47 saves by Serebryakov and two empty goals by Khairullin: SKA beat Avtomobilist for the first time in the quarterfinals of the Gagarin Cup

The terrible tragedy that occurred on March 22 at Crocus City Hall made serious adjustments to the Gagarin Cup calendar. On the morning of the 23rd, the league announced the postponement of two matches initially scheduled for the weekend: Spartak - Metallurg in Moscow and Avangard - Lokomotiv in Omsk.

At the same time, the meeting between Avtomobilist and SKA in Yekaterinburg took place at the appointed time. The stadium has taken enhanced security measures and all entertainment events have been cancelled. On the eve of the starting siren, a minute of silence took place.

President of the Russian Hockey Federation (RHF) Vladislav Tretyak said: the verdict on holding the game was accepted by the club. At the same time, head coach Nikolai Zavarukhin presented a different version of the development of events.

“Probably a question for those who run the competition - the KHL. When there was coronavirus and some restrictions, the league as an organizer regulated these issues. We are just performers here. Nobody discussed this issue with me personally. I think everything is discussed at a higher level. The KHL determines when and where we play,” the specialist noted.

In any case, this did not help his players, because they conceded five goals, suffered their first defeat and allowed the opponent to revive the intrigue.

At the same time, the final result should not be misleading, since most of the meeting it was “Avtomobilist” who had the initiative. Moreover, he turned over the visitors almost twice (49 versus 26) and earned 14 penalty minutes versus four for the army team. But Nikita Serebryakov performed real miracles on the last frontier of the St. Petersburgers that evening, recalling why he was recognized as the best goalkeeper in the KHL last season.

The starting period turned out to be generally equal, but Roman Rotenberg’s team demonstrated amazing execution, while opponents ruined the right moments. Even the previously reliable Evgeniy Alikin did not help them out. In particular, in the situation with the first goal, he did not fix the puck after Vasily Glotov’s not very strong attack, and then allowed him to finish.

And in the 14th minute, the guests punished the Ekaterinburg team for their debut sending off - Danil Romantsev went to the penalty box for tripping. Just 21 seconds later, Alex Galchenyuk finished off Alexander Kadeikin's cross from behind the goal. Surprisingly, immediately after this, Zavarukhin removed Alikin and threw reservist Vladimir Galkin into battle.

The hosts, as already mentioned, did not take advantage of their chances. More often than not, their advance was stopped by Serebryakov. Just look at the episode when he deflected Stepan Khripunov’s point-blank shot in the splits. In total, Nikita made 16 saves before the break. Avtomobilist also earned a power play twice, but didn’t convert either. Looking ahead, it was not possible to do this.

In the second segment, the assault on Serebryakov’s possessions continued, but he literally stood like a wall. And yet Stefan Da Costa managed to reduce the gap in the score. It was after its attack and ricochet that the projectile was thrown on SKA's heel, and the legionnaire himself sent it to the target. The goalkeeper was unable to throw the puck away with his stick.

Instead of building on their success, the Ekaterinburg team unexpectedly conceded 42 seconds before the break. In the development of the counterattack, it is worth noting the actions of Mikhail Pashnin, who intercepted in the central zone and threw Mikhail Vorobyov into the breakthrough. He, in turn, gave an excellent pass for a throw to Nikita Kamalov, who connected from deep. The defenseman made only his third appearance on the ice in the current playoffs. And he is not famous for his particular effectiveness. The fact that the hockey player scored twice in the regular season ended is enough. But at the right moment it was he who struck Galkin.

Despite this, in the final period Zavarkhin’s team still had the opportunity to restore balance. And first of all, it was their rivals themselves who provided them. Before the players had time to return to the ice, Zykov went to the bench for tripping. And then Kamalov made an even more serious mistake, smashing Alexander Sevostyanov’s face with his stick and receiving a four-minute penalty.

But the army team miraculously survived. And, of course, it was not possible without the rescue of Serebryakov, who in most cases caught the puck tightly and did not allow him to work on his penny. However, the intrigue was revived in equal numbers by Alexey Makeev, who had previously assisted Da Costa. Anatoly Golyshev rushed along the left side and threw from an almost negative angle, and the puck bounced straight to his partner, who left no chance for Serebryakov.

2.5 minutes before the final siren, the hosts went all-in and removed the goalkeeper. But even from this they were unable to extract anything. Moreover, SKA scored two empty goals. And the main character was Marat Khairullin, who scored the double. First, he put pressure on his opponent and forced him to give the puck to Zykov. And Valentin sent his partner into the breakthrough. Finally, with 20 seconds left, the forward made the point with a flick from his own blue line.

Thus, the St. Petersburgers, finding themselves in an almost hopeless situation, snatched victory and revived the intrigue in the confrontation. First of all, they should thank Serebryakov, who made 47 saves. The goalkeeper even set a personal record this season. And in the locker room, according to the established club tradition, he lifted the winning weight.

The Avtomobilist mentor, to his credit, found the strength to express condolences to the families and friends of those killed at Crocus City Hall.

“Very cruel. Today I didn’t manage to go to church, tomorrow I’ll definitely go there and light a candle for everyone who died there,” Match TV quotes Zavarukhin.

And Rotenberg emphasized: the teams, when they took to the ice, demonstrated that Russia could not be intimidated by anything.

Meanwhile, the league has already decided on the dates for rescheduling games. On March 25 in St. Petersburg, according to the original plan, SKA and Avtomobilist will meet again. On the 26th, Spartak and Metallurg will compete, as well as Avangard and Lokomotiv. And on the 28th, if necessary, there will be a fifth match between Muscovites and Magnitogorsk.