KHL
Riga – SKA St. Petersburg 2:3 (0:1 after SO)
after shootout (0:1)
Dinamo Riga
2:3 (0:0, 1:1, 1:1 - 0:0)
SKA St. Petersburg
Thursday 15.01.2015, 18:30 • Arena Riga • KHL
     
    What a game it turned out to be, as SKA Saint Petersburg have emerged victorious against HC Dinamo Riga 3:2 on penalty shots! They conceded right at the end of the third period, but showed great determination to come out on top in the shootout. Artemiy Panarin scored the winning penalty shot after a Evgeniy Dadonov double, with Lauris Darzins and Mikelis Redlihs netting for Dinamo. Thanks for following the game with us, and see you again soon for more pulsating KHL action! (21:47:13)
     
    Game over.
     
    65:00
    Goal for SKA!
    ARTEMIY PANARIN scores the winning penalty shot!
     
    4. series
    0:1
    Artemiy Panarin steps up for the second time for the visitors, and he snipes into the right hand corner to win it for SKA!
     
    4. series
    0:0
    It's sudden death now, and Miks Indrasis for Dinamo hit's the netminder's right pad!
     
    3. series
    0:0
    Linus Videll can win it here for Dinamo, however he's shut down by Igor Shestyorkin five hole!
     
    3. series
    0:0
    Czech forward Roman Cervenka is next for SKA, and also cutting to the backhand he loses control of the puck!
     
    2. series
    0:0
    Second for the hosts is Lauris Darzins, and he loses his footing when shaping to shoot!
     
    2. series
    0:0
    Artemiy Panarin for SKA goes for a backhand, and it rolls across the face blocker side and out!
     
    1. series
    0:0
    Roberts Bukarts is first for Dinamo, and he's denied by a superb glove save by Igor Shestyorkin! Wow!
     
    1. series
    0:0
    SKA begin the shootout! Up skates Ilya Kovalchuk, and he takes it too wide to get an attempt away!
     
    Start of shootout.
     
    Statistics after overtime:

    Shots: 55-63
    Shots on target: 32-33
    Faceoffs: 19-31
    Hits: 3-4
    Penalty minutes: 2-12
     
    65:00
    Overtime finished.
     
    64:55
    The final seconds have now arisen, as penalty shots are indeed coming our way in Latvia!
     
    64:10
    Miks Indrasis sprints away on a two on one on the left flank, swings it far corner, and somehow the puck isn't forced in first time! SKA's defence isn't at the races at times!
     
    63:29
    Lauris Darzins hunts away for the loose change by the left hand post, Igor Shestyorkin looks panicky and in the end the goalkeeper gathers it in to kill the danger!
     
    62:41
    The puck is sailing from one end to another, no one seems to fancy a penalty series! And SKA's netminder freezes a dump from deep as to take no chances
     
    60:57
    Meija! Gints Meija goes on a tricky skate peeling to the left, wrists near post, and Igor Shestyorkin is on his game to cover it solidly!
     
    60:04
    Overtime has begun! Both sides have already secured a point today, but if there will be no goals during these five minutes, we will move on to penalty shots!
     
    60:01
    Overtime began.
     
    Statistics after the initial 60 minutes:

    Shots: 48-58
    Shots on target: 26-29
    Faceoffs: 17-30
    Hits: 9-11
    Penalty minutes: 2-12
     
    60:00
    3rd period finished.
     
    59:48
    It's now the final seconds of normal play, with overtime looming! Dinamo have kept going long enough to at least take a point from today!
     
    58:51
    Also their goaltender Igor Shestyorkin has been punished for unsportsmanlike behaviour as that goal went in! SKA's head coach Vyacheslav Bykov really does look disappointed on the bench!
     
    58:51
    Goal for Dinamo Riga!
    With so little time remaining Dinamo make it a tied game! The SKA defence goes AWOL as MIKELIS REDLIHS is free on the doorstep to tap home his own rebound! It's 2:2! Assists- Roberts Bukarts
     
    56:13
    Dinamo's Mikelis Redlihs gets completely taken out along the right hand boards while attacking, and despite being helped off the ice no penalty has been called! The home fans aren't happy about that at all!
     
    55:15
    Ericsson! SKA sweep up a loose Dinamo turonver at neutral ice, Jimmie Ericsson takes a slap from distance, and Jakub Sedlacek shows expert reactions to keep his team in it!
     
    52:39
    SKA withstood a short but sharp Dinamo surge during that time, and it's a five on five game again. The Arena Riga is seeing its noise levels being raised as time begins to tick down!
     
    50:39
    The penalties look to be coming thick and fast now and here's another, with this time Anton Belov of SKA being called for interference. No one wants to lose their discipline at such an important stage of the match!
     
    49:13
    We have the first, yes only the first, penalty of the day here and it's gone against the hosts, as forward Brock Trotter has let his team down for tripping SKA's Maxim Chudinov up!
     
    47:32
    You can be sure that Dinamo are going to go really hard now! SKA have laid down the gauntlet, and it's up to the hosts to match them!
     
    45:07
    Goal for SKA!
    SKA's second line is simply on fire! They're creating havoc in Riga today! A stunning tic-tac-toe play feeds EVGENIY DADONOV on the right faceoff circle, and with the netminder out of position he has no trouble hitting the target! It's 1:2! Assists- Vadim Shipachyov and Artemiy Panarin
     
    42:41
    Young SKA defenceman Dmitriy Yudin opens up on the left faceoff circle, opts to whip the puck diagonal, and after a sharp deflection it drifts up and out of play
     
    40:48
    The third period has begun! This game is hanging on a very small thread indeed, and any mistake could prove to be vital now!
     
    40:01
    Start of 3rd period.
     
    Statistics after the first two periods:

    Shots: 31-42
    Shots on target: 17-20
    Faceoffs: 10-23
    Hits: 6-6
    Penalty minutes: 0-0
     
    40:00
    2nd period finished.
     
    39:47
    The last few seconds of the second stanza have already arrived, and it sure is promising to be a thrilling deciding third coming up!
     
    38:50
    Icing is committed by SKA. The play is crashing from one end to another with no time in which to take breath, we are being treated to a seriously entertaining game of hockey today in Riga!
     
    37:54
    A mazy Jimmie Ericsson run around Dinamo's zone tees up Andrey Kuteikin for a blast, and from the left faceoff circle he makes Jakub Sedlacek work with his blocker
     
    35:51
    Dinamo defenceman Charles Genoway steams from the left onto the crease, and before he can get any sort of shot away a combination of Igor Shestyorkin and his defence force him out wide!
     
    35:06
    Now it's SKA who have an odd man rush on the right wing, Evgeniy Dadonov feeds Ilya Kovalchuk, and SKA's captain is skating just too quickly to take the puck under his spell!
     
    32:21
    However just seconds later Dinamo have a two on one, the SKA defence is nowhere to be seen, and Maxim Chudinov saves the day for the visitors as he tips it away from an empty net! They were caught sleeping!
     
    32:13
    Goal for SKA!
    They have been upping the heat and there's their equaliser! A quite marvellous skate by Artemiy Panarin picks out EVGENIY DADONOV on a tight angle to the right, and the latter makes it count! It's 1:1! Assists- Vadim Shipachyov and Artemiy Panarin
     
    31:32
    Dinamo almost make it two here! Igor Shestyorkin palms away a wrister from the right faceoff circle, the rebound is flashed back into the danger zone, and the visitors are lucky to eventually shuffle it away!
     
    28:54
    Kovalchuk! What an opportunity to draw SKA level! Ilya Kovalchuk is fed arriving on to the doorstep, and he wrists the puck inches wide of the right hand post with the crowd gasping!
     
    26:59
    The Arena Riga exploded with that goal, the fans were craving for that! Dinamo are visibly gaining in confidence as they continue to keep the pressure on!
     
    25:00
    Goal for Dinamo Riga!
    And what a goal that is! That's stunning stuff from Dinamo's number ten! LAURIS DARZINS jinks in between two defenders, is all alone with the goaltender, and he goes upstairs blocker side to score! It's 1:0! Assists- Mikelis Redlihs
     
    23:24
    Gints Meija chucks the puck into the slot from an impossible angle on the right, he takes up his own rebound, and only just can't squeeze in his wraparound! That was close!
     
    22:11
    Cervenka! Battling play behind the net from Tony Martensson sets up Roman Cervenka charging down the middle of the zone, and the latter's blast is fielded solidly by Jakub Sedlacek!
     
    20:31
    The second frame is go! SKA looked slightly more dangerous during the first, although Dinamo grew as the period wore on!
     
    20:01
    Start of 2nd period.
     
    Statistics after the opening period of play:

    Shots: 16-24
    Shots on target: 6-8
    Faceoffs: 3-15
    Hits: 3-4
    Penalty minutes: 0-0
     
    20:00
    1st period finished.
     
    19:51
    We're now already into the final seconds of a first period that has flown by in the blink of an eye!
     
    18:42
    Rodrigo Abols winds up at the point, drawing his stick back he slaps as hard as he can, and is denied by a superb Igor Shestyorkin glove save! He made that look beautiful!
     
    18:00
    All of a sudden it's a Dinamo two on one, from pinned up against the left hand boards the puck is swung across the face of goal, and after a brief moment's panic the SKA defence hack it clear!
     
    16:44
    Yury Alexandrov wrists the puck in through traffic, looks for someone to make a telling deflection, and before anyone can get to it Jakub Sedlacek takes charge of the situation
     
    15:01
    It's SKA who are getting away more shots on goal so far, with the shot count at 7-4 in their favour, as Dinamo are waiting for their chance when powering away on the counterattack. The tempo won't let up at all though!
     
    12:57
    Roberts Bukarts has space for himself on the right faceoff circle, with defenders hurling themselves in front of him he goes for a slapper, and Igor Shestyorkin beats it away with his body!
     
    10:22
    Shestyorkin! The visiting young netminder is called into action for the first time! After a poor SKA turnover blocker side Dinamo have two fantastic close range opportunities, but Igor Shestyorkin shuts the door on both occasions!
     
    08:14
    SKA's counterattack really is looking deadly here! Anton Burdasov, again on that right wing, out speeds his opponent, and finds the netminder's closed pads! The visitors are matching the Latvians for pace!
     
    06:13
    Showing a flashy move Ilya Kovalchuk darts in between his opponents, looks to catch out the goalkeeper short glove side, however his shot flies wide into the boards!
     
    05:01
    Indrasis! Miks Indrasis, just like Evgeniy Ketov of SKA a few moments ago, opens up from distance, and contrives to blast over the bar! That would have caused Igor Shestyorkin some problems!
     
    02:51
    SKA's Ilya Kovalchuk now pulls out to the right, from a tight angle takes aim, and the netminder sweeps it up to freeze. Both sides are playing at a frenetic pace early on!
     
    01:13
    Ketov! Evgeniy Ketov wriggles free to the high slot, with space in front of him wrists hard, and can only find Jakub Sedlacek's chest! That was a promising opening!
     
    00:43
    Here we go inside the Arena Riga! The hosts are visibly pumped up, as they take on stiff opposition!
     
    00:01
    Game started.
     
    The teams are now out on to the ice, and after the Latvian and Russian national anthems we'll be getting underway!
     
    Starting lineups:

    Dinamo Riga: Sedlacek (Deslauriers)- K Redlihs, Cibulskis, M Redlihs, Videll, Bukarts- Genoway, Jurcina, Darzins, Indrasis, Trotter- K Sotnieks, Jerofejevs, Abols, Dzerins, Meija- Augstkalns, Skovorcovs, Saulietis, Sarkanis, Bicevskis

    SKA St. Petersburg: Shestyorkin (Korobov)- Khafizullin, Rukavishnikov, Kovalchuk, Ericsson, Tikhonov- Kuteikin, Y Alexandrov, Panarin, Shipachyov, Dadonov- Chudinov, A Belov, Khokhryakov, Martensson, Cervenka- Yudin, Barabanov, Burdasov, Kablukov, Ketov

    Referees: Alexey Anisimov, Alexander Sergeev, Sergey Misyur, Stanislav Raming.
     
    This will be the third meeting between these two teams this campaign, with SKA winning 2:1 in Saint Petersburg, and Dinamo 4:2 in Riga.
     
    Dinamo have been superb of late, picking up three wins out of three in 2015, with all of them being at home against Jokerit 3:2, Torpedo 2:1, and Severstal 2:0. SKA have been no worse though, as victories against Jokerit 3:1, Torpedo 5:2, Severstal 4:3 OT and CSKA 3:1 have taken them to within seven points of CSKA Moscow at the top of the overall KHL table.
     
    Hello and welcome to this KHL regular season match between HC Dinamo Riga and SKA Saint Petersburg. These games are always nail biters, with Dinamo somewhat awkward opponents for SKA.
     
    Welcome. Game starts at 18:30.
    Commentary by

    Shaun Nicolaides

    Goals & lineups Match log
    Goals and assists: 25. Darzins (Redlihs), 59. Redlihs (Bukarts) – 33. Dadonov (Shipachyov, Panarin), 46. Dadonov (Shipachyov, Panarin), dec. goal Panarin

    Shootout:

    1. series:
    0:0   Kovalchuk (PET)
    0:0   Bukarts (RIG)
    2. series:
    0:0   Panarin (PET)
    0:0   Darzins (RIG)
    3. series:
    0:0   Cervenka (PET)
    0:0   Videll (RIG)
    4. series:
    0:0   Indrasis (RIG)
    0:1   Panarin (PET)

    Dinamo Riga: Sedlacek (Deslauriers)- K Redlihs, Cibulskis, M Redlihs, Videll, Bukarts- Genoway, Jurcina, Darzins, Indrasis, Trotter- K Sotnieks, Jerofejevs, Abols, Dzerins, Meija- Augstkalns, Skovorcovs, Saulietis, Sarkanis, Bicevskis
    SKA St. Petersburg: Shestyorkin (Korobov)- Khafizullin, Rukavishnikov, Kovalchuk, Ericsson, Tikhonov- Kuteikin, Y Alexandrov, Panarin, Shipachyov, Dadonov- Chudinov, A Belov, Khokhryakov, Martensson, Cervenka- Yudin, Barabanov, Burdasov, Kablukov, Ketov
    Referees: Alexey Anisimov, Alexander Sergeev, Sergey Misyur, Stanislav Raming
    Attendance: 8590