Lev – Metallurg M | 3:5 (end) |
Germany2 – Denmark | 3:2 (end) | | | USA – Slovakia2 | 6:2 (end) | | | Czech Republic – Russia | 3:2 (after OT) |
Canada2 – Switzerland | 3:2 (end) |
Derek OBrien
Goals and assists:
8. Ullstrom (Kapanen), 18. Azevedo (Zackrisson), 27. Nemec (Azevedo, Kapanen) – 4. Khabarov (Timkin), 19. Antipin (Zaripov, Mozyakin), 35. Antipin (Mozyakin), 41. Zaripov (Mozyakin), 45. Zaripov (Mozyakin, Kovar)
Referees:
Attendance:
Penalty missed:
Lev Praha:
Vehanen (Engren) – Mäenpää, Ševc, Oystrick, Němec, Gragnani, O'Byrne, Jaakola, Nakládal – Azevedo, Novotný, Zackrisson – Sekáč, Vrána, Thörnberg – Řepík, Kapanen, Ullström – Ridderwall, Cingel, Matai.
Subs:
Coach:
Metallurg Magnitogorsk: Koshechkin (Pechursky) – Biryukov, Antipin, Tereschenko, Khabarov, Lee, Ibragimov, Malenkikh, Malinovsky – Mozyakin, Kovář, Zaripov – Kazionov, Potekhin, Paré – Kosov, Yunkov, Platonov – Timkin, Brent, Osala.
Subs:
Coach:
Subs:
Coach:
Metallurg Magnitogorsk: Koshechkin (Pechursky) – Biryukov, Antipin, Tereschenko, Khabarov, Lee, Ibragimov, Malenkikh, Malinovsky – Mozyakin, Kovář, Zaripov – Kazionov, Potekhin, Paré – Kosov, Yunkov, Platonov – Timkin, Brent, Osala.
Subs:
Coach:
Referees:
Attendance:
They're really cliking today. From the left point, Mozyakin found DANIS ZARIPOV at the far side of the net and he one-timed it in for a power-play goal.
Assists: Sergei Mozyakin, Jan Kovar.
On the first rush of the third period, Mozyakin carried the puck into the Lev zone. Vehanen played him to shoot but he found DANIS ZARIPOV at the back door, and he put it in from a sharp angle.
Assist: Sergei Mozyakin.
Shots on goal in the 2nd period (and game): Lev 6 (11), Magnitogorsk 6 (19).
Quality scoring chances: Lev 3 (6), Metallurg 3 (9).
3rd period begins at 20:44 CEST, 00:44 YEKT, 14:44 EDT.
A pass from behind the net out front to Mozyakin, who shot, Vehanen stopped it but there was a scamble and VIKTOR ANTIPIN forced it across the line for his 2nd goal of the game.
Assist: Sergei Mozyakin.
Kapanen had just missed the near-side post from in close, but Azevedo went back to the point to ONDREJ NEMEC, who absolutely blew it by everybody, including Koshechkin to put Lev back in the lead. Power-play goal.
Assists: Justin Azevedo, Niko Kapanen.
Shots on goal in the 1st period: Lev 5, Metallurg 13.
Quality scoring chances: Lev 3, Metallurg 6.
2nd period begins at 19:52 CEST, 23:52 YEKT, 13:52 EDT.
The dangerous Metallurg power play strikes. Mozyakin at the top of the circle to Zaripov down low, to VIKTOR ANTIPIN at the far side for the tap-in. Power-play goal.
Assists: Danis Zaripov, Sergei Mozyakin.
Long, lead pass to Patrik Zackrisson on the left wing, he posts up just inside the line and feeds JUSTIN AZEVEDO, whose long wrister beats Koshechkin low glove side for his 5th goal of the series.
Assist: Patrik Zackrisson.
What a start to this game. Lev rush up ice off the draw, the puck was dumped in but Metallurg couldn't clear the zone. Kapanen kept it in at the line and fed DAVID ULLSTROM in the slot, who fired a rocked blocker side on Koshechkin to tie this game.
Assist: Niko Kapanen.
Yvgeny Timkin led a Metallurg counter attack, circled the net and fed back to YAROSLAV KHABAROV, who blasted it from the point and just inside the post, with Denis Platonov providing a nice screen in front.
Assist: Yevgeny Timkin.
Lev Praha are wearing their home red uniforms with blue and white trim, red NY Rangers-style pants and blue helmets. Metallurg Magnitogorsk are wearing their road white uniforms with navy blue, red and silver trim, navy blue pants and white helmets.
The author of much of the drama is winger Justin Azevedo who scored two tie-breaking goals in the third period. The first one came on the power play to give his team a 2-1 lead. Then, following a dramatic, late equaliser by Magnitika, Azevedo scored a more dramatic, later game-winning goal as he was being tripped to the ice.
With 9 goals in 18 playoff games, Azevedo has now equaled his output from the whole regular season, but he insists he´s not doing anything differently. "I´m not really doing anything special," he said after game 3. "I just work hard and play my game."
As dramatic as Azevedo´s knock-out blow was, Jiří Sekáč opened the scoring in pretty impressive fashion, taking the puck on an almost 360-degree revolution of the net before banking the puck off a skate and in for his first playoff goal after a nearly countless total of golden chances in the first three rounds.
"He told me (the day before the game) that he was going to score," said Lev coach Kari Jalonen after the game.
"I´ve been waiting the whole playoffs and I was so glad I could do it in such an important game," he said afterward. In fact, Sekáč almost scored a second goal in the second period that would have been even more beautiful, but he just failed to put the finishing touches on a great individual effort.
"Mikko Mäenpää sent me a great pass at full speed and I just tried to make a move," he said. In addition to that missed chance, Mäenpää assisted on both of Azevedo´s goals, including a big set-up on the game-winner. Indeed, he was an unsung hero of the game.
"Mikko deserves the credit for that," Azevedo said of his big goal. "He gave me a perfect stretch pass from the left side of the rink, and then I just took the puck to the net."
In fact, it was a great all-around team effort, as it seems Lev´s team play just keeps getting better and better.
"We played our best game yet," agreed Azevedo. "For most of the time we were the better team on the ice."
"We didn´t make too many mistakes, even though they were pushing hard at us offensively," said Sekáč, bringing to mind that this Metallurg team is hard to defend against. Despite constant attention, Sergei Mozyakin got 2 more points to make 5 in the last two games, and is now the KHL´s all-time leading playoff scorer.
With Lev now leading the series 2-1, everyone´s attention now shifts to game 4 on Thursday, in which Metallurg will try to regain home-ice advantage with a win and Lev will try to take a stranglehold on the series.