Test before playoffs

A handful of changes took place in Traktor’s lineup compared to the previous matchup against Ak Bars. Vasili Demchenko replaced Michael Garnett in between the pipes. Andrei Popov, Oleg Piganovich and Danil Gubarev were all absent from the lineup; Igor Velichkin and Aleksei Vasilchenko occupied their spots.

Before this bout, our neighbors were unbeatable for four consecutive times during this regular season (1:6, 2:3 OT, 0:2, 1:2 OT). However, there was only one game where the winner was clear cut, which allowed the Chelyabinsk faithful to look at the upcoming game with a modicum of optimism.

The first period was pretty much a fifty-fifty game, with Traktor having a slight edge. After exchanging scoring chances by Timkin and Chistov, the opponents focused on the power game, having accumulated a staggering total of 22 hits throughout the period. The aforementioned Timkin was the most active player in Magnitka, and (we are getting ahead of ourselves here) he was instrumental in the opening goal of this game. But before that, Traktor had three power play chances, two of which were garnered by Igor Velichkin; however, hosts were unable to get any traction going during these PP opportunities. The law of any ball game proved to be true here; Traktor did not score and had to drag the puck from their own net when four seconds before the first buzzer Potekhin deflected a Timkin shot into the net.

Traktor was left shorthanded two minutes into the second twenty; Artyom Borodkin delivered a perfectly looking hit, but some of the officials did not think in the same vein and sent Borodkin to the bad boys’ box. Metallurg did not manage to convert the PP; however, they did just that a few minutes later at the hands of Sergei Tereschenko. Traktor was able to pull one back when the red hot Martin Ruzicka converted a two man advantage, but Magnitka quickly regained the two goal margin as Jan Kovar upset Demchenko from close range. Soon enough, visitors had a chance to seal the deal on this one, but Demchenko stopped a penalty shot executed by Bogdan Potekhin.

Five minutes into the third period Metallurg increased their lead in the power play; Maksim Yakutsenya delivered a great pass to Oscar Osala who lit the lamp once again. Traktor was not to be outdone and pulled one back during the power play of their own; Ilya Davydov scored his first Traktor goal with a terrific one time shot from the blue line. Contrary to the developments on the ice, the game quieted down in the last ten minutes, the only exception being a little brawl between Jan Kovar and Igor Velichkin. Two four, the final score; whether this game was the last rehearsal before the head-to-head playoff meeting remains to be seen, but one can already argue that Magnitka is the team that Traktor should avoid meeting with in the playoffs for as long as possible.

Game details

TRAKTOR vs. METALLURG – 2:4 (0:1, 1:2, 1:1)

Goals: Potekhin (Timkin), 20 (0:1); Tereschenko (Biryukov), 29 (0:2 – PP goal); Ruzicka (Quint), 33 (1:2 – PP goal); Kovar (Mozyakin, Zaripov), 35 (1:3); Osala (Yakutsenya, Brent), 45 (1:4 – PP goal); Davydov (Quint, Bulis), 49 (2:4 – PP goal).
Penalty shot: Potekhin, 36 (denied by goalie).

TRAKTOR
Demchenko (0:00-59:25);
Quint – Petrov, Pare – Bulis (A) – Chistov (C);
Kondratyev – Vasilchenko, Panov – Osnovin – Ruzicka;
Martynov – Atyushov (A), Glinkin – Pestunov – Penkovsky;
Davydov – Borodkin, Kokuyov, Velichkin.

METALLURG Magnitogorsk
Koshechkin;
Biryukov (A) – Antipin, Mozyakin (C) – Kovar – Zaripov (A);
Tereschenko – Batyrshin, Kaletnik – Kosov – Potekhin;
Lee – Malenkikh, Timkin – Brent – Zakharov;
Bereglazov, Osala – Yunkov – Yakutsenya;
Kamenev.

PIM: 12 (0+6+6) – 26 (16+4+6).
Shots: 20 (8+8+4) – 30 (9+14+7).
Faceoffs won: 33 (13+9+11) – 28 (3+14+11).
Hits: 29 (11+11+7) – 23 (11+8+4).
Shots blocked: 6 (1+3+2) – 9 (2+4+3).
TOI: Quint (24:36), Bulis (21:48), Chistov (21:26) – Lee (24:33), Mozyakin (21:36), Zaripov (20:28).
PP goals: 2-2.

Referees: Denis Naumov (Togliatti), Viktor Gashilov (Perm).
Linesmen: Sergei Misyur (Nizhny Tagil), Stanislav Raming (Yekaterinburg).

February 22, 2015. Traktor Arena, Chelyabinsk, Russia. Attendance – 7500.