LEV 3:1 DON | Lev Praha - HC Donbass Donetsk (KHL)

KHL

SKA St. Petersburg – Lokomotiv

2:3 (end)

Lev – Donbass

3:1 (end)

final

Lev Praha

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

HC Donbass Donetsk

Wednesday 26.03.2014, 19:00 • Slovnaft Arena, Bratislava • KHL

		Lev scored twice in the first period and that held up. Donbass got one back in the second period and pushed for the equaliser in the third but were unable to get it. Lev now lead this series 3-2 and can end it with an win on Friday, while Donbass will now try to force a 7th game back in Prague. (21:18:56)
	60:00	Game over.
	59:51	Goal for Lev! Donbass was never able to get set up in the Lev zone with the 6th attacker and PATRIK ZACKRISSON puts this game away, shooting it into the empty net from a sharp angle. That will put this one away.
	59:30	Lev clear again . ..
	59:15	Donbass dump it in, Vehanen stops it behind the net.
	58:45	Lev clear the zone again, Donbass regroup.
	58:20	Jan Laco now on the bench for a 6th attacker. Remember, Donbass have already used their timeout.
	58:20	Shot from Wilson was headed wide, Vehanen catches and holds on.
	57:45	Podhradsky tries to centre the puck from the corner, knocked down and cleared.
	57:38	Lev once again get the puck down to the Donbass zone and force them to come back. Long shot on Vehanen and he holds on for a faceoff in the Lev zone.
	56:20	Lev now doing a good job of ragging the puck in the neutral and attacking zones.
	54:22	Icing Lev.
	53:55	Big slapper from Varlamov, Vehenan gets a piece of it but it slides through. Varlamov circles the net and tries to stuff it in the other side but it's Marc-Andre Gragnani who gets across to stop it.
	53:27	Long wrister from Wilson, pad save Vehanen.
	52:53	Lev tries to get something going in the Donbass zone, finally Laco covers the loose puck at the side of the net.
	51:53	There's a wrestling match now between Fedotenko and Sevc. Not sure what was the cause of it, but there are no penalties and we have a faceoff in the Donbass zone.
	51:20	And Lev manage to kill off the rest of the penalty and dump the puck deep in the Donbass zone.
	50:20	Shot deflected by Podhradsky in front, right off the pad of Vehanen in the butterfly.
	49:40	Lev clear the zone.
	49:12	Timeout Donbass. They obviously see this as their best chance to tie this game and want to get it right.
	49:12	The puck is cleared out of play by Ryan O'Byrne from the Lev zone and he gets a delay-of-game penalty, so Donbass with a golden opportunity to tie this game.
	46:44	Gragnani shot from the point right off the draw, then Kagarlitsky took the other way quickly but didn't get a shot on goal, then Lev came down again and Birner got a shot, finally stopped and held by Laco.
	46:21	Yevgeny Belukhin is down in the Lev zone, play continued for a while until Donbass got possession of the puck. Training staff is now out to help him up and off the ice. I didn't see what happened to him.
	45:34	Donbass pressing hard for the equaliser, big crowd around the net, Wirtanen shoots through a crowd and I don't think Vehanen saw it til the last minute -- juggles it but keeps it out.
	44:05	Silnitsky the wrister from the point, pad save Vehanen.
	42:53	Lukas Kaspar tries to take the puck to the Lev net but he's upended by Sevc and crashes into the net, dislodging it. There's now a discussion about where the faceoff will be as the rink staff work on re-anchoring the net. The faceoff is inside.
	42:20	Lev shoot-in from O'Byrne goes off the blocker of Laco and out of play, faceoff in the Donbass zone.
	41:37	Yakutsenya leads a Donbass rush, his wrister is caught and held by Vehanen.
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
		After killing off what was left of a penalty, Donbass was the the more dominant team the first half of that period and got on the board. Lev came back strong late, though, and were unlucky not to add to their lead. It's 2-1 Lev after 2, in a key 5th game with the series tied 2-2. Shots on goal in the 2nd period: Lev 13 (24), Donbass 9 (17). Quality scoring chances: Lev 3 (5), Donbass 2 (5). 3rd period begins at 20:44 CET, 14:44 EDT.
	40:00	2nd period finished.
	39:42	Shot from Varlamov right off the draw, caught and held by Vehanen.
	39:40	Icing Lev.
	38:40	The puck goes out of play in the Lev zone, then long after the whistle players bump together and we get some pushing and shoving. Nothing comes of it and the faceoff will be inside.
	38:10	Matai to Kubalik for the one-timer, denied by Laco from point blank. Good work form Lev's 4th line.
	37:35	Maenpaa from the point, pad save Laco.
	36:41	Offside Lev.
	36:15	Backhander from Varlamov, pad save Vehanen.
	35:45	Donbass now at full strength, but Lev keep the pressure on.
	35:33	Great chance for Lev on the power play. The shot from the point was deflected, Azevedo got a shot from in close, then got his own rebound but couldn't force it over the line with Laco down.
	34:55	Petri Vehanen covers a long shoot-in. :05 left in the Lev penalty, then they go to a brief power play.
	33:38	Now we get a goaltender interference call ag the other end, as Yevgeny Belukhin backs into Vehanen and he goes down. May be an even-up call, but in any event we'll play 4-on-4 for 1:22.
	33:00	Petr Vrana bumps Laco, both players go down and Vrana is getting the gate for goaltender interference. Vrana protests that he was railroaded in there by Razin, but he's not going to win this argument. Donbass to the power play.
	32:30	Thornberg from a sharp angle, hits Laco in the shoulder.
	32:05	Azevedo from the point, kicked out by Laco.
	31:35	Icing Donbass.
	31:21	Lev back at full strength, Donbass retreat deep in their own zone.
	31:00	Wilson from the point, pad save Vehanen.
	30:31	And a nice tic-tac-toe play by Donbass, finishing with a one-timer and a save by Vehanen. Donbass now on the power play for another :50.
	29:45	2-on-1 Lev, Sekac misses with the slapper.
	29:21	Lev now off the power play as Michal Birner knocks down a Donbass defender in front of the net and is called for interfernce. We'll play 4-on-4 for :50.
	28:11	And we've got a DOnbass penalty on the play, cross-checking against Yuri Silnitsky.
	28:11	Podrhadsky misses with a wrister just as the penalty expires, then Lev rush up ice, Vrana's shot is caught and held by Laco.
	27:25	They finally get a long shot from the blueline but it's an easy save for Vehanen and he hangs on with :28 left in the penalty.
	26:45	Lev clears it twice quickly, Donbass having trouble entering the zone.
	26:02	Martin Sevc with a shot to the head of Podhradsky as he tried to get past him along the boards and he's called for roughing. Donbass to the power play.
	24:51	Icing Donbass.
	24:23	Offside Lev. Nakladal being tended to on the Lev bench after that collision, holding an icepack on his wrist, it appears.
	22:32	Goal for Donbass! There was a collision at the Lev blueline between Varlamov and Nakladal and Nakladal went down. While he was still lying on the ice, DMITRI KAGARLITSKY skated past him with the puck and fired a wrister high blocer side on Vehanen to get Donbass on the board. Assist: Andrei Konev.
	21:30	Donbass back at full strength and they clear the zone, Yakutsenya gets a shot, kicked out by Vehanen.
	20:58	Play is stopped as the puck was played by a Lev high stick. Faceoff outside the zone with :18 left in the penalty.
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
		The teams are returning to the ice and the 2nd period will begin soon. Lev begin the period on the power play, as still 1:16 remains in Peter Podhradsky's cross-checking penalty.
		Lev with a fast start to that game and they got the first goal less than 5 minutes in. Donbass came back with a flurry of chances right after the goal, but Petri Vehanen came up big to keep them off the board, and then Lev added another to chase Michael Leighton from the game, and they lead 2-0 after one period. Shots on goal in the 1st period: Lev 11, Donbass 8. Quality scoring chances: Lev 2, Donbass 3. 2nd period begins at 19:51 CET, 14:51 EDT.
	20:00	1st period finished.
	19:16	Collision in the corner between Peter Podhradsky and Martin Thornberg, Podradsky gets either an elbow or stick up on Thornberg and he's going to the box for two minutes or less. Lev to the power play late in the first.
	18:10	Big slapper from Novotny on the rush goes high.
	16:50	Donbass rush, wrister from Maxim Yakutsenya, right on Vehenan covers.
	15:22	Lev shoot-in goes out of play, faceoff at centre ice.
	14:10	High shot by Repik, Jan Laco gets a blocker on it for his first save of the game.
	13:55	Icing Donbass.
	12:36	Jan Laco has taken over for Michal Leighton in the Donbass net, after he surrenders 2 goals on 8 shots.
	12:36	Goal for Lev! PATRIK ZACKRISSON the shot from the boards, Jiri Novotny is being tied up in front by Wilson and it originally looked like Novotny got his stick on the shot but it turns out it was Wilson's stick that deflected the puck past Leighton for the second Lev goal. Assist: Justin Azevedo.
	12:01	Puck out of play in the Lev zone, faceoff inside.
	11:02	Lev with possession off the draw, Repik shoots and Leighton holds on again.
	10:56	Birner the wrister from the high slot, right on Leighton covers.
	10:45	Icing Donbass.
	09:55	Maenpaa again but Leighton with the glove hand this time scoops it up and holds on.
	09:30	Maenpaa from the point, blocker save Leighton.
	09:02	The puck hit the referee and Martin Thornberg made a nice defensive play to take away a Donbass chance, then Dadonov shoots while falling and Vehanen covers.
	07:33	Now Donbass the other way, Randy Robitaille the wrister, pad save Vehanen and he goes too close to Vehanen for Gragnani's liking. The two of them mix it up a bit after the whistle but nothing happens.
	07:00	O'Byrne tries to sneak in from the point and fires a wrister, pad save Leighton.
	05:45	Another great chance for Donbass, and Vehanen makes a huge save off a one-timer from Kaspar.
	04:38	Donbass nearly tie it up quickly. Fedotenko took the puck hard to the net, Vehanen went down but the puck slid just wide of the post.
	04:13	Goal for Lev! They've had good pressure on since killing off the penalty, and MICHAL REPIK picked up the puck down low, circled back to the high slot and fired a wrister that beat Leighton far side. Assist: Michal Birner
	03:46	Now a wrister by Repik, off Leighton's pad and out of play. Faceoff in the Donbass zone.
	03:30	Lev back at full strength, they enter the Donbass zone and O'Byrne fires high.
	03:05	Sergei Varlamov with the wrister wide.
	02:36	Offside Donbass again, still shotless on this power play.
	02:16	Offside Donbass with 1:08 left in the penalty.
	01:25	A collision in the Donbass zone and Martin Thornberg is being penalised for tripping. He's furious with the call, making the diving sign and still protesting in the box. Donbass to the early power play.
	00:48	Offside Lev.
	00:35	First shot is a backhander by Donbass's Clay Wilson down low, turned away by Vehanen.
	00:01	Game started.
		The national anthems of Ukraine and the Czech Republic have been played, and the opening faceoff is moments away. Lev Praha is wearing their home red uniforms with blue and white trim, red NY Rangers-style pants and blue helmets. Donbass Donetsk is wearing their road white uniforms with red, black and silver trim, black pants and white helmets.
		The starting goalies are Petri Vehanen for Lev and Michael Leighton for Donbass. Jiri Novotny and Michal Birner are both back in the Lev lineup after serving one-game suspensions. Novotny will be centring the first line consisting of Patrik Zackrisson and Justin Azevedo, while Birner will take the wing with Michal Repik and centre Niko Kapanen.
		Starting Lineups: Lev Praha: Vehanen (Engren) – Mäenpää, Ševc, Němec, Oystrick (A), O'Byrne, Gragnani, Nakládal, J. Mikúš – Zackrisson, Novotný (C), Azevedo – Sekáč, Thörnberg, Vrána – Řepík, Kapanen (A), Birner – Kubalík, Cingel, Matai. HC Donbass Donetsk: Leighton (Laco) – Kolář, Koněv, Podhradský, Wilson, Silnitsky, Razin, Petrukhno – Laine, Wirtanen, Robitaille – Dadonov (A), Fedotěnko (C) , Yakutsenya (A) – Kagarlitsky, Varlamov, Kašpar – Toryanik, Belukhin, Zakharov. Referees: Olenin, Rönn. Linesmen: Misjur, Raming.
		Twice HC LEV Praha has won to take the series lead, and twice Donbass Donetsk has responded to tie it. Each team has won once in overtime, and the score after 319 minutes of hockey is 12-11 Lev. Not much to choose between these two teams. With that being the case, the loss of two first-line players can hurt. Justin Azevedo, the lone first-liner from game three that actually played the next night, scored Lev´s only goal, but it wasn´t enough and they lost 3-1. "When you lose guys like Jirka (Novotný) and Birny (Birner), who had been playing really well the past two or three games, you really feel it,“ said centre Petr Vrána after the fourth game. "The guys who jumped in their place played well, but just lacked the chemistry.“ Leading scorers in series Lev Petr Vrána: 5 pts (4+1) Justin Azevedo: 3 pts (2+1) Jakub Matai: 2 pts (1+1) Mikko Mäenpää: 2 pts (0+2) Nathan Oystrick: 2 pts (0+2) Donetsk Yevgeny Dadonov: 6 pts (3+3) Maxim Yakutsenya: 5 pts (1+4) Yevgeny Belukhin: 4 pts (2+2) Viktor Zakharov: 3 pts (1+2) Oskars Bartulis: 2 pts (1+1) The loss of those two players wasn´t the only reason for the loss, though, according to defenceman Ondřej Němec. "We had a pile of shots, but unfortunately, only three or four of them were really dangerous," said the reliable defenceman, who assisted on Azevedo´s goal with a clever pass. "All the others, the goalie could easily stop them. We didn´t get enough traffic in front of him, which I think was the main problem." Vrána and Němec have been two of Lev´s biggest performers so far in this series. Vrána leads the scoring with 4 goals and 5 points so far. He scored twice in the quadruple-overtime loss in game two and 2 more points in game 3, including an assist on Michal Řepík´s overtime winner. Němec, meanwhile, logged over 45 minutes in the overtime marathon and, along with Nathan Oystrick, have been the team´s two main go-to guys on the back end. Meanwhile, 2 more points for Yevgeny Dadonov makes him the series´ leading scorer so far with 3 gaols and 3 assists overall. The line with of him with Maxim Yakutsenya and Ruslan Fedotenko has given Lev fits all series. As for goaltending, expect the same two who played game three -- Petri Vehanen has only sat out one game so far in the playoffs, and that was right after the long overtime game in the middle of four games in five nights. Ján Laco and Michael Leighton have split the duties in the Donbass net fairly evenly throughout the playoffs, but after stopping 36 of 37 shots on Monday, expect to see Laco again on Wednesday.
		Welcome. Game 5 of this best-of-seven starts at 19:00 CET local time in Bratislava and Prague, 20:00 EET in Donetsk, 14:00 EDT.

Commentary by

Derek OBrien

@@Djob76

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 5. Repik (Birner), 13. Zackrisson (Azevedo), 60. Zackrisson – 23. Kagarlitsky (Konev)

Lev Praha: Vehanen (Engren) – Mäenpää, Ševc, Němec, Oystrick (A), O'Byrne, Gragnani, Nakládal, J. Mikúš – Zackrisson, Novotný (C), Azevedo – Sekáč, Thörnberg, Vrána – Řepík, Kapanen (A), Birner – Kubalík, Cingel, Matai.

HC Donbass Donetsk: Leighton, 13. Laco – Kolář, Koněv, Podhradský, Wilson, Silnitsky, Razin, Petrukhno – Laine, Wirtanen, Robitaille – Dadonov (A), Fedotěnko (C) , Yakutsenya (A) – Kagarlitsky, Varlamov, Kašpar – Toryanik, Belukhin, Zakharov.

Referees: Olenin, Rönn. Linesmen: Misjur, Raming

1st period
	01:25
	04:13
	12:36
	19:16
1st intermission
2nd period
	22:32
	26:02
	28:11
	29:21
	33:00
	33:38
2nd intermission
3rd period
	49:12
	59:51
Final