Traktor scratch their way to victory over Atlant

Traktor’s line-up was almost completely reverted back to its original look it had earlier in the season; Chistov-Bulis-Kuznetsov and Kostitsyn-Kontiola-Yakutsenya made Chelyabinsk fans shed a nostalgic tear. Third line consisted of Panov, Antipov and Dugin; fourth one was also returned to its roots with Glinkin, Popov and Karpov in it. Shinin and Belov constituted the second pair of defensemen, Razin paired up with Katichev to make the third pair; Klimontov and Mukhachev – the fourth.

First period
Traktor was quickly left with two-man disadvantage, and Atlant could not capitalize fast enough – Mayorov was very nimble on the crease and added the puck into the net. Traktor bounced back momentarily; Andrey Kostitsyn executed one of his signature wrist shots to tie the game. Traktor was firmly in control for the remainder of the period; Atlant’s goaltender Anton Khudobin was holding up quite well though, until Kuznetsov gave Traktor the lead when he scratched and clawed on the crease and successfully added the puck in the net.

Second period
Panov created the first of many period’s goal-scoring chances when he skated through the right wing and took a wrist shot in the near corner; Khudobin was on point. Shortly thereafter Atlant tied the game; Mayorov scored his second goal of the match after a rebound. Atlant followed up with several decent attacks, but Michael Garnett showed he was all in the game and kept the score at bay for a while. However, another defensive lapse led to Atlant taking the lead for the second time in this match; Lemtyugov was all alone on the crease and outplayed Garnett with ease. To Traktor’s credit, they responded with a quick goal of their own to tie the match at three apiece; Kuznetsov flew away in a one-on-one and sent the puck between Khudobin’s pads and into the net. Other highlights of the period include Kostitsyn’s match penalty and Garnett’s stellar save made from the prone position.

Third period
Traktor began the period shorthanded, but showcased a perfect way of penalty killing, giving Atlant almost no chance to create something meaningful in the attacking zone. Then the game really became a back-and-forth battle; Dugin’ shot saved by Khudobin; Atlant hit the post; Kuznetsov’s penalty shot stopped by Khudobin; Garnett’s astonishing glove save; Karpov’s slapshot to the post; penalties for each team minutes before the buzzer. Nevertheless, despite so many chances on both sides, the score remained intact as the fans got a treat of seeing at least another five minutes of great hockey.

Overtime and penalty shootouts
The scoreboard did not suffer any changes, and teams had to resort to penalty shootouts to determine the better man. Despite the lackluster results in previous series of penalty shootouts, this time Traktor got the better of the opponent, hitting two of two. 4:3 – Traktor heads to Nizhny Novgorod for the final match of this away series.

Stats and details

Atlant (Moscow Oblast) vs. Traktor (Chelyabinsk) – 3:4 SO (1:2, 2:1, 0:0, 0:0, 0:1)

Goals: Mayorov (Ozoliņš), 6 (1:0 – PP); Kostitsyn (Panov), 8 (1:1); Kuznetsov (Dugin), 18 (1:2); Mayorov (Ozoliņš), 24 (2:2); Lemtyugov (Batyrshin, Tochitsky), 34 (3:2); Kuznetsov (Belov), 37 (3:3); Kuznetsov (3:4 – game-winning penalty shot)

Penalty shots: Stӓlberg (0:0 – saved by goaltender), Yakutsenya (0:1), Shevchenko (0:1 – saved by goaltender), Kuznetsov (0:2).

Atlant (Moscow Oblast)
Khudobin;
Vishnevskiy – Tyutin, Andersson – Ignatushkin – Zherdev,
Ozoliņš – Semenov (C), Mayorov – Engqvist – Stӓlberg,
Batyrshin – Rukavishnikov, Koltsov (A) – Kablukov – Shevchenko,
Kosmachev – Frögren, Tochitsky – Dorofeyev – Lemtyugov.

Traktor (Chelyabinsk)
Garnett;
Quint – Ryabykin (A), Chistov – Bulis – Kuznetsov,
Belov – Shinin, Kostitsyn – Kontiola – Yakutsenya,
Katichev – Razin, Panov – Dugin – Antipov (C),
Klimontov – Mukhachev, Glinkin – Popov – Karpov.

Penalty Minutes: 4 (2+0+2+0) - 35 (6+27+2+0)
Shots: 29 (9+12+7+1) - 37 (16+7+12+2).
Faceoffs Won: 30 (13+10+8+1) - 30 (12+9+8+1).
Power Play Goals: 1-0.
Time on Ice: Batyrshin (26:06), Mayorov (22:01), Rukavishnikov (21:36)- Ryabykin (25:20), Chistov (24:43), Kuznetsov (23:06)

Referees: Morgan Johansson (Sweden), Konstantin Olenin (Moscow).
Linesmen: Viktor Birin, Aleksey Medvedev (both – Moscow).

December 21, 2012. Mytishchi Arena, Mytishchi, Moscow Oblast, Russia. Attendance – 5600.

Photo courtesy of Atlant’s Press Office