KHL
CSKA – Khabarovsk 3:0 (end) | Lokomotiv – Vityaz 1:0 (end) | Mytishchi – Torpedo 4:5 (end)
SKA St. Petersburg – Ak Bars 3:1 (end) | Riga – Admiral 2:5 (end) | Lev – Novokuznetsk 3:2 (2:1 after SO)
final
SKA St. Petersburg
3:1 (1:1, 1:0, 1:0)
Ak Bars Kazan
Monday 13.01.2014, 16:30 • Ice Palace of Saint Petersburg • KHL
     
    And that's the final buzzer, it's a vital 3-1 victory for SKA Saint Petersburg! And what a fantastic match we've seen today, the quality of the hockey has been excellent from start to finish. Dmitriy Kalinin put the hosts ahead with a powerplay goal before Artem Lukoyanov quickly replied for Ak Bars. Late in the second period Alexander Kucheryavenko once again put SKA ahead, and right at the end Ilya Kovalchuk iced it after the visitors had pulled their goalkeeper. Thanks for following the game with us, see you tomorrow for more KHL action! (18:47:11)
     
    60:00
    Game over.
     
    59:54
    Goal for SKA! ILYA KOVALCHUK skates away to the empty net, gets chopped down and in these instances a goal is always given, it's 3-1!
     
    59:09
    Empty net for Ak Bars!
     
    58:00
    It's the final two minutes of the third period, can SKA hold on or will Ak Bars force overtime?
     
    57:15
    Another wraparound attempt this time from Vladimir Tkachev, but the home defenders manage to get in the way
     
    56:19
    Wraparound attempt from Jakub Petruzalek gets stopped by the pads of Salak
     
    55:58
    Counterattack for SKA, but Kovalchuk loses his footing at the crucial moment!
     
    55:07
    Both teams are now back to full strength
     
    54:38
    Kalinin! Slapshot from the point, and the puck goes inches wide!
     
    53:12
    Barabanov is back in the action for SKA, just under seven minutes left
     
    53:07
    And now penalties for both teams. Tim Stapleton has got four minutes for two offences, and Ketov is off for roughing as well but only for two minutes
     
    52:08
    Medvedev waits with the puck, shoots sharply towards the right hand corner but is denied by Salak's shoulder
     
    51:12
    Powerplay chance for the visitors now. Barabanov for delaying the game has left SKA on the penalty kill
     
    49:53
    Ketov tries to find room for a shot on goal, spins around the net but in the end gets crowded out
     
    49:25
    Pass from the right hand boards towards Garipov's goal from Skachkov, and he with ease covers up
     
    48:13
    Tkachev finds the space to shoot amongst opposing defenders but the puck goes high and wide
     
    47:41
    Ak Bars go offside
     
    47:34
    The tension is building and the referees just manage to stop a squabble before it turned into a fight
     
    47:16
    Svitov is back on the ice for Ak Bars and they are at full strength
    Commentary by

    Shaun Nicolaides

    Goals & lineups Match log
    Goals and assists: 5. Kalinin, 35. Kucheryavenko (Chudinov), 60. Kovalchuk – 10. Lukoyanov (Tokranov, Golubev)

    SKA St. Petersburg: Salak (Ezhov)- Kalinin, Dallman, Kovalchuk, Shipachyov, Ketov- Kuteikin, Chudinov, Panarin, Kucheryavenko, Tikhonov- Ryasensky, Alexandrov, Cervenka, Martensson, Skachkov- Yudin, Ponikarovskiy, Malyshev, Barabanov
    Ak Bars Kazan: Garipov (Barulin)- Korneev, Heshka, Pesonen, Tereschenko, Petrov- Medvedev, Panin, Stapleton, Burmistrov, Varnakov- Tokranov, Zakharchuk, Petruzalek, Svitov, Obukhov- Lukoyanov, Tkachev, Golubev
    Referees: Bulanov, Ravodin, Medvedev, Shelyanin
    Attendance: 12194