PET 4:0 JEK | SKA St. Petersburg - Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL)

KHL

Traktor – Torpedo	0:1 (end)	\|	Metallurg M – Ak Bars	1:0 (end)	\|	Salavat Yulaev – Dynamo	1:3 (end)
Neftekhimik – Vityaz	5:1 (end)	\|	Mytishchi – HC Yugra	5:1 (end)	\|	Cherepovets – Barys	2:1 (end)
SKA St. Petersburg – Avtomobilist	4:0 (end)	\|	Lokomotiv – Avangard	4:1 (end)	\|	CSKA – Donbass	2:1 (2:0 after SO)
Dinamo Minsk – Riga	5:2 (end)	\|	HC Slovan – Spartak	0:3 (end)	\|	Lev – Medvescak	2:1 (after OT)

final

SKA St. Petersburg

4:0 (1:0, 2:0, 1:0)

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg

Sunday 02.03.2014, 14:00 • Ice Palace of Saint Petersburg • KHL

		Welcome. Game starts at 14:00.
		Good afternoon everyone and welcome to this KHL regular championship match between SKA Saint Petersburg and Avtomobilist. Both teams have already assured their playoff spots but with each team looking to grab the highest seeding possible both have something to play for.
		SKA are sitting in second place of the Western Conference four points ahead of third placed Lev, and a win today will confirm that they will be second seeds of the west going into the playoffs. Avtomobilist have been the real surprise package of the season and with 83 points they will be in the playoffs for only the second time in their short history. They are locked in a battle for sixth position with Sibir though in the Eastern Conference and they can ill afford to lose today.
		Both teams have been on patchy form of late having both won three and lost three of their past six matches.
		The first meeting between these two sides this season finished with a 6-4 win for SKA in Yekaterinburg and hopefully today's game will be just as exciting.
		Starting lineups: SKA St. Petersburg: Ezhov (Shikin)- Kalinin, Chudinov, Thoresen, Martensson, Cervenka- Alexandrov, Dallman, Panarin, Shipachyov, Ketov- Khafizullin, Semyonov, Burdasov, Tikhonov, Makarov- Ponikarovskiy, Kablukov, Sigaryov Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg: Kovar (Lobanov)- Zhuravlev, Gusev, Efimov, Emeleev, Lewandowski- Viklund, Lepisto, Chernov, Malykhin, Lazarev- Antonov, Megalinskiy, Golyshev, Fedorov, Simakov- Rybnitskiy, Postnikov, Vyglazov, Arkalov, Deveaux Referees: Olenin, Romasko, Maytak, Pronskyh.
		Both teams are now being presented to the expectant arena and after the Russian national anthem we will be getting underway!
	00:01	Game started.
	00:38	SKA have the first attack of the game and Roman Cervenka can't get his attempt right when in a promising position
	01:04	The first icing is committed by the hosts
	02:14	Edward Lewandowski from the right backhands the puck into the SKA crease but Ilya Ezhov pads it away unchallenged
	02:46	A long dump into the Avtomobilist zone is taken up by Jakub Kovar in his glove who decides to not take any risks by freezing for a faceoff
	03:14	Andrey Sigaryov for slashing has been called and Avtomobilist have the first powerplay of the game
	03:58	Avtomobilist move the puck well around the zone creating danger but the final shot is just lacking!
	04:53	Simakov! Charging into the zone he wrists the puck only inches over the crossbar!
	05:14	SKA are now back at full strength
	07:30	The initiative is with SKA but so far they can't find any openings with Avtomobilist looking to make use of their counterattacks
	08:55	Evgeniy Ketov takes it upon himself to create something, but skating into the zone alone he has a pacy wrist shot deflected up and out of play
	09:51	Ponikarovskiy clumsily breaks into the attack, but with no space in front of him it comes to nothing
	11:11	Thoresen! Twisting around Kovar's net he sends the puck right across the slot but no one is there to turn it home!
	12:01	Chernov! Great chance there to put his team ahead! He takes up the loose puck on the crease but from point blank range somehow he can't even hit the target!
	13:11	Kovar! Brilliant save from the Avtomobilist netminder! His team cough up the puck poorly and he denies Igor Makarov from the doorstep with a wonderful glove save!
	13:32	As the puck comes to Kovar's near post glove side he covers it to relieve the danger
	14:36	With a defender as a screen in front of him Fedor Malykhin looks to catch out Ezhov with a low wrister but the goalkeeper is fielding it
	15:13	Panarin! From the left faceoff circle he looks to go upstairs on Kovar but he's denied by the glove!
	15:43	Makarov! He looks for the open Viktor Tikhonov on the crease but Kovar dives on the puck!
	16:32	Kevin Dallman winds up from the blue line and it flies just wide of the right post! SKA are starting to turn the heat up as the game takes to life
	16:55	The home pressure has drawn a penalty from Lewandowski who has been penalised for holding
	18:14	Shipachyov drives into the zone hard, finds Artemiy Panarin but from the left he miss hits his shot with the goal gaping and it allows Kovar to get across in time!
	18:55	Kalinin rips the puck wide of the net as SKA start to lay siege to Kovar in the Avtomobilist goal! And now the visitors are back to full strength
	19:19	Alexandrov has clear ice in front of him, but from a fantastic scoring position he puts the puck just over the crossbar!
	19:53	Goal for SKA! Their pressure has eventually told! YURY ALEXANDROV takes aim from the point and it goes all the way through and past the unsighted Kovar, just seven seconds before the end of the first period it's 1-0! Assists- Viktor Tikhonov and Alexey Ponikarovskiy
	20:00	1st period finished.
		Statistics after the opening period of play- Shots (on target)- 22 (11)- 9 (5) Faceoffs- 11-4 Hits- 5-1 Penalty minutes- 2-2
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
	20:38	Martensson! On a fierce SKA breakaway from the left faceoff circle he blasts the puck into Kovar's mask as SKA look to pick up from where they left off!
	21:38	Simakov looks to take on the SKA defence on his own with no support, but he's pressed into the boards
	22:29	Goal for SKA! Alexey Ponikarovskiy lays the puck back to ILYA KABLUKOV who gives Kovar no chance with a powerful blast that flies high into the left hand corner of the net, it's 2-0! Assists- Alexey Ponikarovskiy and Dinar Khafizullin
	23:19	Avtomobilist are starting to see the game run away from them and they're going on the penalty kill, Deveaux for roughing has been sent to the penalty box
	24:15	Martensson! Brilliant combination play from SKA leaves Martensson with only Kovar to beat on the doorstep but he loses his footing on the ice at the vital moment!
	25:19	Goal for SKA! They're really motoring now! ARTEMIY PANARIN is found open by Kovar's right post and he one times the puck into the net with feeling, it's 3-0! Assists- Dmitriy Kalinin and Vadim Shipachyov
	25:19	That goal came just as Deveaux emerged back out on to the ice and the visitors have now decided to pull Jakub Kovar in favour of Evgeniy Lobanov
	27:16	Cervenka with an accurate cross ice pass finds Patrick Thoresen who has a close range attempt beaten away by Lobanov for his first save of the game!
	27:56	Ilya Ezhov cuts out a pass into his crease as bodies look to pile up around him. SKA have really taken control of the game in this period and it's a long way back now for their opponents at 3-0 down
	28:45	Avtomobilist have a powerplay chance here to get back into things though, Yury Alexandrov for hooking has been sent to the penalty box
	29:02	Malykhin! He shows great skill to take in the travelling puck, twist around and fire into Ezhov's near post but he's denied by a solid save!
	29:57	The visitors get set up in the zone, send the puck back to the point from where Ezhov has to cover a long drive well!
	30:30	Megalinskiy! Ezhov finds his attempt from the blue line too hot to handle and with Simakov and Fedorov sniffing around for scraps he does a good job of covering at the second attempt!
	30:45	SKA have survived that penalty and they're back to full strength
	31:31	Tikhonov! He skates almost through one on one with Lobanov but at the last minute he's hauled back and the referees don't see any foul play involved!
	32:45	It's icing from SKA
	32:53	Dmitriy Kalinin for slashing has been penalised and it's another powerplay for Avtomobilist to try and take advantage of
	33:12	Ezhov! Big pad save from the SKA netminder! He sticks out a big pad to prevent a low wrister from the doorstep crossing the line!
	33:35	Lepisto! Unmarked on the right he one times the puck inches wide of the far post! Avtomobilist have noticeably improved after conceding that third goal
	34:25	The visitors move offside
	34:53	Kalinin is back into the action as Ezhov cuts out a weak Lewandowski effort into his near post
	35:27	Shipachyov! His one timer on the slot after clever interchange play is right down Lobanov's throat!
	36:24	The visiting defence completely forgets about Thoresen who's lurking by Lobanov's left post, Martensson feeds him but Lobanov keeps his own personal shutout going with an alert save!
	36:41	Evgeniy Fedorov for slashing has picked up a two minute minor for himself and SKA are going on the powerplay
	37:40	That powerplay didn't last for long though, for high sticking Igor Makarov will sit in the penalty box for four minutes and for now it's a four on four hockey game
	38:16	Deveaux skates into the zone on the right, shoots himself but he doesn't come close to hitting the target
	38:41	Avtomobilist are now back to full strength and as a result of Makarov's penalty they're on the powerplay
	39:30	We're now into the final 30 seconds of the second period
	40:00	2nd period finished.
		Statistics after the first two periods- Shots (on target)- 35 (23)- 31 (23) Faceoffs- 23-17 Hits- 7-2 Penalty minutes- 10-6
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
	40:01	For 01:40 at the start of the third period Avtomobilist continue to play on the powerplay
	40:41	Lazarev! It's patient build up play but his eventual shot drifts wide of the near post! At three down Avtomobilist need to take advantage of all the chances that come their way
	41:40	Makarov is back into the action for SKA and they're back at full strength
	41:57	Fedorov! He has all the time in the world to pick his spot when alone in the center of SKA's zone but he can only wrist the puck into Ezhov's chest!
	43:00	Penalty shot to SKA! Vadim Shipachyov was held back as he skated clean through one on one and the referees have given a penalty shot!
	43:00	Shipachyov twists to Lobanov's blocker side, goes five hole but Lobanov stops it from going between his legs! The score stays at 3-0 in SKA's favour
	44:25	SKA go offside
	45:21	Tony Martensson for tripping has picked up a two minute minor to put SKA on the penalty kill
	46:04	A heavy slapshot through traffic is driven wide of Ezhov's right hand post as Avtomobilist look to try and get set up in the zone
	47:21	Avtomobilist couldn't create much on that powerplay and the hosts are now back to full strength
	49:18	Lewandowski is sent through as Avtomobilist clear their lines, but the home defence force him wide and his backhander doesn't cause Ezhov any problems at all
	49:25	As the visitors try and get something going they dump the puck in towards Ezhov who sweeps it up in his glove
	49:36	How didn't Avtomobilist score! Ezhov loses control of the puck behind his net, it pops out to the slot but somehow with an open net in front of him Artem Chernov completely misses the target!
	51:48	Emeleev! Holding the puck away from all opposing defenders he goes to Ezhov's glove side but once again from a great position he can't hit the net!
	52:39	SKA haven't got an awful lot of offence going in this period as yet but they have an opportunity here, Andre Deveaux for roughing has been called
	53:28	Thoresen! He skates away two on one with Martensson, he seeks out his strike partner at the far post but his pass is cut out!
	54:02	Lobanov fields a low wrister from the left well to freeze for a faceoff in his end
	54:39	Avtomobilist are now back at full strength but with just over five minutes left SKA look to be heading to a comfortable victory
	55:25	SKA ice the puck
	56:28	Anton Lazarev has picked up a 2+10 penalty for hitting Viktor Tikhonov in the head and it's a two minute powerplay for the hosts
	57:03	Kalinin! The defenceman unleashes a fearsome slapshot and it cannons off Lobanov's blocker and out of play!
	57:49	Goal for SKA! The puck is played around the zone well and PATRICK THORESEN finds room for a strong wrister that sails high into Lobanov's near post, powerplay goal and it's 4-0! Assists- Kevin Dallman and Roman Cervenka
	59:08	SKA have looked very strong in the attack today and they have taken advantage of all Avtomobilist's mistakes
	59:55	We're now into the final few seconds of the match with SKA coasting to victory 4-0
	60:00	Game over.
		That's the final buzzer, and SKA Saint Petersburg have eased to a 4-0 victory against Avtomobilist! The scoring was opened up right at the end of the first period when Yury Alexandrov found the net, and two quick fire goals in the second set of twenty minutes from Ilya Kablukov and Artemiy Panarin finished the game. Avtomobilist had their chances but they are left to rue their profligacy as Ilya Ezhov picks up a shutout for himself, and just two minutes before the end Patrick Thoresen put the icing on the cake for SKA. Thanks for following the game with us, and see you soon for more exciting KHL hockey action! (16:20:29)

Commentary by

Shaun Nicolaides

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 20. Alexandrov (Tikhonov, Ponikarovskiy), 23. Kablukov (Ponikarovskiy, Khafizullin), 26. Panarin (Kalinin, Shipachyov), 58. Thoresen (Dallman, Cervenka)

SKA St. Petersburg: Ezhov (Shikin)- Kalinin, Chudinov, Thoresen, Martensson, Cervenka- Alexandrov, Dallman, Panarin, Shipachyov, Ketov- Khafizullin, Semyonov, Burdasov, Tikhonov, Makarov- Ponikarovskiy, Kablukov, Sigaryov

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg: Kovar (Lobanov)- Zhuravlev, Gusev, Efimov, Emeleev, Lewandowski- Viklund, Lepisto, Chernov, Malykhin, Lazarev- Antonov, Megalinskiy, Golyshev, Fedorov, Simakov- Rybnitskiy, Postnikov, Vyglazov, Arkalov, Deveaux

Referees: Olenin, Romasko, Maytak, Pronskyh

Attendance: 11977

1st period
	03:14
	16:55
	19:53
1st intermission
2nd period
	22:29
	23:19
	25:19
	28:45
	32:53
	36:41
	37:40
2nd intermission
3rd period
	45:21
	52:39
	56:28
	57:49
Final