Torpedo - SKA - 2:4. Game Three

2 March 2015

SKA travelled to Nizhny Novgorod to take on HC Torpedo in the third match of this KHL Gagarin Cup first round series. It was 1:1 overall going into this game, and head coach Vyacheslav Bykov was very happy to have the option to slot the previously injured Artemiy Panarin and Anton Belov back into the line-up. Mikko Koskinen was in net for our team, with Ivan Kasutin between the pipes for Torpedo.

It was a very quiet start in Nizhny Novgorod, as both sides decided to figure each other out before really going for it. SKA defenceman Dinar Khafizullin had the most dangerous effort of the opening moments, as his goalbound slap shot cannoned off an opponent directly on the goal line. Our team were slowly but surely taking over the initiative, and pounced on the first powerplay. Clever build up play teed up Yevgeni Dadonov on the doorstep, and his effort sneaked over the goal line. Roman Cervenka not long afterwards had a great opportunity to make it two, as one on one he was twice shut down by Ivan Kasutin. That second did come towards the end of the frame though, as again with a man’s advantage Ilya Kovalchuk’s slapper was too hot to handle. Mikko Koskinen was a spectator at the other end, fending off a meagre two Torpedo shots.

That all changed in the second frame, as the game completely burst into life. Torpedo knew that they had to force the issue, and after a considerable amount of pressure they earned their first powerplay. That was taken advantage of perfectly, as from the right faceoff circle Wojtek Wolski one timed home with Mikko Koskinen out of position. That rattled our team, and on another powerplay just minutes later it became a tied game. Nikita Filatov powered down the right flank, and far post Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev was on hand to score. They didn’t stop there either, and promptly went on a five on three powerplay. If another goal felt inevitable this time Mikko and the defence stood tall, and our team picked their moment to strike a potentially killer blow. With Torpedo on another penalty kill Ilya Kovalchuk took aim from the left, and he launched the puck past the goaltender. 3:2 became 4:2 immediately, as Yevgeni Dadonov stripped his defenceman of the puck to completely silence the Nagorniy Stadium one on one.

There was less craziness in the third period, and Torpedo visibly lost all hope taking a few penalties in a row. This time however our team couldn’t hit the net, opting instead to keep possession of the puck and effectively kill the game. Roman Cervenka did come close though, as from a tight angle on the right he was stopped by the netminder’s glove. Despite Torpedo pulling Ivan Kasutin for the extra skater SKA confidently saw out the final few minutes to win 4:2, and in turn take a vital lead in the series 2:1!

Match protocol:

Torpedo – SKA – 2:4 (0:2, 2:2, 0:0)

Goals:

0:1 Dadonov (Panarin, Shipachyov), 12.32

0:2 Kovalchuk (Thoresen), 18.13

1:2 Wolski (Immonen, Pepelyaev), 27.22

2:2 Krasnoslobodtsev (Filatov), 30.06

2:3 Kovalchuk (Chudinov), 35.48

2:4 Dadonov (Shipachyov), 35.54

Goalkeepers: Kasutin – Koskinen

Shots: 26 – 28

Penalty minutes: 20 – 16