CHA 2:7 NOV | Amur Khabarovsk - Metallurg Novokuznetsk (KHL)

KHL

Admiral – Novosibirsk

3:1 (end)

Khabarovsk – Novokuznetsk

2:7 (end)

final

Amur Khabarovsk

2:7 (0:2, 1:2, 1:3)

Metallurg Novokuznetsk

Saturday 01.03.2014, 07:00 • Platinum Arena • KHL

		The final buzzer couldn't have come any sooner for Amur as they have received a 7-2 thrashing from Metallurg Novokuznetsk! The visitors dominated from start to finish and this victory means that they will definitely not finish in last position of the Eastern Conference. Evgeniy Lapenkov and Pavel Kanarskiy put the visitors two up after the first period, and despite Ilya Krikunov's reply for Amur they found another two from Alexander Aksyonenko and Semyon Valuiskiy. Amur once again got back in the game after Dmitriy Lugin found the net but their opponents ruthlessly killed off all hope of a comeback when Damir Zhafyarov, Sergey Yemelin and Tuukka Mantyla all scored. Thanks for following the game with us, and be sure to join us again for more KHL hockey action! (09:18:54)
	60:00	Game over.
	59:53	Goal for Metallurg! Just before the match is over they make it seven! TUUKKA MANTYLA receives the puck at the far post unmarked and he compounds Amur's misery, shorthanded goal and it's 7-2! Assists- Damir Zhafyarov
	59:25	Galimov! Shorthanded he chases after the loose puck but loses control of it when one on one!
	58:46	Metallurg pick up a late penalty against their name, for holding Yemelin has been handed a two minute minor
	57:21	The tempo is understandably dropping as the match draws towards its finish. Murygin holds on to a low pass into his near post blocker side
	56:09	Metallurg have survived that long penalty and they're back at full strength
	55:00	This time with traffic in front of him Vladimir Loginov winds up but it doesn't make its way to Lozhkin!
	52:35	Lozhkin! He is having a very strong game! Again from almost point blank range he denies the hosts with a brilliant save!
	52:15	Vladimir Loginov from distance takes a wrist shot that Lozhkin sees all the way
	52:09	Alexander Kurepanov for high sticking has received a four minute penalty and Amur have a powerplay opportunity to give their fans something to cheer about
	51:59	Icing from Amur. Despite their team going down with a heavy scoreline the home fans are showing their loyalty by staying in their seats
	50:47	Lozhkin! He somehow denies Amur up close when he was already sprawling around his own crease! And now the hosts are back to full strength
	48:47	Just eleven seconds after conceding their sixth Amur are going on the penalty kill, Vladimir Loginov for holding has been sent to the penalty box
	48:36	Goal for Metallurg! And what a goal! Artem Gareev with a stunning backhand pass from behind the goal leaves SERGEY YEMELIN with an empty net to fire into which he does with ease, it's 6-2! Assists- Artem Gareev
	48:18	Amur cough up the puck in their own zone to Gareev who's fast pass across the crease is missed by everyone!
	47:10	Metallurg are now just taking the sting out of the game, at 5-2 up they have their opponents exactly where they want them
	45:05	Tarasov for Amur eventually finds Alexander Loginov at the blue line who passes into the slot, but Metallurg clear the danger
	44:15	Murygin clings on to the puck blocker side as another hard Metallurg counterattack is finished off by a dangerous attempt on goal
	43:31	Amur just cannot keep the back door shut today and Metallurg are punishing them expertly so far
	41:46	Goal for Metallurg! Just like in the second period Metallurg shut down Amur just as they get back into the game! DAMIR ZHAFYAROV shows fantastic stick handling skills as he dinks around his defenders and backhands the puck high into the net, it's 5-2!
	40:50	Goal for Amur! They've come out all guns blazing in this period and they have their reward! Alexander Yunkov twists around Lozhkin's net, finds DMITRIY LUGIN unmarked at the far post and he makes the score 4-2! Assists- Alexander Yunkov
	40:39	Krikunov on the left flank is found open in space, he goes for a piledriver but it flies high over the bar and out of play
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
		Statistics after the first two periods- Shots (on target)- 35 (25)- 43 (31) Faceoffs- 24-18 Hits- 16-11 Penalty minutes- 6-4
	40:00	2nd period finished.
	39:50	It's now the final few seconds of an entertaining second period
	39:19	From the right faceoff circle the puck is wristed into Lozhkin's chest and it doesn't cause him any problems
	38:49	Lapenkov! He shows brilliant skill to beat almost the entire home defence, but he can't beat Murygin one on one!
	38:17	Ezhov drives purposefully to the net, he places the puck into Lozhkin's chest and despite not having a clue where the puck is Lozhkin freezes it!
	38:03	Reese up close by Lozhkin's right post comes close to beating the goalkeeper and no one can get to the rebound!
	36:20	Thankfully for Amur Metallurg couldn't create anything on that powerplay and the hosts are back to full strength
	34:20	Amur are really now starting to fall apart and they've picked up another penalty, Artem Sedunov for holding his opponent has been called
	33:40	Goal for Metallurg! A pass into the crease is picked up by SEMYON VALUISKY and he makes no mistake giving Murygin no chance, it's already now 4-1! Assists- Raymond Giroux and Evgeniy Lapenkov
	32:57	Goal for Metallurg! Just as Amur regained hope Metallurg show their ruthless side! Murygin denies Skladnichenko with his right pad but he can't prevent ALEXANDER AKSYONENKO from tapping home, it's 3-1! Assists- Nikolay Skladnichenko
	32:19	Katsuba! He goes for a solo effort cutting in from the right but his wrister is only into Lozhkin's body!
	31:43	The Platinum Arena really seems to have livened up now with that goal and Amur will be looking to keep the pressure on
	30:08	Goal for Amur! Mikhail Fisenko from the point fires the puck into the crease and ILYA KRIKUNOV with his stick redirects it into the net, it's game on at 2-1! Assists- Mikhail Fisenko
	28:46	Lozhkin! Big save from the young goaltender! As the puck rolls into his crease a pile of bodies almost jump on him but Lozhkin still manages to somehow cover it up!
	28:24	Both teams exchange quick attacks but both eventual shots are from distance and harmless
	27:10	Klimchuk! He shows a sharp turn of pace as he gets free on the right, with his backhand feeds Krikunov but from point blank range Krikunov can't make clean contact!
	26:45	Lozhkin with his glove comfortably covers a low pass into his near post
	25:51	It's icing from Amur. They need to take back the initiative away from their opponents to try and get back into the game
	25:45	The hosts are now again back at full strength
	24:43	The puck is swung excellently to Anton Kapotov open on the left but his one timer doesn't go!
	23:45	Valuiskiy! With at times only one hand he keeps the puck away from his opponents and draws a penalty, Denis Ezhov for tripping has been penalised
	22:54	Amur commit icing
	22:02	Gareev on the left hand boards wins the puck after a long battle, whips it into the slot but it finds only the goalkeeper's glove
	21:20	As the puck travels into the crease from the point it almost goes through all the Amur defenders! Already again Metallurg are taking charge
	20:23	Tuukka Mantyla from just behind the left faceoff circle wrists the puck straight into Murygin's chest for the first shot of the second period
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
		Statistics after the first period of play- Shots (on target)- 20 (14)- 24 (18) Faceoffs- 11-10 Hits- 3-5 Penalty minutes- 2-4
	20:00	1st period finished.
	19:44	As Lozhkin freezes a low pass into his near post tempers start to raise as the referees just manage to split everyone up in time
	19:30	We're now into the final 30 seconds of the first period
	19:16	Kurepanov finishes off a quick Metallurg counterattack with a wrist shot that drifts not too far wide of the far post!
	19:04	Shishkanov spins around the Metallurg net, but his attempt into the near post lacks power and Lozhkin holds on for a faceoff
	18:31	An excellent cross ice pass finds the onrushing Ilya Krikunov dashing away on the left flank, but he makes the angle too tight for himself and misses the net
	17:18	Metallurg are playing with real desire today and it's going to already be a hard job for Amur to get back into this one at two down
	16:01	Goal for Metallurg! The work the play around the zone well, send it back to the point where PAVEL KANARSKIY absolutely blasts the puck past the helpless Murygin, powerplay goal and it's 2-0! Assists- Denis Kurepanov and Anton Kapotov
	15:10	Mikhail Fisenko for tripping has put Metallurg on the powerplay for the first time today
	14:19	Murygin makes a solid pad save at his near post on a pacy breakaway for the hosts!
	13:44	Shishkanov battles really hard for the puck with defenders all around him, he somehow holds on and gets a shot away but it comes to nothing
	13:09	Metallurg again create real danger on the Amur crease and the hosts only just escape as Zhafyarov alone can only hit Murygin's shoulder!
	11:44	Lapenkov from the blue line wrists the puck into Murygin to force him to cover up for a faceoff
	10:51	Amur failed to create any real pressure and their opponents are back at full strength
	10:44	Yemelin! Shorthanded he charges away, spins around his defender and at the same time manages to get a backhand attempt away that sails only just wide!
	08:55	Vladimir Loginov from distance takes aim, but his effort doesn't cause Lozhkin any trouble at all
	08:51	Just as I say that Amur receive their second powerplay, Nikita Kamalov for tripping has been called
	08:29	Amur ice the puck. Despite that early powerplay for them they haven't got going yet as Metallurg have really taken charge
	07:23	Goal for Metallurg! They have just been starting to put the pressure on and they take the lead! As the puck comes into the slot EVGENIY LAPENKOV manages to poke it home past the goalkeeper, it's 1-0! Assists- Semyon Valuiskiy
	05:39	Almost directly off the faceoff draw Skladnichenko squeezes in a low wrister through traffic, but it's right down Murygin's throat who covers
	05:34	Metallurg skate through on the right, Damir Zhafyarov twists by the right faceoff circle but fires only into Murygin's glove
	05:13	Dmitriy Tarasov almost breaks through the away defence but a stick pokes the puck away at the right time!
	04:49	Metallurg are now back at full strength having killed that penalty effectively
	04:13	The hosts hold the puck well around the Metallurg net, but as the puck is played across the crease no one can get anything on it!
	02:49	Katsuba! He skates free one on one with Nikita Lozhkin but Nikolay Skladnichenko was holding him back and then committed slashing, so Amur have the first powerplay of the day
	02:32	Amur have a two on breakaway as Metallurg lose the puck but the final pass to the far post is lacking!
	02:10	We're yet to see any shots as both teams look to settle into the game
	00:44	Amur get set up in the zone for the first attack, but eventually Metallurg clear their lines
	00:01	Game started.
		The teams are both now out on the ice, and after we have heard the Russian national anthem it's time to get underway!
		Starting lineups: Amur Khabarovsk: Murygin (Yarvinen)- Reese, Sedunov, Ezhov, V Loginov, A Loginov, Teslenko, Bykov, Bilalov- Krikunov, Fisenko, Tarasov, Lugin, Yunkov, Katsuba, Shishkanov, Litovchenko, Stepanov, Smurov, Klimchuk, Abramov Metallurg Novokuznetsk: Lozhkin (Sorokin)- Giroux, Mantyla, Aksyonenko, Kanarskiy, Kapotov, Skutar, Kuklev, Kamalov- Kurepanov, McLean, Gareev, Valuiskiy, Galimov, Yemelin, Lapenkov, Skladnichenko, Musin, Mityarkov, Kosourov, Zhafyarov Referees: Deev, Safiullov, Kuchava, Novikov.
		The first meeting between these two rivals this season finished with a 3-1 victory for Metallurg.
		Despite another disappointing season Metallurg have picked up in recent games, and they have emerged victorious in three of their last six matches. Amur on the other hand just cannot get out of the slump they have been in all season, and they have won just one of their past six.
		This is a match up of the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference, and both sides have long lost hope of making it to the end of season playoffs. Amur have 45 points as they lay in last place of the Eastern Conference but Metallurg have only 47, so today's hosts will be looking to overhaul their opponents with a victory.
		Good morning everyone, and welcome to this KHL regular championship match between Amur and Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Both teams have nothing left to play for this season, so we should get an entertaining game between two sides willing to take risks.
		Welcome. Game starts at 07:00.

Commentary by

Shaun Nicolaides

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 31. Krikunov (Fisenko), 41. Lugin (Yunkov) – 8. Lapenkov (Valuiskiy), 17. Kanarskiy (Kurepanov, Kapotov), 33. Aksyonenko (Skladnichenko), 34. Valuiskly (Giroux, Lapenkov), 42. Zhafyarov, 49. Yemelin (Gareev), 60. Mantyla (Zhafyarov)

Amur Khabarovsk: Murygin (Yarvinen)- Reese, Sedunov, Ezhov, V Loginov, A Loginov, Teslenko, Bykov, Bilalov- Krikunov, Fisenko, Tarasov, Lugin, Yunkov, Katsuba, Shishkanov, Litovchenko, Stepanov, Smurov, Klimchuk, Abramov

Metallurg Novokuznetsk: Lozhkin (Sorokin)- Giroux, Mantyla, Aksyonenko, Kanarskiy, Kapotov, Skutar, Kuklev, Kamalov- Kurepanov, McLean, Gareev, Valuiskiy, Galimov, Yemelin, Lapenkov, Skladnichenko, Musin, Mityarkov, Kosourov, Zhafyarov

Referees: Deev, Safiullov, Kuchava, Novikov

Attendance: 6900

1st period
	02:49
	07:23
	08:51
	15:10
	16:01
1st intermission
2nd period
	23:45
	30:08
	32:57
	33:40
	34:20
2nd intermission
3rd period
	40:50
	41:46
	48:36
	48:47
	52:09
	58:46
	59:53
Final