Traktor defeated by Loko in penalty shootouts
First period
The match didn’t kick off nicely for Traktor. First Bulis got hit to the head
by Chernikov. It resulted in a combined 2+10 penalty. However, the home team
did not capitalize and soon paid for it – Galimov skated in the attacking zone
and took a shot, and the deflected puck found its way into Garnett’s goal. All
of Traktor’s attacking efforts were futile until the 13th minute
when Panov and Belov each had a goal attempt, but first time Varlamov demonstrated
his reaction; in the other case Loko’s defensemen blocked the shot. Garnett was
also there for his team; Michael’s save after Kronwall’s shot is worthy of
special mention. Four minutes before the buzzer Chelyabinsk crowd erupted when
Karpov utilized Vasilchenko’s pass to perfection and tied the game with his
second season
Second period
The horrendous start of the periods is becoming somewhat a disturbing trend for
Traktor. This time it took visitors one minute to pull ahead at the hands of
Sergey Plotnikov – 1:2. Later on Traktor’s trademark merry-go-round in the attacking
zone once again did not lead to the desirable result. Halfway through the match
Kostitsyn was the ‘name of the game’; essentially he did one good thing (a
wrist shot turned away by Varlamov) and one evil thing (2 minutes for
tripping). Andrey did not go to the bad guys’ box alone though as Kalyuzhny
accompanied him, sent away for a dive. Four-on-four game saw Belov’s spurt to Lokomotiv’s
goal that did not end with a shot. Later in the second Traktor looked better
than the opposition and had a decent amount of scoring chances, but Varlamov
was not in the allowing mood just yet.
Third period
As it usually happens in third periods, Traktor unleashed a hurricane on their
opponents’ goal. It would not be an understatement to say that Traktor could
score three, four, five or even more times. After five minutes Glinkin could boast
about having two sure-fire scoring chances, but Varlamov stood tall on both
exchanges. Shortly after it was Garnett that needed to show his valor when he
somehow turned Apalkov’s shot away with his shoulder. As if inspired by Garnett’s
heroic feat, Traktor rushed to try to save the matchup and eventually
succeeded. Bulis hid his shot from Varlamov, and Avalanche goaltender could
only shake his head in disbelief – 2:2. This was not the end, though. Garnett made a couple
of scintillating saves; Traktor got the power play some four minutes before the
buzzer; Quint was not able to beat Varlamov with a slapshot, as was not Maksim
Yakutsenya. As a result, the match headed into overtime.
Overtime and penalty shootouts
The only goal-scoring chance of the overtime was created by Yakutsenya who
could single-handedly give his tean the win, but the post had another opinion
on it. Thus the match was decided in penalty shootouts where Kruchinin was the
only man to score. 2:3 – Lokomotiv moves into second place in overall league
standings, while Traktor slips
Stats and details
Traktor (Chelyabinsk) vs. Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl) – 2:3 SO (1:1, 0:1, 1:0, 0:0,
0:1).
Goals: Galimov (Amirov), 6 (0:1 – power play); Karpov (Vasilchenko), 16 (1:1); Plotnikov (Averin, Guskov), 22 (1:2); Bulis (Vasilchenko), 53 (2:2); Kruchinin, 65 (2:3 – winning penalty shot).
Penalty Shots: Kalyuzhny (0:0 – saved by Garnett), Kontiola
(0:0 – saved by Varlamov), Apalkov (0:0 – saved by Garnett), Kostitsyn (0:0 – missed),
Hagman (0:0 – saved by Garnett), Yakutsenya (0:0 – saved by Varlamov), Kontiola
(0:0 – saved by Varlamov), Galimov (0:0 – missed), Chistov (0:0 – missed), Kruchinin
(0:1).
Traktor (Chelyabinsk)
Garnett;
Quint – Ryabykin (A), Chistov – Bulis – Antipov (C),
Belov – Vasilchenko, Yakutsenya – Kontiola – Kostitsyn,
Razin – Katichev, Panov (A) – Sayustov – Suglobov,
Nesterov, Glinkin – Popov – Karpov.
Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl)
Varlamov;
Kronwall – Amirov, Hagman – Kalyuzhny (C) – Galimov,
Kulikov – Flood, Plotnikov – Anisimov – Maltsev,
Vishnevsky (A) – Yakovlev, Chernikov – Petrov – Averin,
Guskov – Kruchinin, Yashin – Apalkov – Kozlov (A).
Penalty Minutes: 6 (4+2+0+0) - 16 (12+2+2+0).
Shots: 39 (10+10+18+1) - 24 (6+8+9+1).
Faceoffs Won: 29 (12+10+7+0) - 20 (10+4+5+1).
Time on Ice: Quint (23:32), Belov (22:03), Yakutsenya (21:30) - Flood
(22:49), Kronwall (20:49), Kulikov (20:27).
Power Play Goals: 0-1.
Referees: Aleksey Anisimov (Moscow), Sergey Belyayev (Moscow Oblast).
Linesmen: Yevgeny Petrov, Ivan Fateyev (both – Omsk).
October 15, 2012. Traktor Arena, Chelyabinsk, Russia. Attendance – 7500.
