Before the start of the semi-final series of the Gagarin Cup between Traktor and Lokomotiv, many assumed that it would be protracted and stubborn, because the Chelyabinsk team had previously knocked out Salavat Yulaev and Dynamo from the fight. However, the ten-day pause had a negative impact on them and knocked them out of their winning rut. The railway workers unexpectedly easily won the first three matches and in the fourth away match they could put an end to it and provide themselves with rest before the decisive confrontation.
Alexei Zavarukhin's wards were about to perform a real miracle. Only once in the history of the Gagarin Cup did one of the teams manage to escape from 0:3 and advance further. SKA did this in the semifinals with CSKA in 2015. Despite this, the coach assured that nothing was lost.
“The opponent is very strong, a good team. The score is 0:3, but we have four matches to win and turn the series around. We will prepare for the next game,” the specialist promised.
The return of Zach Fucale could have benefited the hosts, but the main goalkeeper, who was injured in a collision with Maxim Shalunov, was again not included in the lineup, and his place was taken by Sergei Mylnikov. The guests made only one castling in the lineup - Ivan Chekhovich took Stepan Nikulin’s place in the fourth line.
Contrary to Zavarukhin’s statements, the starting segment, as in the previous meeting, remained entirely with Lokomotiv. He immediately increased the speed and led the siege of someone else's gate. The red-greens acted at exorbitant speeds and moved forward with the whole five, not forgetting to change regularly. The opponents simply felt dizzy and could not cope with what was happening.
In just the first few minutes they allowed as many shots from the nickel as sometimes do not happen in the entire game. Shalunov missed twice from the killing position. His partners missed several 100% chances.
There was only one person dragging the Chelyabinsk residents - Mylnikov. In the first three matches, he allowed eight goals and, although he helped out, he did not seem to be a model of reliability. But this time Sergei did everything to maintain the intrigue. In one episode, he brought the pads together in a timely manner and did not allow Alexander Polunin to score with a click from a meter. Then Daniil But and Artur Kayumov threw at point-blank range. The goalkeeper stood like a wall and caught everything. As a result, even before the break, he made ten saves. The “Tankers” responded only with a moment from Vladimir Zharkov, when he drove around Daniil Isaev on the penny and missed the target.
But this couldn’t go on for long, and in the 11th minute Igor Nikitin’s team naturally opened the scoring. Moreover, the “evil genius” of Traktor, Martin Gernat, managed to do this. The Slovak upset him in the third match out of four. And it was Chekhovich who gave him the assist.
Only after missing did the Chelyabinsk team come to their senses. And the opponents slowed down and went on the defensive. The hosts, with the support of the fans, themselves tried to find free zones in someone else's dense defense. This didn't happen often. But still, shortly before the break, they managed to press the guests to the goal. Isaev also had to join the game several times.
The second period started even more promisingly for the hosts. Charles Robinson's line played a very good shift, taking advantage of the fact that the opponents could not change normally due to the far bench. Mikhail Kotlyarevsky and Maxim Shabanov even managed to bring the matter to good shots.
And then Daniil Tesanov made an involuntary gift to Traktor. In a situation that did not require it, he played with a high stick and went to the bench for two minutes. In fact, this segment turned out to be fateful. If the “tankers” had scored, everything could have turned out according to a different scenario. And they had at least one great opportunity. Danil Yurtaikin hit the post after a throw-in won by Vladimir Tkachev.
But Lokomotiv converted the very first chance at even strength. Alexander Elesin did not allow the opponents to throw the puck out of the zone and made a clear pass behind the goal to Maxim Berezkin. And he made an assist to Kayumov, who beat Mylnikov from close range. To top off all the troubles, Artyom Shuchinov immediately received two minutes. But the Yaroslavl team unsuccessfully carried out the majority and even allowed the Chelyabinsk team to organize a sharp counterattack.
Zavarukhin's players still tried to go forward and put pressure, fought for the puck near the boards and tried to deliver it to the goal. However, the red-greens were relentless that evening and calmly broke into the free zones. Everything finally became clear after Sergei Andronov finished off a shot into the net after Mylnikov’s next save and scored the first goal in two playoffs.
And at the end of the period, the Yaroslavl team brought the score to a big one. Georgiy Ivanov hit the post, and Daniil Tesanov sent it into the goal from the "ribbon". The judges, having studied the episode, pointed to the center. But Zavarukhin accepted the request to interfere with the goalkeeper and turned out to be right. The referees ruled: the attacker pushed the projectile into the net along with Mylnikov's trap.
To the credit of the Chelyabinsk team, even finding themselves in an almost hopeless situation, they staged an assault in the final segment and fully deserved to reduce the gap. Zavarukhin went all-in and shuffled the lines in such a way that sometimes four forwards appeared on the site at the same time.
It bore fruit. The railroad workers pressed close to the goal and made only one shot on target before the final siren. At the same time, they defended with extreme discipline, leaving no open spaces. And when it did come to clicks, Isaev acted above all praise. In addition, the hosts removed Mylnikov almost eight minutes before the end.
But when it seemed that the score was about to change, “Traktor” was greatly let down by Robinson. In the middle of the ice he made a block and was sent off. The guests, for the most part, didn’t really create any chances, but at least they held the puck and killed time. After that, the opponents' attacking fuse dried up. In three minutes and 20 seconds they took off the goalkeeper again, but did not create anything. Only Tkachev once forced Isaev to enter the game.
Thus, the goalkeeper became one of the main heroes of the confrontation, making 25 saves and scoring the third shutout in the current playoffs. According to this indicator, he was equal to Ilya Nabokov from Metallurg.
The main thing is that Lokomotiv unexpectedly easily dealt with the “tankers” and for the first time since 2009 made it to the final of the Gagarin Cup. Now Nikitin’s team faces a long pause, because the first match of the decisive series will take place only on April 17.