Torpedo – SKA

Torpedo – SKA – 3:1

23 December 2023

In a tense encounter, SKA came up short in Nizhny Novgorod thanks to a disappointing third period, suffering an avoidable 1:3 loss to Torpedo away in the 2023/2024 KHL regular season.

The first period saw SKA compete on the front foot.

In comparison to Johan Mattsson’s seven saves, home goaltender Adam Huska was called into action on 12 occasions. Our third line consisting of Borna Rendulic, Zakhar Bardakov and Arseniy Gritsyuk was particularly dangerous, with the trio regularly causing major problems for the Torpedo defence.

Our best chance of the stanza fell at the stick of Artyom Zemchyonok, but the defenseman’s goalbound effort was deflected over the crossbar with Huska seemingly down and out.

At the other end, Denis Yan was presented with Torpedo’s only realistic opportunity, as he failed to give a flowing play the perfect finish.

Our positive play was rewarded with the opening goal in the 45^th second of the second stanza.

At the third time of asking, Vasily Glotov managed to slide the puck over the line from between the circles. Huska was caught out of position for Torpedo after saving the first two shots during that particular play.

In comparison to the first period, the second was contested at a higher, more intense tempo.

Predictably, Torpedo grew into the game and began to create clear opportunities in the second half of the stanza. Coming under pressure, Mattsson had to be on top form to pull off a series of challenging saves at close range, notably shutting the door on the clean-through Nikolai Kovalenko and sticking his left pad out when it seemed certain that the Nizhny Novgorod-based outfit would score.

SKA ran into penalty trouble in the final knockings of the period, with Maxim Fedotov, Alex Galchenyuk and Marat Khairullin all being sent to the box in quick succession.

Those penalties did indeed present Torpedo with a golden opportunity for their equaliser.

The home team immediately capitalised on that chance, as Kovalenko smashed a huge one-timer into the left corner a mere 14 seconds after the restart.

That goal firmly gave Torpedo the momentum. In the seventh minute of what was turning into a rather difficult third period, Andrei Belevich grabbed their second marker on the break-away, wristing into the near corner from the left of the slot having been ignored by our defence.

Throughout the remainder of the period, SKA did their best to pile the pressure on the solid home club. Finding himself 1-on-1 with Huska, Gritsyuk had our standout opportunity to equalise, but he could only backhand against the impressive Slovakian goalkeeper. Sergei Tolchinsky had previously passed up another guilt-edged opportunity on a 2-on-1 counter.

Our hopes of saving the game were ruined by a late tripping penalty taken by Mikhail Vorobyov.

SKA admittedly did kill that penalty, but seconds after returning to full strength, a poor mistake inside our own zone gifted Belevich his second goal as the experienced Torpedo forward wristed under the pads.

Mattsson was pulled for the extra skater in the closing seconds, however Torpedo stood firm.

SKA will now prepare to face Dynamo in Moscow on Monday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

Torpedo – SKA – 3:1 (0:0, 0:1, 3:0)

Goals:

0:1 Glotov (Khairullin, Falkovsky), 20.45

1:1 Kovalenko (Konyushkov), 40.14 PPG

2:1 Belevich (Shavin, Sizov), 46.47

3:1 Belevich (Kovalenko), 59.03

Goalkeepers: Huska – Mattsson

Shots: 45 – 78

Shots on target: 24 – 36