Traktor suffers defeat in Yaroslavl
First period
Traktor voluntarily left the initiative for Lokomotiv’s taking and played
second fiddle for the better part of the period. Two minutes into the game Aleksey
Kaluyzhny hit the post, and that was the only chance on goal for quite some
time. After the 10-minute mark the business has picked up; Yakutsenya and
Kuznetsov both tried to outdo Sanford with backhanders, but Curtis stood tall.
Loko responded with an offensive flurry that ended in a goal-scoring effort;
Garnett could not see the puck as he was blocked by Anisimov, and the latter
deflected it into the net after Averin’s shot. Visitors quickly regained
themselves and reciprocated with an onslaught of their own; Yakutsenya
miraculously missed the already empty net; then Kontiola fooled every single
one of Loko’s defensemen (and Sanford for that matter), but could not outsmart
the post. The period ended with Garnett’s save after a one-on-one from Trunev. Lokomotiv
hung on to the lead, but Traktor showed they were not intent on giving in.
Second period
Second period began with a penalty for Traktor that did not change the score.
After being back in full strength, Traktor managed to garner a couple of
scoring chances which were all thwarted by Curtis Sanford. Alas, shortly
thereafter Loko doubled the lead – Sergey Plotnikov added the puck into the net
from the crease, thus using a delayed penalty to his team’s advantage. The
four-on-four game middle-period did not change the complexion of the match. Soon
Traktor could pull one back at the hands of either Yakutsenya or Glinkin, but
the former missed the goal while the latter could not outplay Sanford.
Third period
Traktor gave Loko a wake-up call in the beginning of the period when Kuznetsov
pulled one back and brought Traktor right back into contention. Traktor had another
offensive flurry momentarily during which Kuznetsov, Chistov and Quint all had
their scoring opportunities, but the puck just did not find the way in the net.
The closest chance to tie the game for Traktor came at the hands of Glinkin,
but the post of Sanford’s net had another opinion. Both teams then took a small
breather to explode in the closing minutes of the contest. Garnett saved Traktor
on several exchanges after some of Loko’s offensive efforts. Konstantin
Klimontov could very well become Traktor’s messiah, but his shot was turned by
away by Sanford who was truly God-like in this match. The very last scoring
chance for Traktor came about when visitors pulled the goalie, but Chistov was
unlucky once again. In what was an evenly matched game, Traktor suffered a
stinging defeat; next of Traktor’s opponents, Atlant, awaits the team on
Friday.
Stats and details
Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl) vs. Traktor (Chelyabinsk) – 2:1 (1:0, 1:0, 0:1)
Goals: Anisimov (Averin), 14 (1:0); Plotnikov (Anisimov, Kalyuzhny),
27 (2:0); Kuznetsov (Chistov, Razin), 41 (2:1).
Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl)
Sanford;
Kronwall – Flood, Plotnikov – Anisimov – Galimov,
Guskov – Kulikov, Redlihs – Kozlov – Kalyuzhny (C),
Vishnevsky – Pashnin, Chernikov – Averin – Kartaev,
Lepistö, Trunev – Apalkov – Hagman,
Maltsev.
Traktor (Chelyabinsk)
Garnett (0:00 – 59:19);
Ryabykin (A) – Quint, Chistov – Bulis – Yakutsenya,
Belov – Mukhachev, Panov (A) – Kontiola – Kostitsyn,
Shinin – Katichev, Antipov (C) – Popov – Kuznetsov,
Klimontov – Razin, Glinkin – Dugin – Karpov.
Penalty Minutes :4 (2+2+0) - 4 (0+4+0).
Shots: 27 (13+9+5) - 29 (8+11+10).
Faceoffs Won: 35(8+16+11) - 25 (10+9+6).
Power Play Goals: 0-0.
Time on Ice: Kronwall (21:06), Guskov (19:26), Anisimov
(17:59) - Quint (20:48), Ryabykin (20:25), Chistov (18:20), Bulis (18:20).
Referees: Viktor Gashilov (Perm), Rafael Kadyrov (Ufa).
Linesmen: Viktor Tomilov, Konstantin Gordenko (both – Ufa).
December 19, 2012. Arena-2000, Yaroslavl, Russia. Attendance – 9000.