UFA 0:2 JOK | Salavat Yulaev Ufa - Jokerit Helsinki (KHL)

KHL

Salavat Yulaev – Jokerit

0:2 (end)

final

Salavat Yulaev Ufa Rusko

0:2 (0:1, 0:0, 0:1)

Jokerit Helsinki

Wednesday 04.02.2015, 15:00 • Ufa Arena • KHL

		The final buzzer has indeed sounded, and Jokerit Helsinki have come out victorious against Salavat Yulaev in Ufa 2:0! They had to withstand a huge barrage of pressure from their hosts, while showing their class to come out unscathed. Tommi Huhtala and Petteri Wirtanen netted, with goaltender Riku Helenius grabbing a very well earned shut out. Thanks for following the game with us, and see you again soon for more exciting KHL action! (17:15:31)
	60:00	Game over.
	59:59	It has been a thriller today, and Jokerit have shown true grit to take a priceless 2:0 away win!
	59:57	Goal for Jokerit! That's it now, it is Jokerit's day! PETTERI WIRTANEN takes up the puck at neutral ice, and with ease hits the empty net! It's 0:2! Assists- Atte Ohtamaa and Nico Kapanen
	58:53	Goaltender Leland Irving has duly been pulled for the extra skater! It's now or never for the desperate Salavat!
	58:53	Ilkka Heikkinen drifting to the left lets rip, and near post Riku Helenius isn't going to let that one pass him. And with already less than two minutes remaining Salavat have taken a timeout!
	56:23	On a rare Jokerit breakaway Tommi Huhtala wrists to the left of the slot, and Leland Irving is solid enough to keep his team in the game. The puck did roll into the net afterwards, but just like earlier on the whistle had clearly been heard already!
	56:19	Syomin! Dmitriy Syomin, steaming down on to the doorstep, thrashes at the juicy rebound falling out, and he contrives to hit only the top of the bar! Jokerit are being saved by miracles time and time again!
	55:47	Kutuzov! You can feel the panic being carried all around the Ufa Arena, shots are being taken at any opportunity! Alexander Kutuzov has space between the circles, he takes a powerful smash, and the goaltender gets his stomach in the way!
	53:51	The puck is flashed into the crease from the left flank, and with Salavat sticks digging away for it Riku Helenius gets something on it with his right toe! What do Salavat have to do to buy a goal!
	53:14	All of the possession is being had by the hosts, their opponents have parked the bus for sure and just want to hang on for dear life as time begins to tick down!
	50:01	As both sides are back at full strength Salavat work the puck behind the net, squeeze it across, and almost on the goal line the Finns swipe it out! They have a long ten minutes coming up ahead of them!
	49:09	Jokerit do take the heat off themselves as a couple of wristers from distance are dumped in, and Leland Irving gloves them both expertly. He is almost a spectator now!
	47:22	The hosts have burst their own bubble now though! For a completely needless call of having too many men on the ice Salavat are soon going on the penalty kill! Forward Evgeniy Skachkov will sit this one out for his team
	47:19	A thunderous slap shot from the point cannons into Riku Helenius's right post! It's simply crazy what is going on inside Jokerit's zone, the pressing is immense at all angles of the ice!
	45:36	For an ensuing penalty in that play Salavat have been handed a vital man's advantage, as Jokerit's Niko Peltola has been punished for holding
	45:31	Pihlstrom! Just how didn't he score, what a gaping opportunity! The puck pops out to the doorstep, and with Riku Helenius out of position Antti Pilhstrom thrashes it wide of the right hand post! The fans are up in arms about that!
	43:32	Dmitriy Vishnevskiy shows some of his strength charging down the right flank, and as his deflected slapper takes a sharp turn the netminder covers it with his arm!
	42:33	Pihlstrom! Antti Pihlstrom is dished hanging off the right faceoff circle, he wrists with feeling, and the ever nervous Riku Helenius sits on it in time!
	41:08	Leland Irving emerges out of his net glove side to sweep away the loose puck, he takes a complete air shot however and is lucky to not get punished for that!
	40:31	Wow, almost immediately after the starting whistle we have a fight on our hands! Salavat's Dmitriy Syomin drops the gloves with Tommi Huhtala of Jokerit, and to the Ufa Arena's delight it looks as though their man came out on top!
	40:23	The third and vital period is go! It's still all to play for with Jokerit currently leading 1:0, and anything could happen!
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
		Statistics after 40 minutes: Shots: 35-33 Shots on target: 17-14 Faceoffs: 20-15 Hits: 8-10 Penalty minutes: 2-8
	40:00	2nd period finished.
	39:37	The horn is about to sound for the second break, as despite their heavy pressing Salavat are still yet to get on the board with the final period looming!
	37:26	Another episode of pinball erupts on Jokerit's crease, and floundering around stick side Riku Helenius shuffles it out of the crease with bodies flying everywhere around him!
	36:03	Icing is committed by Salavat. While they are noticeably retreating deeper and deeper, Jokerit's defence isn't looking particularly wobbly!
	33:39	Just about all of the play is coming inside Jokerit's zone, they are struggling to clear their lines! The hosts are upping the tempo with every passing minute, increasing the heat on Riku Helenius' net!
	30:30	And that is exactly the case, as the referees wave it a no goal. That is a sign though of just how close Salavat are getting to that elusive equaliser!
	30:30	On a goalmouth scramble by the left hand post Salavat scramble the puck over the line! However it does seem as though the whistle was blown before it crawled in!
	29:34	Niklas Hagman builds up a bit of speed down the right wing, takes on a rising wrister, and the goaltender standing up gathers comfortably
	28:36	Jokerit are trying their best to take the wind out of Salavat's sails, they need to calm the game down as to take it back under control again
	26:03	Hagman! Out of nothing Jokerit were gifted a glorious chance to make it two! Salavat cough up the puck at their own blue line, Niklas Hagman is in three on one, and he can't beat Leland Irving from point blank range!
	24:51	The Finns are exceedingly good on the penalty kill today, and having somehow survived those testing minutes they're back at full strength
	23:36	Ilkka Heikkinen jinks around his covering markers to the high slot, wrists with strength, and the netminder brilliantly deflects it up and out of play! Salavat are coming closer!
	22:51	Jokerit are getting in some serious penalty trouble, they can't keep out of the box! The extended Salavat powerplay continues as Ryan Gunderson has been found guilty of delaying the game!
	22:48	Koltsov! With very little on around him Kirill Koltsov opts for a slap shot on the left faceoff circle, and Riku Helenius gets everything behind it!
	21:56	And it's now going to be a Salavat five on three, what a chance this is for them to get on the board! Jokerit defenceman Atte Ohtamaa has almost poked the eyes out of a Salavat player directly under the referee's nose!
	20:51	A second penalty in a row against Jokerit has been signalled here, and it's against forward Petteri Wirtanen for tripping his opponent up
	20:21	Just as in the first the second stanza gets going with a Ryan Gunderson wristed puck from distance. Jokerit have been tactically perfect so far, while Salavat will feel that they deserve to be at least level!
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
		Statistics after the first period: Shots: 18-11 Shots on target: 8-8 Faceoffs: 11-6 Hits: 4-8 Penalty minutes: 2-2
	20:00	1st period finished.
	19:31	With Salavat still pressing in Jokerit's zone the opening period of play is drawing to a close, with a couple of entertaining frames lying in wait!
	16:53	The visitors have a two on one down the right flank, and off a direct shot Leland Irving flashes leather neatly as to kill the danger
	16:01	Just about all the meaningful goalscoring opportunities are being created by Salavat, as they are putting more and more pressure on Jokerit's net! They want to give their home fans something to cheer about!
	13:51	Hartikainen! Jokerit poorly turnover the puck deep inside the own zone, Kirill Kolstov's attempt is well stopped by Riku Helenius, and on the rebound from Teemu Hartikainen the netminder lays on his back as to stop it from rolling over!
	13:45	Falling up alongside the right hand boards Eetu Poysti still manages to wrist into the slot, and Leland Irving takes no chances with freezing for a faceoff
	12:57	The tempo really is lightning quick here with the puck bouncing from one end to another, and Jokerit do look satisfied to wait for pacy breakaways to make their move!
	10:24	That time would have helped Salavat settle into the game more, however Jokerit do once again have five players on the ice
	09:33	Ilkka Heikkinen receives at the blue line, dumps in looking for someone to make a telling deflection, and the netminder shows sharp reactions to catch
	08:24	The referee has his arm up and this time it's for a Jokerit offence, as for hooking Tomi Maki has been handed a two minute minor
	06:36	Syomin! Dmitriy Syomin hits the puck with serious force, and after a sharp deflection it's kicked out of the crease! Salavat have responded excellently to falling behind!
	04:03	However immediately it could, and should, have been a tied game! With his defence nowhere Riku Helenius watches Arturs Kulda's wrister smack off his right hand post! He was helpless there!
	03:52	Goal for Jokerit! It's the high flying Finnish visitors who make the breakthrough! A huge rebound off a slapper from distance falls on to the doorstep, and TOMI HUHTALA roofs the puck in! Powerplay goal and it's 0:1! Assists- Ryan Gunderson and Niko Kapanen
	02:59	We already have the first penalty of the day and it's gone against Salavat Yulaev, as forward Alexander Mereskin has been called for tripping while attacking
	02:21	Jokerit goaltender Riku Helenius hasn't had a touch of the puck yet, his teammates in front of him are doing a good job of keeping the danger in front of the slot
	00:23	In the opening attack of the game Ryan Gunderson winds up at the blue line, and through traffic Leland Irving does well to glove it and cover
	00:21	Here we go! Salavat need to re cooperate in front of their home fans inside the Ufa Arena!
	00:01	Game started.
		The teams are now skating out on to the ice, and after the Russian and Finnish national anthems we'll be getting underway!
		Starting lineups: Salavat Yulaev Ufa: Irving (Sokhatskiy)- Kulda, Heikkinen, Khlystov, Tolpeko, Glukhov- Zubarev, Vishnevskiy, Makarov, Syomin, Hartikainen- Koltsov, Kutuzov, Pihlstrom, Kaygorodov, Skachkov- Golovanov, Mereskin, Dubrovskiy, Mitrofanov Jokerit Helsinki: Helenius (Karlsson)- Vaananen, Gunderson, Hagman, Kapanen, Huhtala- Korpikari, Todd, Wirtanen, Rita, Sallinen- Ohtamaa, Peltola, Moses, Maki, Omark- Ben-Amor, Sillanpaa, Poysti Referees: Vyacheslav Bulanov, Konstantin Olenin, Alexander Zakharenkov, Alexander Sadovnikov.
		These two have already met this campaign, as Salavat saw off Jokerit 4:2 in Helsinki.
		Today's hosts Salavat have had a very up and down season so far, very rarely gaining any stability at all. They have lost their past three home games in a row to Torpedo 0:6, Severstal 4:5 and CSKA 1:2, while they are still in fifth place of the Eastern Conference on 77 points. Jokerit on the other hand have been impressive in their KHL debut year, and having won three out of their past five they are in fourth of the overall KHL table.
		Good afternoon and welcome to this KHL regular season match between Salavat Yulaev Ufa and Jokerit Helsinki. Both of these teams will be in the play-offs, however it's not yet known with what seed.
		Welcome. Game starts at 15:00.

Commentary by

Shaun Nicolaides

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 4. Huhtala (Gunderson, Kapanen), 60. Wirtanen (Ohtamaa, Kapanen)

Salavat Yulaev Ufa: Irving (Sokhatskiy)- Kulda, Heikkinen, Khlystov, Tolpeko, Glukhov- Zubarev, Vishnevskiy, Makarov, Syomin, Hartikainen- Koltsov, Kutuzov, Pihlstrom, Kaygorodov, Skachkov- Golovanov, Mereskin, Dubrovskiy, Mitrofanov

Jokerit Helsinki: Helenius (Karlsson)- Vaananen, Gunderson, Hagman, Kapanen, Huhtala- Korpikari, Todd, Wirtanen, Rita, Sallinen- Ohtamaa, Peltola, Moses, Maki, Omark- Ben-Amor, Sillanpaa, Poysti

Referees: Vyacheslav Bulanov, Konstantin Olenin, Alexander Zakharenkov, Alexander Sadovnikov

Attendance: 7080

1st period
	02:59
	03:52
	08:24
1st intermission
2nd period
	20:51
	21:56
	22:51
2nd intermission
3rd period
	40:31
	45:31
	45:36
	47:22
	59:57
Final