LEV 1:0 JEK | Lev Praha - Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL)

KHL

Neftekhimik – SKA St. Petersburg

0:5 (end)

Lev – Avtomobilist

1:0 (end)

final

Lev Praha

1:0 (0:0, 1:0, 0:0)

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg

Sunday 06.01.2013, 16:00 • Tipsport Arena, Prague • KHL

		In a goaltending duel between Tomas Popperle and Chris Holt, Erik Christensen scores the game's only goal early in the second period on the power play. For Popperle, it's his 5th shutout of the season, putting him back into the league lead in that department. (19:16:41)
	60:00	Game over.
	59:40	Lev has Avto pinned deep, they can't get Holt out . . .
	59:00	Avto shoots the puck in, Holt starts to go to the bench on the fly but quickly retreats as Lev comes back . . .
	58:23	Avto shoot-in goes out of play, faceoff at the blueline.
	58:00	Two-minute announcement made, Lev controlling play in Avto zone with teams back at even strength.
	57:30	Petr Vrana with a quick shot on a Lev rush late in the PP, stick save Holt.
	56:47	Offside Lev on the pass. Faceoff to centre ice with :49 left in the penalty.
	56:00	Christensen gets tied up with Sokolov at the blueline, Avto bench hollering for an interference call, play continues.
	55:36	Right after they kill off one penalty, Avto goes right back to the PK as Alexander Sazonov gets called for holding along the boards in his own end. Avto coach not shy about voicing his displeasure at the referee.
	55:15	Puck iced again, Avto penalty-killers doing a good job.
	54:30	Shorthanded, Rastislav Spirko takes a backhander at Popperle, who gloves it and quickly puts it back in play . . .
	54:10	Avto ice the puck, killing more of the penalty.
	53:49	Offside Avto on the PK.
	53:38	Shot from the point early in the advantage, save Holt and whistle.
	53:33	Yevgeni Rybnitsky called for interference in the attacking zone, he doesn't like the call. Lev back to the power play, they're 1/4 tonight.
	52:56	Finally the puck slides to Chris Holt and he covers it for a faceoff.
	52:30	A lot of play in the neutral zone and along the boards, no offensive chances either way.
	50:36	Puck goes into the Avto bench, faceoff at the blueline.
	50:15	Offside Lev, followed by some more pushing and shoving. Tempers starting to boil over in this one.
	50:01	Icing Lev.
	49:14	The whistle goes because the puck was played with a high stick, followed immediately by a heavy collision in the corner in the Avto zone, followed by some pushing and shoving. No penalties, though some unhappy people. Faceoff goes to centre ice.
	49:05	Low shot by Eduard Gimotov on an Avto rush, stick save Popperle.
	47:48	Avto back to full strength, then puck goes over the glass. Faceoff inside.
	47:20	Juraj Mikus sends a slap shot wide.
	46:39	Puck is played by a high stick in the Avto zone. FAceoff stays inside with 1:05 left in penalty.
	46:15	Danielsson with a couple of shots from the point, first one blocked, second just wide.
	46:00	Scramble in front of Holt, he covers for a faceoff.
	45:44	Artyom Kryukov gets called for holding, sending Lev to the power play.
	45:12	Jiri Novotny crosses the blueline, his hard wrister hits Holt in the blocker.
	44:45	Avto gets a scoring chance after an icing is indicated and then washed out at the last minute, linesman claiming a tip. With the defencemen coming down low after the whistle, the faceoff is sent outside.
	43:52	Denis Sokolov with a pair of shots for Avto, then puck cleared.
	43:43	Shot from the boards by Rastislav Spirko, glove save Tomas Popperle.
	43:25	Lev dumps the puck in offside and the faceoff is sent all the way back to their own zone.
	42:57	Lev goes offside, Nicklas Danielsson and Artyom Kryukov exchange words after the whistle; they seemed to collide with each other and I think Danielsson was accusing Krryukov of sticking out his knee.
	42:46	Puck deflects into the Lev bench, faceoff at the blueline.
	42:32	Play whistled for offside after a Lev forward was trapped in the zone and failed to clear.
	41:20	Alexei Makeyev took a weak-angled shot from the corner then fell and was in a considerable amount of pain. Eventually he got up but seemed to be favouring ankle or knee.
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
		Teams have returned to the ice and the 3rd period faceoff is moments away.
		Erik Christensen opened the scoring on a power play early in the second period and the rest of that period was played rather conservatively. Shots on goal in the 2nd period (and game): Lev 8 (17), Avtomobilist 10 (18). 3rd period begins at 18:41 CET, 12:41 EST.
	40:00	2nd period finished.
	39:15	Puck again deflected out of play in Lev zone. Faceoff stays in with :14 left in the penalty.
	38:59	Icing called against Avto on the power play. :30 left in the penalty.
	38:02	Denis Sokolov sneaks in and gets a shot from the high slot, save, then puck is iced . . .
	37:52	Puck deflects out of play in the Lev zone, faceoff stays inside.
	37:29	Quickly off the draw, defenceman Juraj Mikus gets called for tripping in his own end, power play Avto late in the 2nd.
	37:26	Avtomobilist pressure that last shift, Makayev the shot, pad save Popperle, then someone tried to stuff it in from behind the net but he kept it out and covered.
	36:24	Offside Avto on the pass, faceoff comes back to their own end.
	36:00	Offside Avto.
	35:13	Lev rush back the other way, save Holt.
	34:53	Kurbatov tried to beat Popperle on the short side, no room. Regained the puck and tried a wrap-around, cleared away.
	34:29	Avto rush the other way, Popperle the save and hangs on.
	33:58	Danielsson tried to find Christensen with a pass right in front, Holt knocks it a way with a poke-check.
	33:36	Avto comes back and gets a couple of shots on Popperle, the first by Spirko hits him in the shoulder, he covers the second.
	33:16	On a Lev rush, Novotny's high shot is gloved by Holt. He's had a lot of shots in his first game after missing seven with a shoulder injury.
	32:37	Offside Lev.
	32:10	Real battle for the puck along the boards in the Avto zone between Lev's Petr Vrana and Avto's Yevgeni Kurbatov . . .
	31:43	Tomas Rachunek with some fancy stickhandling at the blueline causes a teammate to go offside.
	31:29	Holt gloves a shoot-in, holds for a whistle.
	31:22	Erik Christensen receives a pass offside, faceoff coming back to centre ice. He was in the clear if that wasn't called.
	30:57	Avto dump-in attempt deflected out of play by a Lev stick, faceoff at the Lev blueline.
	30:11	And at the other end, Chris Holt robs Jiri Novotny with the glove--his shot from the slot was labelled for the low corner.
	28:18	Alexei Simakov with a pass from behind the net to Alexei Makeyev for the one-timer, great glove save Popperle.
	27:37	Vitali Karamnov leads a rush into the Avto zone, his backhander whistles wide.
	27:04	Puck goes out of play in the Avto zone, faceoff comes outside.
	26:40	Vasili Streltsov with another hit on Jakub Nakladal, those two have been at each other the whole game.
	26:12	Puck goes out of play in the neutral zone, faceoff at centre ice.
	26:04	Jakub Klepis dangling in the Avto zone, his shot is blocked.
	25:12	Drop pass to Denis Sokolov, who rips a slapper and Tomas Popperle makes a nice glove save.
	24:41	Offside Avto.
	23:56	Offside Avto on the pass. Faceoff comes back to their own blueline.
	21:40	Goal for Lev! First penalty had just expired and the puck came to ERIK CHRISTENSEN at the side of the net, who roofed it to open the scoring. Assists: Nicklas Danielsson, Jakub Klepis.
	21:15	Hard slap shot from Ondrej Nemec, not sure if it got through, 5 on 3 continues.
	20:50	Shot deflects and hits the netting above the glass, faceoff stays in Avto zone.
	20:42	Avto is going to be 2 men down for :45 as captain Alexei Simakov gets called for hooking in his own end.
	20:17	Right off the bat, Nicklas Danielsson comes in and gets a shot, right on save Chris Holt. 1:10 left in penalty.
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
		Lev will begin the 2nd period on the power play, 1:27 left in Yukseyev's penalty.
		Teams have returned to the ice, 2nd period will begin shortly.
		Lev certainly held a slight edge in play that first period, but Avtomobilist also got a few quality chances on their brief power play. Neither team able to beat Chris Holt or Tomas Popperle, though, and we're scoreless after 1. Shots on goal: Lev 9, Avtomobilist 8. Avtomobilist had a slight edge in the faceoff circle, winning 11/20 draws. Rastislav Spirko was 3/5, Vitali Karamnov Jr 2/4 for Lev. Ice time leaders: Ondrej Nemec 7:31 for Lev, Branislav Mezei 7:30 for Avtomobilist. 2nd period begins at 17:49 CET, 11:49 EST.
	20:00	1st period finished.
	19:27	. . . and right after Alexander Yukseyev gets called for interference in his own end, impeding a Lev forechecker from getting to the rebound.
	19:25	Turnover in the Avto zone, big chance for Tomas Surovy from the slot, he rips a slapper from point blank that's stopped.
	19:10	Another Lev rush, puck slides to Holt, who covers again.
	18:55	More action in the Avto zone, Holt snares a shot and holds for another faceoff.
	18:37	Now Jakub Klepis, Lev's leading scorer, with a shot that Holt stops and holds.
	18:10	Ondrej Nemec takes Yevgeni Kurbatov hard into the end boards, Avto bench screaming for a penalty, play continues.
	16:43	Right off the draw, Alexander Yuksayev takes a high slapper that Popperle knocked down with the glove, then it sat dangerously in the crease before being cleared.
	16:39	Avto power play buzzing now, a few shots on goal. PP and PK units both change up at the stoppage with :07 left in the penalty.
	16:00	Shorthanded, Jiri Novotny takes a wrister from the slot that hits Holt in the arm.
	15:34	Popperle hasn't been busy so far, but he covers the puck with 1 second left in the Avto penalty, then they'll be on the power play for 1:11.
	14:46	Jakub Nakladal continues his physical play along the boards but gets called for boarding on the the PP in the attacking zone. We'll have 4 on 4 for :49.
	14:43	Christensen's slapper hits Sazonov in the ankle, he stays up but it smarted.
	13:35	Yevgeni Kurbatov getting Avto's first penalty for holding Danielsson's stick in front of the net.
	12:18	. . . and now the puck is deflected out of play. Faceoff coming up in the Avto zone.
	12:00	At the tail end of the penalty kill, Tomas Surovy gets a chance and a shot on goal, cleared away . . .
	11:10	High slap shot on the PP by Artyom Kryukov deflected wide.
	09:56	Jakub Krejcik is getting the game's first penalty for hooking, as he took down Alexander Streltsov in the slot.
	08:50	Nakladal playing physically in his first period as a Lion, collides with Streltsov again.
	08:10	Tomas Mojzis's shot attempt blocked by Eduard Gimatov, who was shaken up earlier but apparently alright.
	07:32	Rachůnek, Vrána, Klepiš line buzzing, Holt catches a shot and holds.
	06:47	Mathias Porseland with a low shot from the point off the draw, hits a stick and goes wide.
	06:40	Play in the Avto zone, Holt covers for a faceoff.
	06:05	Avto's Vasili Streltsov with a hit on Jakub Nakladal along the boards in the neutral zone. Nakladal, recently acquired from Spartak Moscow, is making his Lev debut.
	05:21	Avto rush goes offside.
		He gets up on his own and seems to be alright.
	04:20	Play stopped off the draw as Avto's Eduard Gimatov is down and hurt in the neutral zone. Not sure what happened to him.
	04:14	Offside Avto. Defenceman Denis Sokolov couldn't hold the puck in at the point.
	03:43	Under pressure, Chris Holt finally covers the puck.
	03:20	Nicklas Danielsson rings a shot high off the post.
	03:00	Lev's top line buzzing, Hossa tries to feed Danielsson, tipped just wide in front.
	01:55	Jiri Novotny, Lev captain in his first game back, fires a high wrister that Holt catches and holds. I believe that's the game's first official shot on goal.
	01:25	Lev rush, Klepis feeds Vrana, who shoots wide.
	00:15	Early Lev dump in covered by Chris Holt at the side of the net.
	00:01	Game started.
		Starting goaltenders are Tomáš Pöpperle for Lev and Chris Holt for Avtomobilist.
		On the day where it seems the NHL lockout is coming to an end, the attention of many hockey fans appears to be elsewhere. However, the games in Europe go on. Today, Lev Praha, 7th in the Western Conference, hosts Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, 12th and last in the Eastern Conference. NHLers Zdeno Chára and Jakub Voráček will NOT dress for Lev today--that announcement comes roughly an hour before faceoff. The team's other NHL player, Roman Červenka, has been out of the lineup for the past 6 weeks with an injury. Lev Captain Jiří Novotný, out of the lineup since November 28 with a shoulder injury, makes his return tonight, and defenceman Jakub Nakladal, recently acquired from Spartak Moscow, makes his debut with the team.
		Welcome. This game starts at 16:00 GMT, 17:00 CET local time in Prague, 22:00 YSK in Yekaterinburg and 11:00 EST/08:00PST in North America.

Commentary by

Derek OBrien

@@Djob76

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 22. Christensen (Danielsson, Klepis)

Lev Praha: Pöpperle (Kocián) -- Němec, Nakladal - Mikuš, Krejčík - Mojžiš, Porseland - Hunkes -- Danielsson, Christensen, Hossa - Rachůnek, Vrána, Klepiš - Surový, Novotný, Řepík - Svoboda, Karamnov, Cipulis - Cingel.

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg: Holt (Lobanov) -- Mezei, Yukseyev - Rybnitsky, Sokolov - Sazonov, Kurbatov - Tryamkin, Stupin -- Malykhin, Kryukov, Lapenkov - Makeyev, Špirko, Simakov - Stepanov, Chistyakov, Gimatov - Pronin, V.Streltsov, A.Streltsov.

1st period
	13:35
	14:46
	19:27
1st intermission
2nd period
	20:42
	21:40
	37:29
2nd intermission
3rd period
	45:44
	53:33
	55:36
Final