2012/2013 Playoffs. Series changes the location

First period
The match began at a relatively moderate pace that was quickly upset by Popov’s solo effort that ended on Barulin. Ak Bars came up with something meaningful towards the mid-period when Nikulin was all but ready to fire a cannonball of a slapshot, but the puck did not quite set well on the stick. Despite the home team starting to get more ice, Traktor was holding their own and mid-period got the power play. This time Ak Bars breathed a collective sigh of relief when Kostitsyn almost broke the post with his annihilating slapshot. Ak Bars responded with Kapanen’s solo effort; Garnett did not allow the Finn to open the score from close range. Before the horn both goaltenders saved their teams couple of times, and the opponents headed for an intermission.

Second period
Both teams took a collective one shot on goal during the starting five minutes of the period (in fact it was Traktor’s effort). Kirill Petrov broke the silence when he wrapped around Garnett’s net to miss the corner by a whisker. Traktor’s major misfortune came about mid-period; Glinkin was sent to the penalty box for holding, and Denis Kulyash, known for his devastating slapshot, tried twice to open the score, but counterintuitively, it was a modest wrist shot that did the trick; Garnett was blocked by heavy crease traffic and did not see the puck. Traktor jacked up the pace after the goal and could quickly make it a tie game when Kontiola skated throughout the whole rink and eventually found himself one on one with Barulin who managed to pull out a scintillating glove save to keep his team ahead. As the intermission was approaching, Ak Bars scored the second goal of the game; the wily veterans Morozov and Zaripov executed a simple yet effective combo to double Ak Bars’ lead.

Third period
Both teams were on a hop at the top of the period; Zaripov and Popov exchanged goal-scoring chances for an entrée. Then Razin was left puckless when he was full speed ahead towards Ak Bars’ goal. The home team retaliated with a sharp shot by Kapanen narrowly turned away by Garnett. Then it was Yakutsenya’s time in the spotlight; Maksim moved to the crease and was ready to hit the net, but was stopped by Barulin at the last fracture of a second. Nonetheless, Traktor was rewarded for their desire to fight until the bitter end; Jan Bulis took a brilliant wrist shot to pull one back. Much to the chagrin or Traktor faithful, their favorites were left shorthanded momentarily, and Ak Bars capitalized on the chance as Jarkko Immonen did not leave Garnett any chance. Ak Bars is 2-0 as both teams pack their bags and head to meteorite capital of the world, Chelyabinsk.

Stats and details

Ak Bars vs. Traktor – 3:1 (0:0, 2:0, 1:1)

Goals: Kulyash (Medvedev, Pesonen), 33 (1:0 – PP); Zaripov (Morozov, Kapanen), 39 (2:0); Bulis (Belov, Kuznetsov), 53 (2:1); Immonen (Medvedev, Pesonen), 56 (3:1 – PP).

Ak Bars (Kazan)
Barulin;
Korneyev – Nikulin, Zaripov – Kapanen – Morozov (C),
Medvedev – Kulyash, Pesonen – Immonen – Obukhov,
Zakharchuk – Khomitsky, Lukoyanov – Tereshchenko – Petrov,
Zherdev – Bodrov – Golubev.

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

Penalty Minutes: 6 (2+0+4) - 10 (0+2+8)
Shots: 34 (12+6+16) - 22 (7+8+7).
Faceoffs Won: 41 (8+16+17) - 25 (12+4+9).
Time on Ice: Nikulin (28:35), Korneyev (25:21), Medvedev (21:38) - Ryabykin (25:17), Quint (24:51), Kuznetsov (19:01).
Power Play Goals: 2-0.

Referees: Aleksey Anisimov (Moscow), Viktor Gashilov (Perm).
Linesmen: Viktor Birin, Aleksey Medvedev (both – Moscow).

March 24, 2013. Tatneft Arena, Kazan, Russia. Attendance – 6730.

Photo courtesy of Ak Bars’ Press Office