KHL
Ak Bars – SKA St. Petersburg 3:1 (end)
final
Ak Bars Kazan
3:1 (1:0, 1:0, 1:1)
SKA St. Petersburg
Saturday 13.12.2014, 15:30 • Tatneft Arena • KHL
     
    There is the final buzzer, and Ak Bars Kazan have seen off SKA Saint Petersburg 3:1 in Kazan! Their tactics simply were the more effective, as they cut SKA out of the game. Ilya Nikulin with a double as well as an Alexander Burmistrov marker earned the hosts the three points, with Anton Burdasov replying for SKA. Thanks for following the game with us, and see you again soon for more thrilling KHL action! (17:49:22)
     
    60:00
    Game over.
     
    59:57
    The final seconds are now upon us, with Ak Bars heading towards a hard earned 3:1 win on home ice!
     
    59:01
    Thoresen! Patrick Thoresen lurking by the right hand post spins around tot he doorstep, and only just can't force it home! That wasn't far away!
     
    57:51
    With just over two minutes remaining SKA head coach Vyacheslav Bykkov has taken a small risk by pulling goaltender Mikko Koskinen for the extra skater!
     
    57:01
    Ericsson! That was a fantastic opportunity to bring the team within one! Jimmie Ericsson is found all alone to the left of the slot, he has a completely open net to aim at, but he blasts it wide! It seemed impossible to miss!
     
    56:10
    There is very little time for SKA to do something about the overall situation though, they have to press forward with all their might to give themselves a shot, and make Ak Bars nervous!
     
    54:16
    Goal for SKA!
    SKA have a very well needed goal, that at least keeps their streak going of scoring in every game this season! ANTON BURDASOV throws in an unexpected wrister from the right flank, and it catches Anders Nilsson unawares! It's 1:3! Assists- Alexey Ponikarovskiy and Andrey Kuteikin
     
    52:33
    Kovalchuk! Ilya Kovalchuk draws his stick back, dumps in a strong slapshot, and is denied by a superb glove save by Anders Nilsson!
     
    51:02
    You can't knock SKA for trying but they are looking like a very weary team, their attempts are rather half hearted at times
     
    50:29
    Ak Bars have their opponents just where they want them now, and it is going to take a miracle for SKA to make things interesting!
     
    47:47
    Goal for AK Bars!
    That might just be the killer goal today! ILYA NIKULIN lets rip with a fearsome blast from the point, and it rockets over Mikko Koskinen's glove! Powerplay goal and it's 3:0! Assists- Justin Azevedo and Oscar Moller
     
    47:32
    A penalty is being indicated by the referees and it's going against SKA, as their defenceman Roman Rukavishnikov has been punished for playing the puck while without a helmet
     
    45:26
    The puck gets jammed up by Anders Nilsson's left post glove side, Alexey Ponikarovskiy and Ilya Kablukov both hack away for it, and are slightly unlucky not to hit the net! Ak Bars look to be shutting up shop here already!
     
    44:15
    Ak Bars' Igor Mirnov has room on the right flank for himself, opts for a no look wrist shot, and Mikko Koskinen sees that all the way to field solidly
     
    42:23
    Burdasov! Anton Burdasov directly between the circles wrists, but it lacks enough power to seriously test the netminder who holds on!
     
    41:49
    Patrick Thoresen drifts to the center from the left wing, backhands when falling on to his knees, and Anders Nilsson pads it away reasonably comfortably
     
    41:21
    The third period has begun, and SKA have to do something to change the course of the game!
     
    40:01
    Start of 3rd period.
     
    Statistics after two periods of play:

    Shots: 47-27
    Shots on target: 26-12
    Faceoffs: 22-14
    Hits: 15-14
    Penalty minutes: 4-14
     
    40:00
    2nd period finished.
     
    39:51
    Ak Bars have been worthy of their two goal lead, and with the period in its final seconds they have given the visitors a seriously hard task for the third!
     
    39:10
    Goal for AK Bars!
    No one can say that it hasn't been coming! A wonderful cross ice feed lets in ALEXANDER BURMISTROV on the doorstep slightly to the right, and first time he hits the net! It's 2:0! Assists- Oscar Moller and Kirill Petrov
     
    38:36
    Ilya Nikulin and co. cause absolute mayhem on SKA's crease! With only some sort of miracle they get away without conceding a second, the puck was bouncing all around the danger zone during that time!
     
    37:13
    Shipachyov! That was a gaping opportunity to get SKA back on level terms! Evgeniy Dadonov splays it across to Vadim Shipachyov to the right, the latter's all alone with Anders Nilsson, but he fails to lift it over the netminder's pads!
     
    35:58
    Not a lot was created by SKA though during that time, and it's a five on five hockey game again. The visitors simply cannot get set up in the attacking zone for a long time, Ak Bars are showing excellent defensive skills today!
     
    33:58
    However despite all the momentum being with the hosts they have burst their own bubble, being caught having too many men on the ice. Swedish forward Oscar Moller will sit this one out for his team
     
    32:17
    Off that following faceoff draw the puck is slapped in from the blue line, and it smacks the right hand post! The hosts are getting closer and closer to that crucial second marker!
     
    32:01
    Ak Bars are burning with adrenaline, SKA's goaltender is having to bail his team out over and over again! Now Fyodor Malykhin cunningly struts in drifting to the middle, and SKA are lucky that he didn't get any power behind his attempt
     
    31:16
    Koskinen! Just how did he keep the puck out of his net, wow! Oscar Moller all on his own by the left of the slot is somehow denied, and Alexander Burmistrov on the rebound is denied even more spectacularly at point blank range by Mikko Koskinen!
     
    30:18
    Azevedo! Justin Azevedo brilliantly spins away from his opponent on the right faceoff circle, doing a full 360 gets a shot away, and the netminder reacts quickly with his pads to kick it out of danger!
     
    28:36
    Janne Pesonen is picked out all alone charging down the left wing, however the angle is too tight for him in the end, and his wrister is confidently covered by Mikko Koskinen
     
    27:34
    Panarin! All of a sudden SKA are taking up the initiative and making Anders Nilsson in the opposition net work! It's a three on one, Artemiy Panarin is dished to the left of the slot, and he can only blast into the emerging netminder's chest!
     
    25:46
    Chudinov! Maxim Chudinov winds up for a huge slapper, and it cannons inches over the right hand post! The goaltender would have been practically helpless if it would have been on target!
     
    24:13
    Ak Bars out of virtually nothing terribly cough up the puck on their own crease, Artemiy Panarin speeds in to pick up the loose change, and he can't take it under his spell! That was SKA's best chance of the day so far!
     
    23:06
    Mikko Koskinen crouched down blocker side clings on to a low effort trickling through, and doesn't take any chances while being pressurised
     
    22:29
    It's been a quiet start to the frame with Ak Bars seeing all the puck and not doing a lot with it, their main tactic is to keep it well away from their dangerous opponents who have been free scoring this campaign
     
    20:18
    The second stanza is go! SKA at one down need to create more pressure, as their tactics aren't working as yet!
     
    20:01
    Start of 2nd period.
     
    Statistics after the opening period of play:

    Shots: 15-14
    Shots on target: 9-5
    Faceoffs: 9-7
    Hits: 8-7
    Penalty minutes: 2-14
     
    20:00
    1st period finished.
     
    19:53
    As SKA's Anton Burdasov wrists off target when being pressured out to the left the first period is drawing to a close, with Ak Bars just about deserving their lead!
     
    19:05
    Nikulin! With Mikko Koskinen's glove hopefully being flashed up into the air Ilya Nikulin tries his luck, and this time he fires over the bar with the home crowd gasping!
     
    17:33
    The visitors also now have five men on the ice having survived that scare, Ak Bars are growing in attacking menace as the period is wearing on!
     
    17:31
    Burmistrov! Alexander Burmistrov holds on to the puck for a prelonged amount of time, pulls to the right wing, and drives it not far wide of the far corner! That was seriously close!
     
    15:33
    You can already see SKA's players beginning to get frustrated as they are pinned inside their own zone, and they've promptly taken a penalty as Yury Alexandrov has been handed a 2+10 punishment for checking against the boards!
     
    13:19
    Finally we see a bit of goalmouth action as home defenceman Vladimir Denisov breaks clear to the left faceoff circle, wrists with force, and Mikko Koskinen reads the play well to freeze
     
    11:03
    Despite the lack of shooting attempts the teams simply will not stop charging forwards, the puckhas barely seen neutral ice!
     
    09:22
    Icing is committed by the hosts. Both teams are playing on the counterattack, and the pace is most certainly high here! SKA though aren't creating too many shooting opportunities as yet, and will be looking to improve on that
     
    05:37
    Ak Bars are now back at full strength, having looked solid enough during that time. They've started off excellently, and the Tatneft Arena is right behind the team!
     
    04:38
    The puck rolls to Ilya Kovalchuk on the right faceoff circle, he takes a slap at it, and with Anders Nilsson looking round nervously it flies wide of the far post!
     
    03:37
    SKA won't be happy about conceding at all, however they have been gifted a powerplay chance to get back into things! Stepan Zakharchuk of Ak Bars has been called for cross checking, and he's going to have a short sit down
     
    01:56
    Goal for AK Bars!
    It's the hosts who open up the scoring early on! ILYA NIKULIN blasts the puck with power on the blue line, and it gets the better of a panicky Mikko Koskinen! It's 1:0! Assists- Dmitriy Obukhov
     
    01:31
    Home goaltender Anders Nilsoon is forced into his first save of the day here, as off a faceoff draw on the left he gloves an Andrey Kuteikin effort solidly
     
    00:21
    Immediately Ak Bars' Mikhail Varnakov cuts in really sharply from behind the net to the right hand post, and as a goalmouth scramble threatens to erupt Mikko Koskinen freezes
     
    00:11
    Off we go! Ak Bars at home are always very strong, but SKA will be tough opponents for them!
     
    00:01
    Game started.
     
    The teams are now emerging out on to the ice, and after the Russian and Tatar national anthems we'll be getting underway!
     
    Starting lineups:

    Ak Bars Kazan: Nilsson (Garipov)- Medvedev, Brookbank, Moller, Burmistrov, Petrov – Korneev, Zakharchuk, Pesonen, Tkachyov, Mirnov- Denisov, Nikulin, Glukhov, Azevedo, Varnakov- Arkhipov, Lukoyanov, Malykhin, Obukhov

    SKA St. Petersburg: Koskinen (Ivannikov)- Chudinov, A Belov, Kovalchuk, Ericsson, Ponikarovskiy- Y Alexandrov, Kuteikin, Panarin, Shipachyov, Dadonov- Kalinin, Rukavishnikov, Thoresen, Martensson, Cervenka- Ermakov, N Belov, Burdasov, Kablukov, Ketov

    Referees: Alexey Ravodin, Roman Gofman, Dmitriy Sivov, Sergey Shelyanin.
     
    Last season Ak Bars were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, whereas SKA went one better making the Gagarin Cup quarterfinals.
     
    Ak Bars have been having a very solid campaign so far, and currently occupy joint first position of the Eastern Conference with Avangard on 79 points. Their opponents today SKA have four points more, 83, but are second in the opposite conference trailing CSKA Moscow by six.
     
    Good afternoon and welcome to this KHL regular season match between Ak Bars Kazan and SKA Saint Petersburg. Both teams are giants of Russian ice hockey, and it should be a real occasion to enjoy.
     
    Welcome. Game starts at 15:30.
    Commentary by

    Shaun Nicolaides

    Goals & lineups Match log
    Goals and assists: 2. Nikulin (Obukhov), 40. Burmistrov (Moller, Petrov), 48. Nikulin (Azevedo, Moller) – 55. Burdasov (Ponikarovskiy, Kuteikin)

    Ak Bars Kazan: Nilsson (Garipov)- Medvedev, Brookbank, Moller, Burmistrov, Petrov – Korneev, Zakharchuk, Pesonen, Tkachyov, Mirnov- Denisov, Nikulin, Glukhov, Azevedo, Varnakov- Arkhipov, Lukoyanov, Malykhin, Obukhov
    SKA St. Petersburg: Koskinen (Ivannikov)- Chudinov, A Belov, Kovalchuk, Ericsson, Ponikarovskiy- Y Alexandrov, Kuteikin, Panarin, Shipachyov, Dadonov- Kalinin, Rukavishnikov, Thoresen, Martensson, Cervenka- Ermakov, N Belov, Burdasov, Kablukov, Ketov
    Referees: Alexey Ravodin, Roman Gofman, Dmitriy Sivov, Sergey Shelyanin