2015/16 KHL Western Conference Quarterfinals: 3) Lokomotiv Yaroslavl VS. 6) SKA St. Petersburg

As is standard procedure for the playoffs, this post will cover the entire series.

Game 1: Arena 2000, Yaroslavl, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Alexei Murygin for Yaroslavl. St. Petersburg began in the first period with a Vadim Shipachyov power play goal, powered by Evgeny Dadonov and Nikita Gusev. Yaroslavl tied it in the second period with a Denis Mosalyov goal, coming off of Emil Galimov and Vladislav Kartayev. SKA retook the lead with a Jarno Koskiranta goal, made possible by Joakim Lindstrom and Anton Belov. Lokomotiv tied it with a Vladislav Gavrikov goal, courtesy of Stanislav Chistov and Andrei Loktionov. The tie went to overtime, where Yaroslavl emerged with a 3-2 win on a Jiri Novotny goal, assisted by Staffan Kronwall and Daniil Apalkov. The three stars were Novotny, Gavrikov, and Mosalyov.

Game 2: Arena 2000, Yaroslavl, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Alexei Murygin for Yaroslavl. St. Petersburg was first to score in the first period with an Alexander Barabanov goal, courtesy of Pavel Buchnevich. SKA added on in the second period with a Sergei Shirokov goal, passed from Anton Belov and Barabanov. St. Petersburg extended the lead as Jarno Koskiranta scored, thanks to Steve Moses. Yaroslavl got on the board with a Daniil Apalkov goal in the third period, assisted by Patrick Hersley and Staffan Kronwall. Lokomotiv got closer with a Kronwall goal, with assists provided by Hersley and Apalkov on the power play. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Barabanov, Kronwall, and Apalkov, while Hersley gets an honorable mention. The series heads west tied at 1.

Game 3: Ice Palace Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Alexei Murygin for Yaroslavl and Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg led off in the first period with a Sergei Shirokov goal, passed from Alexander Barabanov and Pavel Buchnevich. SKA added on with a Vadim Shipachyov power play goal in the second period, powered by Andrei Kuteikin and Evgeny Dadonov. St. Petersburg extended the lead in the third period as Maxim Chudinov scored, with a lone assist by Dadonov. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars handed to Koskinen (29 save shutout), Dadonov, and Shirokov. SKA takes a 2-1 series lead here.

Game 4: Ice Palace Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Alexei Murygin for Yaroslavl and Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg got going in the second period on a Nikita Gusev power play goal, powered by Vadim Shipachyov. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars given to Koskinen (25 save shutout), Gusev, and Murygin (24 for 25 in saves). SKA heads back to Yaroslavl with a 3-1 series lead and a chance to advance. 

Game 5: Arena 2000, Yaroslavl, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Alexei Murygin for Yaroslavl. St. Petersburg struck first in the first period with a Vadim Shipachyov power play goal, powered by Evgeny Dadonov and Nikita Gusev. SKA added on in the second period with a Pavel Buchnevich goal, with a lone assist by Alexander Barabanov. This held up for a 2-0 win, with the three stars going to Koskinen (21 save shutout), Shipachyov, and Buchnevich. With the win, SKA advances on a 4-1 series win, awaiting a chance to face either Dynamo Moscow or CSKA Moscow in the Western Conference Semifinals, depending on the result of the final series.

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