KHL
Avangard – Vityaz 8:5 (end) | SKA St. Petersburg – Dinamo Minsk 5:2 (end)
final
SKA St. Petersburg
5:2 (1:1, 2:1, 2:0)
HC Dinamo Minsk
Monday 08.09.2014, 17:30 • Ice Palace of Saint Petersburg • KHL
     
    There indeed is the final buzzer, and in a real thriller SKA Saint Petersburg have seen off Dinamo Minsk 5:2 for their third win out of three! Despite the scoreline SKA really had to work for the victory today, and they have Alexander Salak to thank for some wonderful saves! Tony Martensson, Dmitriy Kalinin, Evgeniy Ketov and Ilya Kovalchuk with a double all found the net for the home side, while Artur Gavrus and Dmitriy Meleshko got Dinamo's replies. Thanks for following the game with us, and see you again soon for more enthralling KHL action! (19:54:56)
     
    60:00
    Game over.
     
    It really has turned in an epic battle, and SKA are indeed heading for their third win in a row 5:2 over Dinamo Minsk!
     
    59:38
    Goal for SKA!
    It's the second empty net goal for the hosts as they most certainly seal all the points now! Now to the right of the neutral zone ILYA KOVALCHUK with ease slides the puck into the net! It's 5:2! Assists- Viktor Tikhonov
     
    58:51
    It's a five on five hockey game again as Jimmie Ericsson of SKA returns to the action, but Dinamo's net is still empty! And Alexander Salak is simply working miracles in the SKA net, he has been their real hero today!
     
    58:23
    Goal for SKA!
    That might just seal it for SKA! What a dramatic ending here, what a game! Shorthanded EVGENIY KETOV takes the puck out to the left, and just inside Dinamo's zone he hits the empty net! Shorthanded goal and it's 4:2! Assists- Vadim Shipachyov
     
    58:14
    What drama here! Dinamo are keeping the puck excellently inside SKA's zone, but Jonathan Cheechoo's backhander from the doorstep is acrobatically stopped by Alexander Salak!
     
    57:11
    With just under three minutes left Dmitriy Milchakov has already been pulled for the extra skater!
     
    56:51
    And a timeout has already been taken out by Dinamo, they know that this is the deciding moment of the game!
     
    56:51
    SKA have given a very untimely powerplay away here! Jimmie Ericsson for slashing has been punished giving Dinamo extra hope of a comeback!
     
    56:30
    Alexander Salak comes flying out of his net to sweep away the loose puck, and he gets lucky as he smacks it right against one of his teammates!
     
    54:39
    Ilya Kablukov holds the puck back on the right faceoff circle, splays it across to Igor Makarov but the latter has it poked away from him! SKA are going to having more opportunities to kill the game on the counterattack now!
     
    54:05
    Dinamo move offside and give SKA a very well needed breather. The visitors are doing everything that they can to get back in to it, but so far Alexander Salak is just too strong!
     
    51:55
    Cheechoo! Dinamo are seriously going for it now! Now to the left Jonathan Cheechoo with the goalkeeper already down has a practically empty net to aim at from point blank range, but somehow he fails to hit the target!
     
    51:12
    Jonathan Cheechoo cuts all the way around the net to the left, lifts the puck delicately looking for the far post but it drifts just wide!
     
    49:05
    Both teams exchange chances as the SKA netminder is having to really work hard now, and then Viktor Tikhonov goes on a tricky raid from deep, shows amazing skill darting around his opponent but he can't get a clean attempt away!
     
    48:01
    Kulakov! What a chance for Dinamo to again draw level! Alexander Kulakov has only Alexander Salak to beat at the left of the slot, but he's denied by an excellent save! He looked sure to score!
     
    47:13
    Martensson! Tony Martensson is fed speeding down the middle of the zone, he beats his defender for pace but he's stripped of the puck at the vital moment!
     
    45:32
    Dinamo are back at full strength having killed that penalty effectively! SKA are putting the pressure on very heavily, but they're not always being able to hold the puck in the zone successfully
     
    44:40
    Kalinin! Dmitriy Kalinin is teed up at the left faceoff circle, but his monstrous slapper smashes wide of the far post!
    Commentary by

    Shaun Nicolaides

    Goals & lineups Match log
    Goals and assists: 11. Martensson (Cervenka, Thoresen), 21. Kalinin (Shipachyov, Dadonov), 38. Kovalchuk (Khafizullin, Ericsson), 59. Ketov (Shipachyov), 60. Kovalchuk (Tikhonov) – 16. Gavrus (Kalyuzhniy), 36. Meleshko (Kulakov)

    SKA St. Petersburg: Salak (Ivannikov)- Kalinin, Yudin, Kovalchuk, Ericsson, Tikhonov- Khafizullin, Ryasensky, Panarin, Shipachyov, Dadonov- Chudinov, Belov, Thoresen, Martensson, Cervenka- Semenov, Ermakov, Makarov, Kablukov, Ketov
    HC Dinamo Minsk: Milchakov (Haugen)- Nogachyov, Shinkevich, Lisovets, Krajicek, Bailen, Goroshko- Linglet, Ellison, Kulakov, Drozd, Vesce, Kalyuzhniy, Cheechoo, Meleshko, Szczechura, Razvadovskiy, Pavlovich, Volkov, Gavrus
    Referees: Eduard Ozolins, Ildar Safiullov, Roman Menshih, Ivan Sazonov
    Attendance: 11011