SKA – Vityaz

SKA – Vityaz – 4:1

19 December 2022

In the first match since the international break, SKA had too much quality for Vityaz Moscow Region at home in the 2022/2023 KHL regular season, cruising to a routine 4:1 victory.

There was very little to choose between the sides in the opening stanza.

Vityaz initially started with more energy, but SKA slowly started to ease into proceedings in the second half of the frame.

Our team did waste a couple of big opportunities. On the right faceoff circle, Igor Ozhiganov’s effort was deflected over the crossbar after a clever passing play involving 21-year-old KHL debutant Danil Savunov, before Vladislav Tsitsyura couldn’t score when alone on the doorstep.

In our net, Vladislav Podyapolsky was tested on a regular basis, with his best save arriving in the closing stages of the period after the puck had taken a wicked ricochet from the left flank.

SKA made the breakthrough in the fourth minute of the second period on the powerplay after Podyapolsky had pulled off a wonderful stop to deny the clean-through Stepan Starkov.

Lurking on the doorstep, Damir Zhafyarov gently tipped Nikita Gusev’s effort between the pads of Vityaz goalkeeper Dmitry Shikin.

Vityaz notably increased the intensity of their play after that goal. All of a sudden, the visitors from Moscow Region were bossing proceedings at the Ice Palace, applying heavy pressure on our team and forcing Podyapolsky into a series of tricky saves. Our goalkeeper had to make 13 stops in the second frame alone.

Nonetheless, the next goal fell SKA’s way. It was a moment to savour for debutant Savunov, as he picked up his first KHL point by assisting Marat Khairullin who sent a rasping wrist shot over Shikin from the right wing.

However, Vityaz halved the deficit on the powerplay with a mere 23 seconds left in the period. In a seemingly harmless situation, Mikhail Pashnin contrived to pass the puck to Vityaz forward Alexander Yaremchuk, who immediately poked his shot under the surprised Podyapolsky.

That goal could have been a turning point. That wasn’t in SKA’s plans, though, and the home team grabbed a vital third goal in the second minute of the third period.

Initially, the referees didn’t notice that the puck had crossed the line after Khairullin had connected with a trademark Zhafyarov no-look pass, but they quickly received the nod from the KHL’s control room. 19-year-old defenseman Arseniy Koromyslov contributed with an assist for the goal to gain his first point in the league.

To their credit, Vityaz continued to attack with gusto after that goal. Alert to the danger, Podyapolsky flashed leather to shut the door on young talent Stanislav Yarovoi, a save which was made moments after Yaremchuk and Jeremy Roy had failed to turn the puck in with the goal gaping.

SKA well and truly put the game to bed with a fourth in the 54th minute.

Too fast for his markers, Tsitsyura - who was making his 100th KHL appearance - powered his way to the slot and tapped the puck in at the second attempt to score his first goal of the campaign.

SKA will now prepare to host CSKA Moscow in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

SKA – Vityaz – 4:1 (0:0, 2:1, 2:0)

Goals:

1:0 Zhafyarov (Gusev, Ozhiganov), 23.42 PPG

2:0 Khairullin (Savunov, Ozhiganov), 35.02

2:1 Yaremchuk, 39.37 PPG

3:1 Khairullin (Zhafyarov, Koromyslov), 41.41

4:1 Tsitsyura (Volkov, Zykov), 53.53

Goalkeepers: Podyapolsky – Shikin

Shots: 64 – 67

Shots on target: 38 – 31