Yaroslavl defeat still haunts Traktor?

Quite a few changes took place in Traktor lineup compared to the bout against Vityaz. For instance, Vitali Atyushov returned to the lineup and took his spot in the third D pair, which prompted Aleksei Vasilchenko to be moved to the top defensive line to accompany Deron Quint; Aleksei Petrov became the seventh defenseman. As far as the offensive lines go, Francis Pare was replaced by Artyom Penkovsky while Igor Velichkin took his spot in the third line.

Hosts dominated throughout the first twenty, outshooting Traktor big time (13 shots against four). For some time, Michael Garnett was holding his own, but even he was unable to save the black-and-white on one exchange; Yaroslav Alshevsky passed the rubber to Pavel Kulikov who fired a one-timer that found the back of the net. Even with the pressure piling up, Traktor stood their ground and was able to recover right before the buzzer. During a power play, Anton Glinkin caught Neftekhimik goaltender Aleksandr Sudnitsyn off guard with a stiff shot to the near corner, giving visitors a boost of confidence as the opponents headed for an intermission.

The second twenty was pretty much even in all aspects of the game. After a quiet portion of the period, Yegor Milovzorov suddenly received a breakaway chance and converted it brilliantly. Shortly after, in a totally harmless situation, Sudnitsyn received two minutes for delaying the game, and the black-and-white were able to tie the game for a second time; the second line struck again – Popov passed, Pestunov scored into the empty net. The game started to pick up some steam, and that led to a confrontation between Grigorenko and Vasilchenko. After the officials got the situation under control, both perpetrators were sent to their respective sin bins to chill and think about what they had done. During the four-on-four play, Neftekhimik once again pulled ahead when Pavel Kulikov found the corner of the net.

Traktor had to turn the game around, which they tried to do from the very get-go. Despite that, there were no noteworthy chances during this period of time. Hosts managed to thwart all the encroachments on their goal and bounced back with another Milovzorov goal. In an attempt to save the game, Traktor head coach Andrei Nikolishin pulled the goalie two minutes before the horn, but except for a shot by Osnovin, there was nothing to write home about. Traktor suffers third consecutive defeat and looks to snap the cold streak against one of the most uncomfortable opponents in Avtomobilist.

Game details

NEFTEKHIMIK vs. TRAKTOR – 4:2 (1:1, 2:1, 1:0)
Goals: Kulikov (Y. Alshevsky), 7 (1:0); Glinkin (Popov, Pestunov), 20 (1:1 – PP goal); Milovzorov (S. Alshevsky), 29 (2:1); Pestunov (Popov, Glinkin), 31 (2:2 – PP goal); Kulikov (Berezin, Milovzorov), 33 (3:2); Milovzorov (Ryasensky, Ivanov), 47 (4:2).

NEFTEKHIMIK
Sudnitsyn,
Kalashnikov – Kosmachyov, Rybin (C) – Nikulin – Mnikhovich;
Berezin – Ryasensky, Ivanov– Polygalov – Milovzorov;
Eronen – Pujacs, Zhukov – Anderson – Grigorenko;
Yevseyenkov – Bryntsev, Y. Alshevsky – Kulikov – S. Alshevsky.

TRAKTOR
Garnett (0:00 – 58:06);
Quint – Vasilchenko, Panov (A) – Penkovsky – Chistov (C);
Kondratyev – Piganovich, Glinkin – Pestunov – Popov;
Martynov – Atyushov (A), Velichkin – Osnovin – Ruzicka;
Petrov, Kokuyov – Kruchinin – Gubarev;
Pare.

PIM: 6 (2+4+0) – 16 (2+14+0).
Shots: 35 (13+13+9) – 33 (4+16+13).
Faceoffs won: 24 (6+12+6) – 22 (7+6+9).
Hits: 25 (7+13+5) – 10 (4+4+2).
Shots blocked: 9 (0+8+1) – 14 (5+4+5).
TOI: Ryasensky (18:39),Grigorenko (18:35), Berezin (18:24) – Quint (22:37), Kondratyev (20:04), Martynov (19:21).
PP goals: 0-2.

Referees: Sergei Belyayev (Moscow Oblast), Yuri Oskirko (Yaroslavl).
Linesmen: Sergei Misyur (Nizhny Tagil), Stanislav Raming (Yekaterinburg).

January 26, 2015. Neftekhimik Sports Palace, Nizhnekamsk, Russia. Attendance – 3000.