KHL
SKA St. Petersburg – Ak Bars 1:2 (end)
final
SKA St. Petersburg
1:2 (1:0, 0:0, 0:2)
Ak Bars Kazan
Wednesday 15.04.2015, 18:30 • The Saint Petersburg Ice Palace • KHL
     
    There is the final buzzer, and HC Ak Bars Kazan have taken the third game 2:1 against SKA Saint Petersburg away! That takes the series score back to 2:1 in SKA's favour, and it makes for a nervy next few games. Evgeniy Medvedev and Alexander Svitov netted for the victors, with Tony Martensson replying for SKA. Thanks for following the game with us, and see you again soon for more thrilling KHL action! (20:51:17)
     
    60:00
    Game over.
     
    59:41
    And as they come back to full strength a timeout has been called by SKA, and at the same time they have pulled Mikko Koskinen for the extra skater!
     
    59:19
    Kovalchuk! Ilya Kovalchuk charges into the high slot, wrists as powerfully as he can when between the circles, and is denied by a superb Anders Nilsson reaction save up!
     
    57:39
    SKA have now burst their own bubble though, as forward Jimme Ericsson has let his team down for holding in the attacking zone
     
    56:05
    However immediately after that goal SKA have been given a massively important powerplay! Away forward Kirill Petrov has been punished for tripping, and the wind has been taken out of their sails!
     
    55:55
    Goal for AK Bars!
    Wow, I didn't see this coming! ALEXANDER SVITOV lets go a tame looking wristed shot from the left flank, and it drifts over Mikko Koskinen's glove and in! It's 1:2! Assists- Konstantin Koltsov and Stepan Zakharchuk
     
    55:01
    Oscar Moller's harmless backhanded is pushed away by Mikko Koskinen to the right post, and the alone Mikhail Varnakov fails to hit the empty corner of the net! Had he made contact he would surely have scored!
     
    52:23
    Panarin! Artemiy Panarin winds down the right flank, wrists near post trying to catch Anders Nilsson, however the goaltender is alert and prevents it from slipping through him! The next goal is surely going to prove to be crucial!
     
    48:11
    Moller! The bouncing puck falls to Oscar Moller on the tip of the slot, and his goalbound wrister is beaten away by Mikko Koskinen's body! He will have a big part to play now for SKA!
     
    48:07
    That goal will be a huge one for the visitors, as now they have something to take off from! SKA have to get back on their game again!
     
    46:44
    Goal for Ak Bars!
    Finally Ak Bars are on the board! EVGENIY MEDVEDEV wrists gently from the blue line, and after a number of deflections it finds its way past Mikko Koskinen! It's 1:1! Assists- Oscar Moller and Justin Azevedo
     
    43:20
    Shipachyov! Artemiy Panarin strips his marker of the puck inside the attacking zone, Vadim Shipachyov takes the shot on from the left faceoff circle, and doesn't miss the far corner by much!
     
    41:05
    Having defended excellently two men down Ak Bars come back to full strength. In this third, and crucial, period the visitors have to up their game, with SKA still one up!
     
    40:01
    Start of 3rd period.
     
    Statistics after the first two periods:

    Shots: 26-37
    Shots on target: 14-17
    Faceoffs: 15-17
    Hits: 13-10
    Penalty minutes: 6-8
     
    40:00
    2nd period finished.
     
    39:51
    With SKA knocking around the puck the period is coming to its end, as Ak Bars are still yet to get on the board today in such a crucial encounter!
     
    39:05
    Chudinov! Maxim Chudinov winds up for a huge slapper, and Anders Nilsson fields it with confidence! And yet another silly penalty has been taken by the Ak Bars, with Vladimir Denisov make it a SKA five on three as a result of roughing!
     
    38:25
    The visitors have taken a very unneeded penalty here just as they were finding some more openings, as Artyom Lukoyanov has been called for cross checking
     
    34:51
    Immediately on the ensuing SKA counterattack Artemiy Panarin has a two on one down the left, wrists himself, and he shut down by Anders Nilsson's right pad! The pace is being upped now!
     
    34:45
    Petrov! He was all on his own there! Kirill Petrov wriggles free to the left of the crease, goes upstairs near post, and Mikko Koskinen's intimidating frame gets in the way!
     
    33:59
    Artyom Lukoyanov coasts into the attacking zone from neutral ice, wrists from distance, and under no pressure Mikko Koskinen kicks it well out of danger
     
    31:26
    Despite all of these powerplays that SKA are gifting the Ak Bars cannot create anything, and it's a full strength. Ak Bars simply cannot buy a goal, having not hit the net in such a long time!
     
    29:26
    And the hosts have taken another rather needless penalty, with Artemiy Panarin being found guilty of holding the stick
     
    28:47
    Just like earlier on very few shots are being put on net from either side, SKA are hanging back in defence as Ak Bars are trying their best to force the issue powering forward
     
    23:08
    SKA were solid during those two minutes though, and will be relieved to come back at full strength again
     
    21:39
    Mirnov! Igor Mirnov makes room for himself closing in at the point, takes aim, and thumps against Mikko Koskinen's left pad from a great position!
     
    21:08
    Early on in the period Ak Bars have been handed a useful powerplay, as Swedish SKA forward Jimmie Ericsson has been punished for holding directly under the referee's nose
     
    20:36
    The second frame is underway! SKA have been the more patient so far, and Ak Bars need to change something up to get back into things!
     
    20:01
    Start of 2nd period.
     
    Statistics after the opening period of play:

    Shots: 11-20
    Shots on target: 6-11
    Faceoffs: 8-8
    Hits: 4-6
    Penalty minutes: 2-4
     
    20:00
    1st period finished.
     
    19:28
    As SKA come back to full strength the last few seconds of the first period are here, with the hosts in charge so far!
     
    18:13
    Moller! Oscar Moller skates down to between the circles, wrists with power, and misses the low right corner by inches! That wasn't far away!
     
    17:28
    SKA however have been caught out pressing too hard, as they've been spotted to having had too many men on the ice. Forward Anton Burdasov will sit this one out for his team
     
    15:45
    That goal came one second after Ak Bars came back to full strength, and it's a huge boost for SKA! They will look to put their opponents under serious pressure!
     
    14:07
    Goal for SKA!
    There is that crucial opening goal for SKA seconds after that penalty expired! Maxim Chudinov slaps from the blue line, and TONY MARTENSSON tips it in between Anders Nilsson's legs! It's 1:0! Assists- Maxim Chudinov
     
    12:06
    The referee has his arm up again and SKA have been gifted their second powerplay already, with Ak Bars' Konstantin Koltsov being penalised for slashing
     
    09:33
    Evgeniy Medvedev receives at the blue line, slaps with power, and Mikko Koskinen pushes it away surrounded by opponents. Everyone seems to be waiting for a mistake from one another at the moment, it's promising to be a true tactical battle
     
    07:24
    The puck is worked all over the ice patiently, Vadim Shipachyov eventually wrists from a tight angle to the right, and with Evgeniy Dadonov in the way Anders Nilsson covers! And on that note Ak Bars come back to full strength
     
    05:20
    We do now however have our first penalty of the day and it's against the visitors, as their captain Alexander Svitov has been called for tripping
     
    04:17
    It's been a calm start to proceedings inside the Saint Petersburg Ice Palace, Ak Bars are having most of the possession with SKA settling into the game
     
    01:14
    Ak Bars are the first to get set up in the attacking zone, it's eventually dumped in from the left, and Mikko Koskinen is alert to freeze. He was fantastic in the previous game, posting up his third shutout of these KHL Gagarin Cup playoffs
     
    00:27
    Here we go! SKA are being roared on by their home faithful, while Ak Bars have to win to give themselves a realistic chance!
     
    00:01
    Game started.
     
    The teams are now out on to the ice, and after the Russian and Tatar national anthem we'll be getting underway!
     
    Starting lineups:

    SKA St. Petersburg: Koskinen (Ezhov)- Chudinov, A Belov, Thoresen, Martensson, Kovalchuk- Y Alexandrov, Kuteikin, Panarin, Shipachyov, Dadonov- Khafizullin, Rukavishnikov, Tikhonov, Ericsson, Cervenka- Yudin, Barabanov, Burdasov, Kablukov, Ponikarovskiy

    Ak Bars Kazan: Nilsson (Garipov)- Korneev, Nikulin, Moller, Azevedo, Mirnov- Zakharchuk, Rylov, Lukoyanov, Svitov, Koltsov- Medvedev, Denisov, Glukhov, Vrana, Varnakov- Musin, Paigin, Obukhov, Burmistrov, Petrov

    Referees: Alexey Anisimov, Antonin Jerabek, Konstantin Gordenko, Roman Shikhanov.
     
    SKA finished in second place of the KHL Western Conference, with Ak Bars atop the Eastern.
     
    It has been one way traffic in this Gagarin Cup final, and SKA have taken the first two games 4:2 and 1:0 respectively in the Tatar capital of Kazan. Today's hosts got to this stage by defeating HC Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 4:1, HC Dynamo Moscow 4:1, and then HC CSKA Moscow in a comeback 4:3 thriller. Ak Bars on the other hand had little such trouble, defeating Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, HC Avangard Omsk and HC Sibir Novosibirsk all by a score of 4:1.
     
    Hello and welcome to this KHL Gagarin Cup final match between SKA Saint Petersburg and HC Ak Bars Kazan. This could prove to be the crucial match in the series, with SKA flying so far.
     
    Welcome. Game starts at 18:30.
    Commentary by

    Shaun Nicolaides

    Goals & lineups Match log
    Goals and assists: 15. Martensson (Chudinov) – 47. Medvedev (Moller, Azevedo), 56. Svitov (Koltsov, Zakharchuk)

    SKA St. Petersburg: Koskinen (Ezhov)- Chudinov, A Belov, Thoresen, Martensson, Kovalchuk- Y Alexandrov, Kuteikin, Panarin, Shipachyov, Dadonov- Khafizullin, Rukavishnikov, Tikhonov, Ericsson, Cervenka- Yudin, Barabanov, Burdasov, Kablukov, Ponikarovskiy
    Ak Bars Kazan: Nilsson (Garipov)- Korneev, Nikulin, Moller, Azevedo, Mirnov- Zakharchuk, Rylov, Lukoyanov, Svitov, Koltsov- Medvedev, Denisov, Glukhov, Vrana, Varnakov- Musin, Paigin, Obukhov, Burmistrov, Petrov
    Referees: Alexey Anisimov, Antonin Jerabek, Konstantin Gordenko, Roman Shikhanov
    Attendance: 12171