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
    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