KZN 1:2 AST | Ak Bars Kazan - Barys Nur-Sultan (KHL)

KHL

Admiral – Cherepovets	4:1 (end)	\|	Khabarovsk – Mytishchi	2:3 (1:2 after SO)	\|	Novokuznetsk – SKA St. Petersburg	3:2 (end)
Novosibirsk – Lokomotiv	3:1 (end)	\|	Traktor – CSKA	3:1 (end)	\|	Metallurg M – Riga	6:2 (end)
Salavat Yulaev – Lev	1:5 (end)	\|	Neftekhimik – HC Slovan	4:3 (after OT)	\|	Vityaz – HC Yugra	3:4 (2:3 after SO)
Dynamo – Avtomobilist	3:2 (end)	\|	Ak Bars – Barys	1:2 (end)	\|	Torpedo – Avangard	5:3 (end)

final

Ak Bars Kazan Rusko

1:2 (1:1, 0:1, 0:0)

Barys Nur-Sultan

Tuesday 07.01.2014, 14:30 • Tatneft Arena • KHL

		Welcome. Game starts at 14:30.
		Welcome to Kazan, for the biggest game of the day! The two best teams in the East fight it out against each other, it's Ak Bars Kazan against Barys Astana and it's going to be a thriller.
		Ak Bars lead Barys by only four points in the Eastern Conference, and a win here today for Barys could really mix things up a bit. The hosts have won five out of their last six, whereas the Kazakhs have got four wins out of their last six matches.
		In the first game against each other this season in Astana Barys were dealt a 5-0 thrashing, but expect things to be closer today.
		Starting lineups: Ak Bars Kazan: Garipov (Barulin)- Korneev, Nikulin, Pesonen, Tereschenko, Petrov- Medvedev, Heshka, Stapleton, Burmistrov, Varnakov- Panin, Zakharchuk, Petruzalek, Svitov, Obukhov- Fayzullin, Lukoyanov, Tkachev, Golubev Barys Astana: Ahonen (Eremeev)- Barker, Lundin, Dawes, Boyd, Bochenski- Lakiza, Savchenko, Rudenko, Antropov, Hamill- Blokhin, Kolesnikov, Zhailauov, Upper, Starchenko- Rakhmanov, Polischuk, Gavrilin Referees: Odins, Belov, Nesterov, Ivanov.
		Both teams are being presented to the expectant crowd and we're minutes away from the opening faceoff!
	00:01	Game started.
	00:29	Barys have the first attack of the game, but didn't manage to get a shot away
	01:34	Georgiy Panin from the blue line has the first shot on goal, Ahonen covers up for a faceoff
	01:43	Petruzalek! Good chance for Ak Bars's new signing, but from just outside the crease he can only fire into the goalkeeper
	02:53	Goal for Barys! Garipov with his blocker sends the puck in the air, it then rolls around the crease and MIKHAIL RAKHMANOV is first to it and scores in the empty net, 1-0! Assists- Fedor Polischuk
	05:01	Ak Bars didn't start off that badly but Barys struck with their first real chance, the Kazan side need to respond
	05:13	Icing from Ak Bars
	06:04	Lukoyanov! Twists around the net, attempts to squeeze the puck over the line but is crowded out
	07:32	Boyd and Bochenski both make problems for Garipov, but he manages to sit on the puck and freeze it
	07:43	Zack Hamill with a low wrister goes for Garipov's near post and he covers up well
	09:20	The Kazakhs are starting to take real control of the game
	10:27	Barker skates away on the right flank, but his effort on goal is pretty weak and easy for Garipov to deal with
	11:49	Obukhov makes a good rush to the Barys net, backhands a pass to the crease but the defenders clear the danger well
	12:31	Goal for Ak Bars! TIM STAPLETON spins around the net, goes for the far post and makes it, 1-1! Ari Ahonen wasn't expecting that! Assists- Grigoriy Panin
	12:57	Ak Bars have certainly grabbed the initiative, Polischuk for tripping has given them a powerplay just after scoring
	13:41	Kirill Petrov and Alexey Tereschenko both try to stab the puck in the net on a rebound, but Ahonen lays on the ice and just prevents a goal!
	14:57	Barys are back to full strength, they were on the ropes there
	15:46	Zakharchuk! Massive slapshot and Ahonen kicks the puck away!
	16:57	Ak Bars go offside
	19:00	Last minute of an exciting first period
	19:57	Bochenski forces Garipov to freeze the puck after shooting from the right hand side of the crease
	20:00	1st period finished.
		Statistics after the first period- Shots (on target)- 19 (9)- 22 (15) Faceoffs- 8-9 Hits- 3-3 Penalty minutes- 0-2
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
	20:32	Petrov! Barys turn the puck over in their own zone, Petrov gathers it up but hits the chest of Ahonen!
	21:48	Garipov kicks out a Gavrilin effort from the right
	22:33	Denis Golubev sets up Tkachev just outside the crease, one times it and is denied by Ahonen!
	23:41	Great combination play by Ak Bars, Kirill Petrov has the shot in clear space but hits the post instead of the net!
	24:24	Rudenko! Skates through the opposing defence, tries to put the puck through Garipov but he manages to catch it!
	24:24	Alexander Svitov and Zack Hamill have both got roughing penalties, and Panin has been given an extra one, so Barys are on the powerplay
	26:24	And Ak Bars are already back to full strength
	27:36	Panin from distance tries his luck, but the puck gets deflected off a Barys defender and out of play
	28:06	Pesonen! Has space on the right, one times it towards Ahonen's near post but it goes off target
	28:32	Big save by Emil Garipov! Dustin Boyd skates clear, has only the goalkeeper to beat but Garipov stands tall and the puck hits his pads!
	29:34	Goal for Barys! NIKOLAI ANTROPOV stuffs the puck into the net on another rebound where the Ak Bars defenders just couldn't find the puck, 2-1! Assists- Konstantin Rudenko and Zack Hamill
	30:23	For holding Zakharchuk is sent to the penalty box and it's a powerplay for the visitors
	30:43	Dawes with a wrister, Garipov gives up a big rebound but luckily for him this time his defenders help him out!
	30:51	Petrov! Big shorthanded chance for Ak Bars! Shoots powerfully from the left flank when practically one on one, but the goalkeeper sends it away with his blocker!
	32:23	Zakharchuk is back in the game for the hosts
	33:49	Lukoyanov battles his way through from the right, is pulled back by the Barys defenders and can't get any sort of strike on the puck
	34:24	Low shot into Garipov's near post from Nigel Dawes, but it lacks any power to make it dangerous
	35:19	Burmistrov! Strong charge to the net, gets his own rebound and with only one hand shoots again but it's too weak
	36:42	The puck is stuck against the boards, Tkachev takes it on himself to grasp the initiative, but his wrap around attempt is stopped
	37:24	Great pressure from the home side, Janne Pesonen and then Kirill Petrov only just are denied by Ahonen
	37:25	Cam Barker for interference has given Ak Bars a timely powerplay
	37:53	Obukhov got his helmet stripped but for some reason he himself is sent to the penalty box, and it's a 4 on 4 hockey game
	39:25	Barker is back on the ice
	39:53	And now Obukhov is too right at the end of the period
	40:00	2nd period finished.
		Statistics after the second period- Shots (on target)- 47 (22)- 43 (29) Faceoffs- 20-18 Hits- 8-5 Penalty minutes- 8-6
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
	41:04	Hamill on a fast breakaway hits the puck against Garipov who didn't know where it was for a second!
	43:01	Tkachev! Great skate right to the Ak Bars net, followed up by Lukoyanov who is denied up close by Ahonen!
	43:45	Ak Bars go offside
	44:14	The hosts are upping the pressure all the time and they've earned themselves a powerplay, Boyd for checking has been given a two minute minor
	46:07	The puck is permanently stuck in Barys's zone, Varnakov from the door step tries to put the puck in the net but so far today their finishing is letting them down
	46:14	Thankfully for them Barys are back to full strength
	47:10	Kick save by Ahonen on a slapshot from Zakharchuk! He can really strike the puck well
	48:35	Barys's goalkeeper is determined to not concede again today, he's making save after save
	49:05	Stapleton! Spins and fires, and the shot gets blocked by covering defenders!
	51:15	Barys just trying to take the sting out of the game, it would be a massive win if they could hold on here
	52:05	Poor mistake in the home defence lets Dmitriy Upper go through one on one, but he misses the net! Big chance for Barys
	53:12	Stapleton and co. somehow can't force the puck over the line in a goalmouth pile up!
	54:12	Again it's Stapleton, from the left flank bursts through and can only place the puck into the goalkeeper!
	54:40	Konstantin Rudenko on a quick counterattack shoots twice, at first the defenders help out Garipov and then he hits the boards instead of the target!
	56:11	Icing from the Kazakhs
	57:45	Ak Bars have got their chance, Starchenko for holding has given them a powerplay just over two minutes from the buzzer
	58:28	Korneev! Powerful attempt from the point gets turned around the post!
	59:00	We're into the last minute of normal time
	59:15	Empty net for Ak Bars!
	59:49	The puck somehow stays out of Barys's net! Last chance for the hosts now
	59:49	Barys are now back at full strength, and have just called a timeout a few seconds before the end
	59:55	Icing from Barys
	60:00	Game over.
		Ak Bars have run out of time, and the battle of the Eastern Conference leaders has ended in Barys's favour, 2-1! A thoroughly engrossing encounter from start to finish, and if Barys now win their game in hand over their Kazan rivals, they will go to the top of their conference. Barys struck first through Mikhail Rakhmanov before Tim Stapleton replied, but after Nikolai Antropov put the Kazakhs ahead again in the second period Ak Bars couldn't respond despite having numerous chances. Thanks for following our KHL coverage today, see you tomorrow! (16:51:18)

Commentary by

Shaun Nicolaides

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 13. Stapleton (Panin) – 3. Rakhmanov (Polischuk), 30. Antropov (Rudenko, Hamill)

Ak Bars Kazan: Garipov (Barulin)- Korneev, Nikulin, Pesonen, Tereschenko, Petrov- Medvedev, Heshka, Stapleton, Burmistrov, Varnakov- Panin, Zakharchuk, Petruzalek, Svitov, Obukhov- Fayzullin, Lukoyanov, Tkachev, Golubev

Barys Nur-Sultan: Ahonen (Eremeev)- Barker, Lundin, Dawes, Boyd, Bochenski- Lakiza, Savchenko, Rudenko, Antropov, Hamill- Blokhin, Kolesnikov, Zhailauov, Upper, Starchenko- Rakhmanov, Polischuk, Gavrilin

Referees: Odins, Belov, Nesterov, Ivanov

1st period
	02:53
	12:31
	12:57
1st intermission
2nd period
	24:24
	29:34
	30:23
	37:25
	37:53
2nd intermission
3rd period
	44:14
	57:45
Final