SKA – CSKA

SKA – CSKA – 5:1

26 January 2024

In a thrilling showdown, SKA took CSKA Moscow to town at the Ice Palace in the 2023/2024 KHL regular season, earning a memorable 5:1 triumph to move into first place of the Western Conference.

Furthermore, this marked SKA’s fifth win in five games against CSKA so far this season!

Our team immediately took the initiative against a rather static CSKA defence.

Nevertheless, the best chance of the opening stages fell to the visitors, but Nikita Serebryakov stood tall to deny the clean-through Konstantin Okulov.

SKA then took a firm grip of proceedings with two goals within 60 seconds.

Valentin Zykov deflected Marat Khairullin’s wrister past Ivan Fedotov on the powerplay, before the in-form Arseniy Gritsyuk tapped the loose puck over the line after the CSKA goaltender had lost track of it.

CSKA did gradually improve as the maiden period progressed. While competing on a late PP, the reigning champions called the alert Serebryakov into action with Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Nesterov seeing their heavy slap shots turned aside.

The tension rose in the second stanza.

Unlike the first period, the two sides were competing with more emphasis on defence and focusing on the importance of not committing needless mistakes. For our team, Stepan Falkovsky and Mikhail Vorobyov wasted the best opportunities of the period, with the former smacking the crossbar and the latter missing the gaping near corner from the left wing.

CSKA were mainly waiting for mistakes from SKA. Lurking on the doorstep, Vitaly Abramov came agonisingly close for the Muscovites, tipping past the left corner when it seemed that the net was about to bulge.

Abramov did grab his goal on the PP in the 27^th second of the third stanza.

With SKA having clumsily lost possession in the opposite zone, Abramov sped unchallenged towards our crease and sent the puck between Serebryakov’s pads.

CSKA had smelt blood. Buoyed by that goal, the visitors suddenly started applying incredible pressure on the hosts, taking aim from any angle possible and refusing to allow SKA to exit their zone. On another powerplay, Grigorenko thought that he was about to equalise, but his goalbound effort was deflected over the bar.

SKA’s successful penalty-killing proved to be the decisive moment.

Gritsyuk went a long way to ending the battle as a contest in the 54^th minute, getting the better of Fedotov at the second attempt after beating the CSKA back line for speed and skill. Although they initially refused to wave the white flag, CSKA were subsequently punished for dreadful defensive play in the last couple of minutes, with Zykov backhanding beyond Fedotov after Dietz had been robbed of possession and Alexander Nikishin rounding proceedings off with a clattering slap shot from the point.

SKA will now prepare to host Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in Saint Petersburg on Monday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

SKA – CSKA – 5:1 (2:0, 0:0, 3:1)

Goals:

1:0 Zykov (Khairullin, Nikishin), 11.07 PPG

2:0 Gritsyuk (Galchenyuk, Zinchenko), 12.07

2:1 Abramov (Svetlakov), 40.27 PPG

3:1 Gritsyuk (Bardakov, Galchenyuk), 53.02

4:1 Zykov (Khairullin), 57.56

5:1 Nikishin (Tolchinsky), 59.06

Goalkeepers: Serebryakov – Fedotov

Shots: 63 – 70