Demidov seals pulsating shootout win at Spartak!

30 January 2025

SKA initially blew a three-goal lead for the second time in a week, but a combination of Ivan Demidov and Artemiy Pleshkov eventually earned a memorable 4:3 triumph over Spartak in Moscow after a thrilling penalty shootout!

Just like against Dynamo last week, SKA wasted a 3:0 advantage and were close to conceding a fourth, however we survived an almighty scare to walk away from the Megasport Arena with two vital points.

The teams immediately set an intense tempo in the first period.

Following a positive start in which we created several clear shooting lanes, SKA deservedly drew first blood in the eighth minute.

When bursting into the attacking zone, Grigory Kuzmin whipped a trademark wrister over Artyom Zagdiulin’s blocker.

Our players controlled the vast majority of the opening stanza, keeping the hosts at a safe distance and regularly working the Spartak goalkeeper at the other end. After they had wasted a powerplay, Spartak did apply a brief spell of pressure towards the end of the period, however Pleshkov didn’t have any particularly challenging saves to make.

SKA firmly took control of the match with two quickfire goals in the maiden five minutes of the second period.

Ilya Karpukhin pounced on the loose puck on the doorstep, before Mikhail Grigorenko expertly tucked home when completely unmarked next to the right post.

Spartak promptly signalled for their time-out and swapped Zagidulin for familiar face Dmitry Nikolayev in their net. Moments after that change, Zakhar Bardakov was presented with a golden opportunity to make it four, however he could only shoot against the pads when through 1-on-1.

Playing with an impressive level of organisation, SKA barely allowed Spartak any good looks at their net, winning the battles and neutral pucks in their zone. The Muscovites did manage to carve open a handful of promising chances in the closing minutes of the frame, with Nikolai Goldobin and Mikhail Maltsev coming particularly close from close range.

Goldobin sparked Spartak's comeback in the fourth minute of the third period.

Presented with far too much time and space in which to pick his spot, Goldobin lashed a fierce drive under Pleshkov’s blocker.

That goal turned the game on its head.

In stark contrast to what we had witnessed in the opening two periods, SKA were beginning to really struggle across the ice, failing to clear their lines and inviting pressure with inaccurate passes.

A needless penalty for hooking the puck out of play from his own zone was taken by Vladimir Alistrov at a crucial time with only nine minutes remaining in what was turning out to be a hugely challenging frame. To our dismay, that chance was duly capitalised on by Spartak, as Pavel Poryadin completing a flowing passing play.

SKA were well and truly on the ropes inside an increasingly hostile stadium. Andrei Loktionov’s cheap cross-checking penalty with a mere five minutes left in regulation looked to have killed Spartak's momentum, but disaster struck.

Shorthanded, tall defenseman Veniamin Korolyov opted to shoot when approaching our net, and his wrist shot cruelly snuck through the despairing Pleshkov.

Nevertheless, Sergei Plotnikov could have won it for SKA against the run of play in the dying seconds, hitting the crossbar from point-blank range.

Overtime was box-office entertainment. Going all-out attack, both teams created an abnormal amount of clear opportunities, with Adam Ruzicka notably blasting wide of the gaping net and Demidov shooting into Nikolayev with the goal at his mercy.

SKA teetered on the edge in the shootout too. However, after Valentin Zykov had saved the day in the fifth round and Spartak passed up four match points, Demidov secured our scintillating triumph with a beautiful move.

We will now prepare to face Dynamo in Moscow on Saturday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 17:00 local time.

Match protocol:

Spartak – SKA – 3:4 SO (0:1, 0:2, 3:0, 0:0 – 0:1)

Goals:

0:1 Kuzmin (Karpukhin), 07.41

0:2 Karpukhin, 23.05

0:3 Grigorenko (Alistrov), 25.05

1:3 Goldobin (Morozov, Maltsev), 43.02

2:3 Poryadin (Loktionov, Morozov), 51.56 PPG

3:3 Korolyov (Pashin, Rubtsov), 55.29 SHG

3:4 Demidov, 65.00 SO

Goalkeepers: Zagidulin/Nikolayev – Pleshkov