Avtomobilist, unlike Traktor, managed to give the favorite real competition in the semi-finals of the Gagarin Cup. Having lost on the road in the first match, in the second he unexpectedly turned out to be stronger than Metallurg, scoring three goals in the power play and equalizing the series score.
Then the confrontation moved to Yekaterinburg, and Nikolai Zavarukhin’s charges had an excellent opportunity to take the lead. The support of the fans was ensured. All tickets for the small “Uralets” were sold out in an hour and a half. And on the Internet, some resold them for 26 thousand rubles.
As for the rosters, the KHL sports and disciplinary committee did not disqualify Magnitogorsk hockey players Maxim Mukhametov and Egor Korobkin for gross violations in the previous game and settled with monetary fines. But the first one was not included in the lineup anyway, and his place was taken by Maxim Karpov, who last appeared on the ice on March 30. The hosts did not have the return of Curtis Volk, although Zavarukhin assumed that the foreign player would be ready.
The start of the meeting was unsuccessful for Avtomobilist. He carried out several attacks in the opening, but then completely gave the initiative to his opponents. The team tried to look for their chance in quick oncoming attacks, but more often than not they simply threw the puck over the boards and gave it to Metallurg. Against this background, the guests looked like a team from a different division. They operated at much higher speeds and literally cut through the opposing defense with good longitudinal passes. And the fast-moving Danila Yurov, Roman Kantserov, Daniil Vovchenko and others regularly tried to throw a projectile into someone else’s zone and then look for partners with passes.
If not for Evgeny Alikin, the intrigue could have died before the break. In the opening period alone, he made 11 saves. I especially remember his rescue when Karpov closed the far post, taking advantage of a cross from the right, but the goalkeeper stopped the puck in an incredible split. And yet, in the 11th minute, the “lynxes” naturally opened the scoring. It was Yurov’s run that helped. Having dragged the projectile forward, the forward left it to Robin Press, who had jumped off the bench a moment before, and with a powerful click he left no chance for Alikin.
All the more unexpected was the quick response of the Ekaterinburg residents. The opponents, apparently relaxed, blundered into a counter attack. Dmitry Silantyev did not have time to prevent Andrey Obidin from shooting from the right circle. Ilya Nabokov failed to secure the puck, and Stepan Khripunov sent it into the net from the penny.
Further, both teams could have gone ahead. For example, Nick Ebert, who had connected, was taken out to click from a lethal distance, but Nabokov substituted the shield in a timely manner. Next, Silantiev made an excellent pass to the right to Makar Khabarov, but he was unable to outwit Alikin.
In the second period, the advantage passed to one side or the other. Before the hockey players had time to return to the ice, Nikita Mikhailis made a solo pass along the left flank, moved to the center and threw. The goalkeeper caught the puck with a trap. Then he dealt with Igor Geraskin's shot after winning the throw-in.
And in the 25th minute, Avtomobilist received its first penalty when Sergei Zborovsky pushed Silantyev onto the board. Magnitogorsk as a whole did not play the majority in the best way, but for 17 seconds they were almost left with five against three counterparts. The referee did not send off Nikita Tryamkin for hitting Mikhailis in the hands.
Next, Geraskin committed a violation of the rules. And the hosts could well have distinguished themselves with unequal lineups. Just look at the episode when Anatoly Golyshev rolled out of the gate almost on a dime and threw, but Nabokov brought the pads together in a timely manner. A little earlier, he parried a long-range shot from Jesse Blacker.
Even though they failed to realize the majority, the Yekaterinburg residents felt confident in themselves and moved forward more actively. Only by miracle did Yegor Alekseev not score. He beat Artyom Minulin in the right circle with a beautiful feint, but could not outwit Nabokov. And Brkus Macek sent a shot higher from a lethal position.
Shortly before the break, the advantage passed to the guests. They launched one attack after another, not allowing their opponents to change positions. As a result, the tired Ebert lost his nerve and punched Yurov in the arms. It seemed that the “lynxes” would still upset Alikin. But Zavarukhin’s team stood up like a wall and, by some miracle, fought back.
However, in the 43rd minute, Razin’s squad still scored. And Silantiev, who had recently played in the VHL, scored a simply magnificent goal. The forward, taking advantage of Kantserov's discount, beautifully cleared the defender and elegantly sent the puck right into the near corner over Alikin's shoulder.
“Avtomobilist” was confused by this development of events. The team had little success ahead. And even if it was possible to bring the matter to a click, Nabokov acted brilliantly at the last stage. At the same time, it cannot be said that his partners, as in the case of Daniil Isaev at Lokomotiv, did not allow him to create chances, but Ilya acted with confidence and composure beyond his age.
And Magnitogorsk took advantage of the opportunity and constantly found free zones in the other half. If they had been lucky, the meeting could have ended in regular time. For example, Alikin parried Pavel Akolzin's shot from the left circle with his shield.
But gradually the pressure from Yekaterinburg residents increased. And exactly five minutes before the end of regular time, Orekhov involuntarily helped them, hitting Golyshev in the ribs with his stick. The referee initially did not record a foul, but after consulting with his colleagues, he changed the decision. Metallurg fought back, although the opponents missed several chances. Moreover, one of them was Golyshev, who returned to the ice. After the pass from his partner, he was sure to throw from the right circle into the near corner, but Nabokov managed to move.
The hosts did not give up and, two minutes before the siren, they removed the goalkeeper with equal strength. In the end, this move worked. Nabokov did not allow Golyshev to realize a one-on-one approach, but Avtomobilist continued the assault and achieved his goal. Danil Romantsev, taking advantage of Tryamkin's cross, sent the puck into the net.
As a result, overtime did not last long. In the very first attack, Kantserov jumped into the opposing goal, but miraculously fired higher from close range. In response, Nabokov parried two attempts by Macek. Luke Johnson, who hasn’t scored in the playoffs since March 17, put an end to it. Karpov brought the puck into the opponent's zone, turned and passed to the oncoming American, and he left no chance for the goalkeeper.
“It was an excellent game from my partners, Karpov and Akolzin. They did everything perfectly, and all I had to do was be at the right point. Pavel did everything, and I was already waiting for the pass from Maxim and converted the chance. Of course, it was disappointing to concede shortly before the end of normal time, but overall we performed well. We just gathered for overtime,” noted the scorer of the winning goal.
Thus, Metallurg, having twice allowed Avtomobilist to win back, still snatched an away victory and again took the lead in the series. The next match will take place on April 9.