KHL
Neftekhimik – SKA St. Petersburg 1:5 (end)
final
HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
1:5 (1:2, 0:0, 0:3)
SKA St. Petersburg
Friday 19.09.2014, 17:00 • Nizhnekamsk Arena • KHL
     
    The final buzzer has now sounded, and SKA Saint Petersburg have claimed their seventh win out of seven games with a thumping 5:1 win over HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk away from home! The hosts started brightly, but SKA gradually wore them down. Neftekhimik's Alexander Ryazantsev smashed in the opening goal, but markers from Alexey Ponikarovsky, Evgeniy Dadonov, Vadim Shipachyov, Ilya Kovalchuk and Roman Cervenka sealed the deal for SKA. Thanks for following the game with us, and see you again soon for more enthralling KHL action! (19:19:39)
     
    60:00
    Game over.
     
    59:33
    SKA are now back at full strength and with just a few seconds remaining they are heading for a very confident 5:1 triumph away from home!
     
    59:01
    Evgeniy Ivannikov has to make a few fantastic saves squeezed up close against his right hand post! It's all a bit rushed from Neftekhimik and they can't get set up in the attacking zone!
     
    57:33
    Viktor Tikhonov of SKA has now also been penalised for tripping, and it's a promising five on three for Neftekhimik to build on!
     
    56:24
    Young SKA defenceman Dmitriy Yudin has received a late two minute minor here, as for unsportsmanlike behaviour he has been punished
     
    55:48
    Neftekhimik are back at full strength but they are still being pinned deep inside their own zone!
     
    55:33
    Cervenka! Roman Cervenka is picked out directly on the left faceoff circle, the near corner of the net seems to be empty, he lets rip hard but Ville Koppinen with an amazing diving save to deny him! That's simply a stunning save, wow!
     
    53:48
    SKA have their opponents exactly where they want them now, it's become all rather easy! And the deflated hosts are already mentally in the dressing room as Joshua Hennessy has been called into the penalty box for roughing!
     
    53:13
    Goal for SKA!
    Neftekhimik have well and truly given up here! From behind the net on the right the puck is pushed across the face of goal, and ROMAN CERVENKA with his body bundles it over the line! It's 1:5! Assists- Dmitriy Kalinin and Ilya Kovalchuk
     
    50:24
    Goal for SKA!
    SKA are flying now, and it's that man again! Patient build up play sees the puck flashed across to the right faceoff circle where ILYA KOVALCHUK thumps it hard into the net! Powerplay goal and it's 1:4! Assists- Artemiy Panarin and Vadim Shipachyov
     
    50:00
    And the home team isn't helping itself here, as forward Tim Stapleton has now been sent to the penalty box for slashing
     
    49:49
    Dan Sexton tries to reply immediately for Neftekhimik, but he can wrist only into Evgeniy Ivannikov's body. It will be very hard for the hosts to try and get back into it now, SKA are gaining in confidence even more!
     
    48:51
    Goal for SKA!
    That could be a crucial goal for SKA! The Neftekhimik defence goes missing as Patrick Thoresen is all alone down the left flank, and he dishes it to the far post where VADIM SHIPACHYOV lashes it in! It's 1:3! Assists- Patrick Thoresen
     
    46:37
    The puck is dumped into Evgeniy Ivannikov's crease from the right faceoff circle, and after a couple of tricky deflections the netminder holds on! The tempo is very high again!
     
    45:48
    Anton Burdasov cuts in off the left hand boards, skates with real power in to the danger zone but home defenders barge him out of the way!
     
    44:39
    Eronen! In space at the point Teemu Eronen slaps in first time, but Evgeniy Ivannikov is right behind that and holds on! He hasn't made a mistake at all so far today!
     
    43:41
    Evgeniy Dadonov almost sneaked in through one on one, but a sliding Neftekhimik defenceman at the last minute pokes the puck away from him!
     
    42:23
    Dmitriy Yudin wrists it seriously high from the blue line, and the netminder at the second attempt pushes it away from his crease! That looked dangerous!
     
    41:44
    Martensson! The visitors have the first decent chance of the period as on a three on one Tony Martensson peels to the left, looks to catch out the goalkeeper near post but Ville Koppinen stands his ground!
    Commentary by

    Shaun Nicolaides

    Goals & lineups Match log
    Goals and assists: 1. Ryazantsev (Sexton, Milovzorov) – 10. Ponikarovsky (Khafizullin, Kovalchuk), 13. Dadonov (Shipachyov, Panarin), 49. Shipachyov (Thoresen), 51. Kovalchuk (Panarin, Shipachyov), 54. Cervenka (Kalinin, Kovalchuk)

    HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk: Kolppanen (Sudnitsin)- Eronen, Ryazantsev, Sexton, Stapleton, Milovzorov- Berezin, Kosmachyov, Stepanov, Hennessy, Khokhryakov- Evseenkov, Bilalov, Zhukov, Rybin, Klimenko- Bryntsev, Trunyov, Polygalov, Tverdohlebov
    SKA St. Petersburg: Ivannikov (Bogdanov)- Kalinin, Khafizullin, Kovalchuk, Tikhonov, Ponikarovskiy- Y Alexandrov, Kuteikin, Panarin, Shipachyov, Dadonov- Chudinov, Belov, Thoresen, Martensson, Cervenka- Ermakov, Yudin, Burdasov, Kucheryavenko, Makarov
    Referees: Roman Gofman, Konstantin Olenin, Dmitriy Sivov, Ivan Sazonov
    Attendance: 5500