Finnish team finishes off Traktor

Michael Garnett returned to the lineup to take the substitute goalie spot. Other returnees were Dmitri Kostromitin who was put in fourth D pair (he did not appear on the ice at all) and forward Mikhail Mokin who took his place in the fourth line along with his young partners Artem Penkovski and Vyacheslav Osnovin.

Traktor and Jokerit last squared off back in 1993. Back then, black-and-white got a decisive victory over the Finns – 4:1.

First twenty of this game wins the ‘Best Traktor Period Of This Season So Far’ award by a landslide. Traktor dictated the pace throughout this part of the game. Bulis and Penkovski were the first ones who tested their luck. A little bit later on hosts got a PP chance and were closer to the goal than before when Piganovich hit the post. By hook or crook, Traktor finally pulled ahead. Toward the end of the period Kostitsyn fired a decent shot, and Stas Chistov was there to add the rubber into the goal.

Jokerit turned the game around after the break. A minute into the second twenty the evil genius of Traktor whom team management has been wanting to lure to Chelyabinsk for quite a while, Juhamatti Aaltonen, tied this game. Jokerit then seized control, and if it was not for Vlad Fokin, Traktor could have quickly lost even the tied score. After the midway mark Traktor somewhat turned the tables on their opponents and garnered a power play opportunity. Andrei Popov’s shot was marked for a goal, but Jokerit goaltender Riku Helenius was able to close the empty corner of his net. Helenius was there when Traktor organized a heavy onslaught during the delayed penalty as he turned away three good shots taken by the boys in black jerseys. After this flurry, referees left Traktor shorthanded two times in a row, and this led to Jokerit taking the lead at the hands of Ryan Gunderson.

Traktor had two PP chances during the first half of the period, but Helenius was on his A-game tonight. Traktor outshot the opposition in the final twenty, but, unfortunately, was not able to tie the game – not even pulling Fokin could help. In a very good showing, Traktor still gets zero points as it is time to prepare to meet SKA that is currently on a major roll.

Game details

TRAKTOR vs. JOKERIT – 1:2 (1:0, 0:2, 0:0)

Goals: Chistov (Wilson, Kostitsyn), 18 (1:0); Aaltonen (Kapanen, Gunderson), 21 (1:1); Gunderson (Lajunen), 40 (1:2 – PP goal).

TRAKTOR
Fokin (0:00 – 59:17);
Quint – Kondratyev, Chistov – Wilson – Kositsyn;
Khlystov – Piganovich, Ruzicka – Bulis (C) – Panov (A);
Katichev – Atyushov (A), Glinkin – Popov – Kokuyov;
Borodkin, Penkovski – Osnovin – Mokin.

JOKERIT
Helenius;
Gunderson – Lajunen, Hagman – Kapanen (C) – Aaltonen;
Jaakola – Karalahti, Omark – Koukal – Moses;
Korpikari – Todd, Huhtala – Mclean (A) – Rita;
Ben Amor – Hahl (A) – Pöysti.

PIM: 8 (0+6+2) – 10 (2+4+4).
Shots: 32 (12+8+12) – 23 (7+7+9).
Faceoffs won: 22 (5+9+8) – 15 (6+8+1).
Hits: 8 (4+1+3) – 7 (4+2+1).
Shots blocked: 8 (3+5+0) – 13 (7+2+4).
TOI: Kondratyev (24:27), Khlystov (22:41), Quint (21:57) – Gunderson (27:46), Lajunen (25:53), Karalahti (21:41).
PP goals: 0-1.

Referees: Andrei Rogachev, Aleksandr Cherenkov (both – Moscow).
Linesmen: Yakov Paley (Magnitogorsk), Aleksandr Otmakhov (Yekaterinburg).

September 13, 2014. Traktor Arena, Chelyabinsk, Russia. Attendance – 7500.