KHL November 2nd 2012

Nine games on as we approach the KHL break for November. First up...

Avangard Omsk hosts Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Edgars Masalskis for Yugra and Eduard Reizvikh for Avangard are given the starting nods to play goal. The scoring started late in the third period as Dmitry Syomin scored with the help of Alexander Frolov and Sergei Kostitsyn. Avangard iced the game at 2-0 when Alexander Popov scored an empty net goal, and Kostitsyn and Frolov again recorded the assists. The three stars go to Reizvikh (23 save shutout), Kostitsyn, and Frolov.

West to Chekhov, as Vityaz Chekhov hosts Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The goalies are Georgy Gelashvili for Metallurg and Ivan Kasutin for Vityaz. Vityaz opened the scoring in the second period on a goal by Anton Korolyov, with a lone assist from Pavel Chernov. Metallurg quickly tied the game with a Dmitry Kazionov goal, helped along by Mats Zuccarello. Metallurg gained the lead in the third period with a power play goal by Viktor Antipin, powered by a pair of Sergeis, Mozyakin and Gonchar. Metallurg extended the lead as Evgeny Malkin scored a power play goal, assisted by with the only helper tallied by Mozyakin. Metallurg struck again when Mozyakin scored, with Gonchar recording the assist. This made it a 4-1 final, with the three stars belonging to Mozyakin, Gonchar, and Antipin.

A touch to the north, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Vadim Tarasov Salavat Yulaev and Curtis Sanford for Lokomotiv are in between the pipes. Salavat Yulaev began with a first period goal by Alexei Kaigorodov, courtesy of Igor Milnov and Antti Pihlstrom. Lokomotiv tied it on a power play goal from Staffan Kronwall, and Alexander Chernikov had the only assist. Lokomotiv retook the lead in the second period when Emil Galimov put the puck away, with the help of Artyom Anisimov. Salavat Yulaev pulled even again in the third period as Tomas Rolinek netted the puck, thanks to Sergei Zinovyev. Lokomotiv regained the lead on an Anisimov goal, assisted by Galimov. Salavat Yulaev shot back as Rolinek scored another equalizer, passed from Denis Khlystov and Zinovyev. The game required a shootout to determine the winner, and it was Lokomotiv who came out on top with goals from Galimov and Viktor Kozlov. The three stars of the 4-3 game were Galimov, Anisimov, and Rolinek.

Across the lake, Severstal Cherepovets welcomes in Traktor Chelyabinsk. Andrei Mezin for Traktor and Vasily Koshechkin for Severstal are in the blue paint. Ignat Zemchenko got Severstal started early in the first period with a goal, passed from Nikolai Kazakovtsev and Alexei Medvedev. Traktor tied it in the second period with a goal off the tape of Dmitry Ryabykin, coming from Petri Kontiola and Andrei Kostitsyn. Traktor gained the lead with a goal by Stanislav Chistov, with helpers provided by Deron Quint and Evgeny Kuznetsov on the power play. Traktor added on in the third period with an unassisted Chistov power play goal, producing the 3-1 final score. The three stars belong to Chistov, Mezin (38 for 39 in saves), and Ryabykin.

To the southwest, we head to Belarus, as Dinamo Minsk bring in Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Avtomobilist plays Christopher Holt in goal, while Pekka Rinne does the same for Dinamo. Dinamo wasted no time in scoring first with a first period goal by Charles Linglet, with a lone assist from Andrei Stas. Avtomobilist tied the game when Denis Sokolov scored a power play goal, powered by Alexei Simakov and Stanislav Zhmakin. Simakov put Avtomobilist ahead when he potted the puck, with assists coming from Rastislav Spirko and Josef Straka. Nikolai Pronin extended the Avtomobilist lead later in the period, scoring with assistance provided by Alexei Zavarukhin. Dinamo got one back in the second period as Zbynek Irgl found the back of the twine, and Cory Murphy and Stas were credited with the assists. Dinamo pulled even again as Teemu Laine scored an unassisted goal. The third period went by silently, but overtime was a different story, as Irgl completed the Dinamo comeback with a goal, and the only helper belonged to Linglet. The final stood at 4-3, with Irgl, Simakov, and Linglet earning the three stars.

Way to the east, Amur Khabarovsk hosts CSKA Moscow. Ilya Bryzgalov and Alexei Murygin receive the starts. CSKA found themselves ahead early with an unassisted Pavel Datsyuk goal in the first period. Alexei Marchenko added on for CSKA with a goal, assisted by Datsyuk and Mikhail Grabovsky. Amur got on the board as Bryzgalov was called for throwing the stick, resulting in a penalty shot, which brought on Ilya Proskuryakov to man the net, but it was no good as Dmitry Tarasov converted the opportunity, and Bryzgalov came back into the game. CSKA answered in the second period with Igor Radulov scoring, with the help of Alexander Radulov and Evgeny Ryasensky. CSKA padded the lead with a power play goal by Patrick Davis, powered by Yakov Rylov and Ryasensky. Amur shot back on another Tarasov goal, this time a power play tally made possible by Mikhail Fisenko and Igor Ozhiganov. CSKA replied when Denis Denisov potted the puck, guided in by Grabovsky. CSKA got another with Rylov scoring, via Alexander Radulov and Igor Radulov. The third period saw no scoring, leaving the final at 6-2 for CSKA and giving the three stars to Datsyuk, Igor Radulov, and Tarasov, while honorable mentions belong to Alexander Radulov, Rylov, Grabovsky, and Ryasensky.

Back west quite a bit, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod hosts Ak Bars Kazan. Konstantin Barulin of Ak Bars and Nikita Bespalov of Torpedo tend the twines. Ak Bars got going in the first period on a Danis Zaripov goal, fueled by Konstantin Korneyev and Niko Kapanen. Ak Bars struck again in the second period with Evgeny Skachkov's goal, with a lone assist provided by Kirill Petrov. Ak Bars padded the lead in the third period on a Dmitry Obukhov goal, made possible by Janne Lahti and Denis Golubev. Ak Bars extended the lead as Zaripov scored again, helped along by Kapanen. This ended the scoring at 4-0, with the three stars going to Zaripov, Barulin (28 save shutout), and Kapanen.

To the south, HC Donbass of Donetsk, Ukraine hosts SKA Saint Petersburg. Sergei Bobrovsky of SKA and Erik Ersberg of Donbass are the masked men. SKA was first to score in the first period as Igor Makarov potted the puck, with help from Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Kucheryavenko. SKA added on with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, passed from Kevin Dallman and Dmitry Kalinin. SKA kept going with a Dallman power play goal, set up by Tarasenko and Kovalchuk. SKA extended the lead in the second period as Kucheryavenko scored a power play goal, powered by Makarov. Donbass got one back as Sergei Varlamov scored, guided in by Denis Kochetkov and Evgeny Belukhin. Belukhin pulled Donbass closer later in the period with a goal fueled by Varlamov. SKA shot back in the third period as Gleb Klimenko found the back of the net, and Makarov had the lone assist. SKA kept going with an Anton Burdasov goal, passed from Tarasenko and Kalinin. SKA padded the lead as Kucheryavenko scored, with the assists doled out to Klimenko and Makarov, the latter getting what I call a sock trick (three assists). Makarov continued his strong night for SKA by scoring his second goal of the game, helped along by Kucheryavenko and Klimenko. SKA iced the scoring at 9-2 with a Tony Martensson goal, coming off of Patrick Thoresen and Dallman. The three stars go to Makarov, Kucheryakov, and Tarasenko, while the honorable mentions include Kovalchuk, Dallman, Kalinin, Belukhin, Varlamov, and Klimenko.

Finally, Spartak Moscow hosts their cross-city rivals, Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Yeryomenko for Dynamo and Sergei Borisov for Spartak are manning the creases. Dynamo began with a first period goal by Maxim Solovyov, fueled by Marek Kvapil on the power play. Moscow added on when Richard Gynge scored a power play goal, powered by Solovyov. Dynamo extended the lead with another power play goal, this time by Janne Jalasvaara, with helpers provided by Kvapil and Solovyov. Dynamo padded the lead in the second period on a Denis Barantsev goal, with a lone assist by Nicklas Backstrom. Spartak finally got on the board as Branko Ravidojevic netted the puck with assistance from Nikita Shchitov. Dynamo responded with Konstantin Kasyanchuk's goal, guided in by Sergei Soin and Yury Babenko. Spartak tried a third period rally with Eduard Lewandowski scoring, via Mikhail Yunkov and Radivojevic, but it wasn't enough to avoid the 5-2 defeat. The three stars went to Solovyov, Kvapil, and Radivojevic.

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