2015/16 KHL Western Conference Semifinals: 5) Dynamo Moscow VS. 6) SKA St. Petersburg

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

Game 1: VTB Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow. St. Petersburg led off in the first period with an Evgeny Dadonov goal, fueled by Nikita Gusev and Andrei Kuteikin on the power play. Moscow tied it on an Andrei Mironov goal, passed from Maxim Karpov. SKA took the lead back with another Dadonov power play goal, powered by Vadim Shipachyov and Maxim Chudinov. Dynamo tied it again as Daniil Tarasov scored a power play goal, with the help of Alexander Osipov and Denis Kokarev. St. Petersburg gained the lead in the third period with a Gusev goal, helped along by Shipachyov and Dadonov. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Dadonov, Gusev, and Shipachyov. SKA owns a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2: VTB Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow. Moscow struck first in the first period with a Maxim Karpov goal, with a lone assist by Mat Robinson. Dynamo added on with an Ilya Shipov power play goal, powered by Dmitry Vishnevsky and Ivan Igumnov. St. Petersburg got on the board in the second period with a Nikita Gusev goal, passed from Vadim Shipachyov. Moscow replied with a Vladimir Bryukvin goal, assisted by Maxim Pestushko and Alexei Tereshchenko. SKA got one back with an unassisted goal by Ilya Kablukov. St. Petersburg tied it as Shipachyov scored a power play goal, thanks to Gusev and Maxim Chudinov. Deep in the first overtime, Alexander Osipov scored a power play goal with assists from Denis Kokarev and Konstantin Gorovikov. The three stars of the 4-3 game were Osipov, Shipachyov, and Gusev. The series heads west to St. Petersburg tied at 1.

Game 3: Ice Palace Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow and Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg. Moscow began in the first period with an Ivan Igumnov shorthanded goal, going in unassisted. Dynamo added on with a Maxim Pestushko goal, assisted by Vladimir Bryukvin and Alexei Tereshchenko in the second period. Moscow extended the lead as Konstantin Gorovikov scored a power play goal, thanks to Alexander Osipov. Dynamo padded the lead in the third period on a Daniil Tarasov goal, an unassisted goal. This stood for a 4-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Yeryomenko (34 save shutout), Igumnov, and Pestushko. Dynamo takes a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4: Ice Palace Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow and Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg was first to score in the first period with a Vadim Shipachyov goal, assisted by Maxim Chudinov and Nikita Gusev. SKA added on with an Evgeny Dadonov goal in the second period, coming off of Gusev and Shipachyov on the power play. St. Petersburg extended the lead as Shipachyov scored his second of the game, with the help of Gusev, who got a sock trick. SKA padded the lead with a Shipachyov power play goal in the third period, powered by Chudinov and Gusev. This stood for a 4-0 win, with the three stars going to Shipachyov, Gusev, and Chudinov, while Koskinen (25 save shutout) gets an honorable mention. The series is tied at 2 when it returns to Moscow.

Game 5: VTB Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow. St. Petersburg got going in the second period with a Dinar Khafizullin power play goal, powered by Evgeny Dadonov and Vadim Shipachyov. Moscow tied it on an unassisted goal by Konstantin Gorovikov. SKA took the lead back with a Steve Moses goal, assisted by Nikita Gusev and Shipachyov. St. Petersburg added on with a Gusev goal in the third period, helped along by Shipachyov, who got a sock trick, and Khafizullin on the power play. SKA extended the lead as Jarno Koskiranta power play goal, with a lone helper by Moses. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Moses, Khafizullin, and Gusev, while Shipachyov gets an honorable mention. SKA heads home with a 3-2 series lead now. 

Game 6: Ice Palace Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow and Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg dented the scoreboard with a Nikita Gusev power play goal in the second period, powered by Vadim Shipachyov. SKA added on with an Anton Belov goal, assisted by Steve Moses and Joakim Lindstrom. This stood for a 2-0 final, with the three stars going to Koskinen (31 save shutout), Gusev, and Belov. SKA will face CSKA Moscow in the Western Conference Final after their 4-2 series win.