wicked deflection, but the referees quickly immediately disallowed it for high sticking.

SKA continued competing on the front foot in the second stanza.

Pressing CSKA by landing hits all over the place, our team protected possession in the opposing zone for the majority of the time, attempting to create shooting lanes and regularly getting the puck to the crease. On the slot, Joonas Kemppainen twice came close to reinstating SKA’s advantage, as his first shot was blocked by a committed CSKA defenseman before later he could only tap wide of the left post with only Sharychenkov to beat. Despite mainly relying on counter-attacks, CSKA were still causing Hellberg problems, with practically all of their shots coming close.

The game well and truly burst into life in the third period.

Moments after a powerplay reached its conclusion, Ivan Morozov gave a superb play the finish it deserved, whacking the puck in with Sharychenkov out of the picture. As CSKA committed more bodies to attack, they began to leave space open at the back, and they were punished with a third conceded goal in the 56^th minute as Kirill Marchenko launched a clattering effort in from the right flank.

Leading by two goals, SKA seemed to be home and dry, but CSKA had a nasty surprise up their sleeves for the home team.

Konstantin Okulov halved the deficit for the Moscow-based organisation with a little over a minute remaining with an unexpected wrist shot from the boards. Incredibly, CSKA then went on to equalise seconds after pulling Sharychenkov for the extra skater, with Maxim Shalunov catching Hellberg cold from a seemingly impossible angle blocker side.

Buoyed by those goals and playing with the initiative, CSKA subsequently came the closest in overtime, as defenseman Mat Robinson could only backhand wide when clean through.

A quite incredible battle did indeed go all the way to the shootout, in which Alexander Samonov replaced Hellberg in the SKA net. In the first round, Brendan Leipsic did go five-hole on our goalkeeper, but Samonov went on to deny Okulov, Soshnikov and Maxim Mamin while Linden Vey, Vladimir Tkachyov and Marchenko scored past Sharychenkov to clinch a memorable 4:3 triumph!

SKA will now prepare to host Severstal Cherepovets on Thursday. The match is scheduled to begin at 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

SKA - CSKA - 4:3 SO (1:1, 0:0, 2:2, 0:0 - 1:0)

Goals:

1:0 Burdasov (Kuzmenko, Tokranov), 02.32

1:1 Soshnikov (Leipsic, Chmykhov), 03.48

2:1 Morozov (Tkachyov), 45.07

3:1 Marchenko (Timkin), 55.05

3:2 Okulov (Robinson), 58.33

3:3 Shalunov (Mamin, Robinson), 59.08

4:3 Marchenko, 65.00 SO

Goalkeepers: Hellberg - Sharychenkov