Slovan - SKA - 5:2

Today on the 22nd of February, SKA travelled to the Slovakian capital Bratislava to take on HC Slovan. It was indeed the final game of this KHL regular season, and head coach Vyacheslav Bykov replaced Ilya Kablukov in the fourth line with Alexey Ponikarovsky, and netminder Ilya Ezhov for Finn Mikko Koskinen.

SKA were huge favourites heading into this one, and began solidly. Several powerplays came and went, with home netminder Johan Backlund standing tall to shut down a number of Maxim Chudinov slappers from the blue line. As time went on however Slovan got better and better, and ended putting our team on the back foot. On a powerplay of their own they even took the lead, as Libor Hudacek neatly wristed home from the doorstep. That sent the Slovnaft Arena into raptures, and Mikko Koskinen had to be alert to keep the difference at only one.

That set the tone for the second period, as all the chances were coming at only one end. Slovan weren't looking like a team which had not long ago been thrashed 0:12 by CSKA Moscow, and after a two on one had been passed up on, Rok Ticar tipped home for the second. SKA did create a few openings at the other end, and Patrick Thoresen's poked effort from up close was denied by the netminder when trying to go five hole.

Just three minutes into the third frame, and Slovan seemingly put the game out of reach. SKA's back line went missing, and to the left of the crease Vladimir Mihalik fired over Mikko Koskinen's glove. That's where the real drama started though, and our team made it a real contest. Firstly Patrick Thoresen won and coverted his own penalty shot, and not long before the final few moments Roman Cervenka took aim through a number of bodies to make it a one goal game. It wasn't to be however, as two empty netters from Ladislav Nagy and Ivan Baranka iced it. 5:2 in Slovan's favour, and SKA fails to finish the regular season on a positive note.

Match protocol:

Slovan - SKA - 5:2 (1:0, 1:0, 3:2)

Goals:

1:0 Hudacek (Murley), 17.11

2:0 Nagy (Barker, Nagy), 27.29

3:0 Mihalik (Hudacek, Bartovic), 43.28

3:1 Thoresen, 47.20 PS

3:2 Cervenka (Kovalchuk), 56.27

4:2 Nagy (Murley, Brejcak), 58.37

5:2 Baranka, 59.58

Goalkeepers: Backlund - Koskinen

Shots: 22 - 35

Penalty minutes: 8 - 4

Faceoffs: 33 - 30

Hits: 2 - 6

Blocked shots: 12 - 14

Referees: Jerabek, Sergeev

22.02.2015. Slovnaft Arena, Bratislava, Slovakia. Attendance 9954.