Playoffs started with a whiff

Since Andrey Kostitsyn was still recovering from his injury, the line-up for the match was identical to the one in the game against Metallurg.

First period
During the starting moments of the match the fans could not quite tell whether they were watching a playoff game as the teams were not rushing things for some ten minutes. Chistov once tried to add the puck into the net during the power play, then Boyd bothered Garnett on two occasions; neither changed two zeros on the scoreboard. Mid-period Nichushkin passed on Dugin from behind the net; Yegor’s one-timer was neutralized by Yeremeyev. Close to the horn both sin bins were busier than ever; Traktor eventually garnered ten penalty minutes in the period, Barys – six. One way or the other, these penalties were the reason due to which Barys opened the score; Brendon Bochensky added the puck into Garnett’s already empty net to pull Barys ahead.

Second period
Traktor began the period shorthanded, but killed the penalty and decided it was time to roll up the sleeves. It quickly gave the home team so much needed goal whenPanov found a niche between Yeremeyev’s pads to tie the match at one. Traktor organized one attack after another; Shinin, Panov and Antipov all missed great chances to pull Traktor ahead. And then, contrary to the flow of the game, Barys took the lead; the aforementioned Bochenskysent the puck toward the goal; Garnettwas blocked by heavy traffic and did not see the puck that found the top corner of the net. Traktor still looked more consistent in their efforts; Glinkin and Popov constructed a great attack, but the shot was denied by Yeremeyev. Nonetheless, Traktor managed to tie the match for the second time before the buzzer; Panov, not wanting to be outdone by Bochensky, scored his second goal of the game. Traktor’s momentum was stopped with a penalty, but the home team once again showcased brilliant penalty killing and later got the power play chance of their own. Kuznetsov was on the verge of scoring, but the bar postponed Kuzya’scelebration plans.

Third period
Barys proved to be a diehard and scored their third goal completely out of the blue; Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev was the author of a goal-scoring effort, even though not without controversy as the referees checked whether the goal was scored within the rules, eventually declaring just that. Both teams took a breather until the minute number 56. Traktor got the power play and should have tied it right there, but Panov’sstick broke in half in the most inopportune of times. Traktor kept the pressure on and was rewarded for the resilience; Nichushkintook Barys’ defense on a merry-go-round ride, lulled them in, passed the puck to Kontiola who found Yakutsenya standing in front of the net. Maksim hit the net as the crowd came unglued.

Overtime
Counterintuitively, Traktor and Barys showed open hockey in the overtime. Two minutes into, Bulis missed the goal by a lick of paint; then Kontiolacould not outplay Yeremeyev from close range. Barys responded with Rudenkothreatening Traktor’s net; Garnettneutralized that threat. A bit later on Traktor’s third line could have sealed the deal, but neither of the forwards managed to pocket the win for the home team. Traktor then successfully killed another penalty, but the last word was Barys’; Starchenko utilized a minor negligence by Traktor’s D-men to give Barys the advantage in the series – 1:0.

Stats and details

Traktor vs. Barys – 3:4 OT (0:1, 2:1, 1:1, 0:1)

Goals: Bochensky (Savchenko), 19 (0:1 – PP); Panov (Chistov), 25 (1:1); Bochensky (Savchenko, Rudenko), 31 (1:2); Panov (Vasilchenko, Kontiola), 35 (2:2); Krasnoslobodtsev, 44 (2:3); Yakutsenya (Nichushkin, Kontiola), 59 (3:3); Starchenko (Rudenko), 75 (3:4).

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

Barys (Astana, Kazakhstan)
Yeremeyev;
Litvinenko (A) – Savchenko, Zhailauov – Poleshchuk – Krasnoslobodtsev,
Hutchinson – Novopashin, Rudenko – Upper (C) – Starchenko,
Troshchinsky (A) – Fadeyev, Dawes – Boyd – Bochensky,
Rakhmanov – Solarev – Spiridonov.

Penalty Minutes: 16 (10+4+0+2) - 12 (6+4+2+0).
Shots: 46 (9+13+17+7) - 32 (12+6+6+8).
Faceoffs Won: 40 (9+8+14+9) - 39 (14+10+8+7).
Time on Ice: Ryabykin (26:33), Kuznetsov (25:58), Chistov (25:00) - Litvinenko (30:03), Savchenko (29:39), Novopashin (26:10).
Power Play Goals: 0-1.

Referees: Aleksandr Cherenkov, Sergey Karabanov (both – Moscow).
Linesmen: Stanislav Pavlov, Aleksandr Sadovnikov (both – Moscow).