KHL
Avtomobilist – Ak Bars 1:2 (end)
final
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
1:2 (0:0, 0:2, 1:0)
Ak Bars Kazan
Wednesday 04.03.2015, 14:30 • Uralets Arena • KHL
     
    There is the final buzzer, and Ak Bars Kazan have taken a huge 3:1 foothold in the series with a 2:1 victory over Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg! They showed their class today, and restricted their opponents to very few chances. Dmitriy Obukhov and Justin Azevedo struck for the victors, with Alexey Simakov replying for Avtomobilist. Thanks for following the game with us, and see you again soon for more exciting KHL action! (16:57:11)
     
    60:00
    Game over.
     
    59:49
    Ak Bars are defending masterfully during these final few seconds, and are heading towards a crucial 2:1 victory away!
     
    59:11
    The last roll of the dice has been taken as well now, with Jakub Kovar being pulled for the extra skater!
     
    59:02
    And with already less than a minute remaining Avtomobilist have taken a timeout! It's their last opportunity to come up with a killer plan!
     
    58:26
    The hosts cannot keep the puck inside Ak Bars' zone again, they are pressing so hard but they are struggling to get any shots away! They have began to press maybe slightly too late!
     
    56:29
    The Uralets Arena has taken off now, the home fans are really behind their team! Ak Bars didn't want such a nervy ending!
     
    54:35
    Goal for Avtomobilist!
    That was strange, but Avtomobilist are all of a sudden back in the game! ALEXEY SIMAKOV wrists from a tight angle on the right, and somehow it sneaks over the goaltender and in! It's 1:2!
     
    53:35
    Gleb Klimenko falling on to his knees tries to force it across from behind the net on the right, however Anders Nilsson is first to it. Not an awful lot is going on at the moment, with Ak Bars preventing Avtomobilist from having any real possession
     
    51:26
    Eduard Lewandowski winds up at the point not once but twice, although on both occasions no one can make a telling deflection up close
     
    50:05
    Petrov! That was a chance to completely finish the game! Kirill Petrov skates in one on one down the middle, and can only thump wide of the right post!
     
    49:18
    Nothing was created by Avtomobilist's panicking players at all, and the visitors can now focus on keeping five bodies for the remaining minutes
     
    48:20
    Avtomobilist drift offside, and they are rather angry about that decision as they thought that the puck was kept inside the blue line. Their head coach Anatoliy Emelin looks slightly deflated on the bench!
     
    47:18
    The hosts have been gifted an important powerplay here though, as for interference Ak Bars forward Dmitriy Obukhov has been called
     
    44:56
    A slapper comes thundering in from Sheldon Brookbank, and Jakub Kovar can hand it off to a nearby teammate. Avtomobilist for all of their pressing can't get any shots away at the other end as yet, and their home fans are beginning to become impatient
     
    42:05
    Nikita Tryamkin dumps in from neutral ice, and with no one running on to it Anders Nilsson can easily catch it with his stomach. Having not been called into action that many times today he won't want to let his shutout slip!
     
    41:04
    Kirill Petrov shields the puck with the backhand sprinting down the right wing, shoots wickedly into the near post, and Jakub Kovar is on his game
     
    40:31
    The puck has dropped for the third, and vital, period! Ak Bars are two to the good and comfortable, while Avtomobilist need to up their urgency!
     
    40:01
    Start of 3rd period.
     
    Statistics after the first two periods:

    Shots: 21-42
    Shots on target: 12-18
    Faceoffs: 20-28
    Hits: 11-16
    Penalty minutes: 10-6
    Commentary by

    Shaun Nicolaides

    Goals & lineups Match log
    Goals and assists: 55. Simakov – 23. Obukhov (Burmistrov, Petrov), 30. Azevedo (Nikulin)

    Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg: Kovar (Ustinskiy)- Viklund, Lepisto, Lazarev, Rybakov, Simakov- Metlyuk, Megalinskiy, Mikhnov, Lewandowski, Nesterov- Antonov, Gusev, Golyshev, Emelin, Gareev- Tryamkin, Zhuravlyov, Palushaj, Emeleev, Klimenko
    Ak Bars Kazan: Nilsson (Garipov)- Korneev, Nikulin, Moller, Azevedo, Varnakov- Denisov, Rylov, Lukoyanov, Svitov, Koltsov- Zakharchuk, Brookbank, Glukhov, Vrana, Mirnov- Musin, Paigin, Obukhov, Burmistrov, Petrov
    Referees: Alexey Vasiliev, Alexander Soin, Konstantin Gordenko, Alexander Sysuev
    Attendance: 5570