SKA - CSKA - 1:3. Game Three

30 March 2015

The third match of this KHL Gagarin Cup Western Conference final took place today inside the Saint Petersburg Ice Palace between SKA and HC CSKA Moscow. Head coach Vyacheslav Bykov kept Yury Alexandrov and Andrey Kuteikin together in the second line, with forward Pyotr Khokhryakov replacing Anton Burdasov in the fourth. Mikko Koskinen was in our net, while Stanislav Galimov was his opposite number.

Not much happened during the opening stages, as both teams opted to figure each other out before letting the shackles go. CSKA’s counterattacks were dangerous at times as ex SKA forward Igor Makarov was buzzing around, and a sharp wraparound by the right post was stoned by Mikko Koskinen. Our team slowly eased their way into the game, and on the powerplay had an ideal opportunity to break through. Artemiy Panarin teed up Yevgeni Dadonov on the doorstep, however the latter contrived to thrash wide of the left post.

SKA were gifted a couple of more powerplays in the second stanza, although yet again they were not taken advantage of. Ilya Kovalchuk had a fearsome slapper from the left faceoff circle beautifully gloved by the goaltender, and already at even strength Anton Belov’s goalbound wrister was beaten away by Stanislav Galimov’s mask. The visitors were doing a good job of shutting down all the open spaces around the ice, and seconds after their own powerplay ended they struck. Alexander Radulov trickled down the right wing, squared for Roman Lyubimov, and the latter slid the puck between Mikko Koskinen’s pads.

The away team’s goal was laid siege to as the third period got started, and a perfect scoring chance was wastefully not put away. Patrick Thoresen dashed down the right, picked out Tony Martensson on the doorstep, and his effort was somehow held by Stanislav Galimov. Jimmie Ericsson then picked up a needless penalty in the attacking zone, and it proved to be crucial. CSKA’s Denis Denisov was all on his own by the left post, and he gleefully tucked home. That goal was cancelled out immediately though, as a thumping Maxim Chudinov slap shot sailed over the goalkeeper’s blocker. Despite a couple of promising openings late on it wasn't to be, and Alexander Radulov iced it with a late empty netter. 1:3 today and 0:3 in the series overall, and SKA cannot drop any more games in this series in order to come out on top.

Match protocol:

SKA – CSKA – 1:3 (0:0, 0:1, 1:2)

Goals:

0:1 Lyubimov (Grigorenko, Radulov), 36.28

0:2 Denisov (Grigorenko, Radulov), 50.30

1:2 Chudinov (Kovalchuk, A Belov), 51.39

1:3 Radulov (Zharkov), 58.57

Goalkeepers: Koskinen – Galimov

Shots: 24 – 23

Penalty minutes: 8 – 6

Faceoffs: 26 – 29

Blocked shots: 9 – 15