Saturday, February 18, 2017

KHL 2016/17 - Day 161 Regular Season Finale

Twelve games wrap up the KHL regular season, setting the playoff field for the next two months or so. We begin with...

Salavat Yulaev Ufa hosting Lada Togliatti. Ilya Ezhov and Niklas Svedberg earn the starts in goal. Togliatti opened in the first period with a Denis Zernov goal, via Georgy Belousov and Kristaps Sotnieks. Ufa tied it in the second period with a power play goal by Sami Lepisto, powered by Igor Grigorenko. Lada took the lead back with a Stanislav Bocharov goal, helped along by Viktor Komarov. Andrei Gavrilov relieved Svedberg at this time. Salavat Yulaev tied it again on a Maxim Mayorov goal, with a lone assist by Evgeny Korotkov. Ufa took the lead with a third period Stanislav Gareyev goal, passed from Mikhail Vorobyov and Mikhail Kotlyarevsky. Salavat Yulaev iced it at 4-2 with an unassisted empty net goal by Denis Kulyash. The three stars were Gareyev, Mayorov, and Lepisto.

Next up, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg welcomes Sibir Novosibirsk. Danny Taylor and Vladimir Sokhatsky are the goalies. Novosibirsk got going in the second period with a Yegor Milovzorov goal, assisted by Maxim Shalunov. Yekaterinburg tied it in the third period with an unassisted Anatoly Golyshev goal. Sibir won 2-1 in the shootout with a Stepan Sannikov tally. The three stars were Taylor (33 for 34 in saves), Milovzorov, and Sokhatsky (29 for 30 in saves).

Down in Kazakhstan, Barys Astana brings in Avangard Omsk. Denis Kostin is mismatched with Henrik Karlsson in goal. Omsk started in the first period with an Ilya Mikheyev goal, fueled by Valentin Pyanov. Avangard added on in the second period with an Ilya Zubov goal, made possible by Pyanov and Mikheyev. Omsk extended the lead as Mikheyev scored a power play goal, with the help of Yegor Martynov. Astana got on the board with a Roman Starchenko power play goal in the third period, powered by Cam Barker. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars being Mikheyev, Kostin (27 for 28 in saves), and Pyanov.

Back north, Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk hosts Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Vladislav Podyapolsky and Georgy Boyarshinov are set to start in goal. Novokuznetsk led off in the first period with a Stanislav Kalashnikov power play goal, powered by Ignat Zemchenko and Evgeny Solovyov. Metallurg added on with an Igor Skorokhodov goal, passed from Artyom Mikheyev and Kirill Semyonov in the second period. Novokuznetsk extended the lead as Semyonov scored a power play goal, thanks to Timur Fatkullin and Skorokhodov. Metallurg padded the lead with a Nikita Yazkov goal, guided in by Andrei Taratukhin and Alexander Titov. Khanty-Mansiysk got on the board in the third period with an Evgeny Kulik goal, helped along by Sergei Kuptsov and Artyom Bulyansky. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars given to Semyonov, Skorokhodov, and Podyapolsky (38 for 39 in saves).

West to Cherepovets, where Severstal welcomes the Sochi Leopards. Dmitry Shikin and Jakub Kovar are given the starting nods in goal. Sochi began in the first period with an Eric O'Dell goal, made possible by Andrei Kostitsyn. Cherepovets tied it on a Daniil Vovchenko power play goal in the second period, powered by Denis Yezhov. Severstal took the lead with a Ruslan Karlin goal in the third period, via Sergei Monakhov and Alexei Ugarov. Cherepovets added on with a Nikolai Stasenko goal, assisted by Vladislav Kodola and Sergei Lapin. The Leopards answered with an Ilya Krikunov goal, coming off of O'Dell and Ivan Vorobyov. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars being Stasenko, O'Dell, and Karlin.

Out in Belarus, Dinamo Minsk brings in Ak Bars Kazan. Emil Garipov and Kevin Lalande are in the blue paint. Kazan struck first in the first period with an Atte Ohtamaa goal, made possible by Anton Glinkin and Alexander Svitov. Minsk tied it on an Aaron Palushaj power play goal, powered by Marc-Andre Gragnani and Fredrik Pettersson. Ak Bars retook the lead in the third period with a Svitov power play goal, assisted by Vasily Tokranov and Justin Azevedo. Kazan added on with a Mikhail Varnakov goal, going in unassisted. Dinamo pulled back with a Sergei Kostitsyn goal, passed from Alexander Kitarov and Matt Ellison. Minsk tied it on a Pettersson goal, with a lone assist by Ellison. Ak Bars regained the lead on an Andrei Popov goal, courtesy of Mikhail Glukhov. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars being Svitov, Pettersson, and Ellison.

Returning to Russia, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hosts Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Alexander Sudnitsin draw the starts in goal. Khabarovsk was first to score in the first period with an Alexei Byvaltsev goal, courtesy of Tomas Zohorna. Yaroslavl tied it on a Maxime Talbot goal, assisted by Brandon Kozun and Petri Kontiola in the second period. Lokomotiv took the lead with an Alexander Polunin goal, via Pavel Kraskovsky and Yegor Korshkov. Amur retied it on a Zohorna goal, coming off of Vyacheslav Litovchenko and Maxim Kondratyev. Yaroslavl retook the lead in the third period with an Alexander Kadeikin goal, passed from Emil Galimov and Vladislav Kartayev. Khabarovsk tied it again on a Pavel Dedunov goal, going in unassisted. Amur took the lead with a Byvaltsev goal, his second of the game, made possible by Ilya Gorokhov and Zohorna. Khabarovsk added on with a Litovchenko power play goal, powered by Zohorna, who earned a sock trick. The final held at 5-3, with the three stars being Zohorna, Byvaltsev, and Litovchenko.

In Moscow, Dynamo welcomes Kunlun Red Star Beijing. Tomi Karhunen and Alexander Yeryomenko are in the creases. Beijing dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Tomi Sallinen goal, assisted by Tuukka Mantyla and Oleg Yashin. Moscow tied it on a shorthanded goal by Denis Kokarev, set up by Konstantin Gorovikov. Dynamo took the lead in the third period with a Martins Karsums power play goal, powered by Ilya Nikulin and Lukas Kaspar. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Yeryomenko (28 for 29 in saves), Karsums, and Kokarev.

Staying in the city, CSKA Moscow brings in cross-town rivals Spartak. Markus Svensson and Ilya Sorokin are the masked men. CSKA began in the first period with a Valery Nichushkin goal, assisted by Semyon Koshelev and Maxim Mamin. Spartak tied it on an unassisted Sergei Shmelyov goal. CSKA took the lead with a Dmitry Kugryshev power play goal, powered by Denis Denisov and Igor Ozhiganov. CSKA added on with a Sergei Andronov goal, coming off of Ivan Telegin and Vladimir Zharkov. CSKA extended the lead as Grigory Panin scored, thanks to Artyom Sergeyev and Zharkov. CSKA padded the lead with a Koshelev goal, via Sergeyev and Mamin. Denis Sinyagin replaced Svensson in goal. CSKA continued in the second period with a Mikhail Naumenkov goal, helped along by Nichushkin and Mamin, the latter earning a sock trick. This made it 6-1, the eventual final, with the three stars going to Koshelev, Nichushkin, and Mamin, while Sergeyev and Zharkov get the honorable mentions.

Down in Podolsk, Vityaz hosts Admiral Vladivostok. Igor Bobkov and Harri Sateri are the solid goalies. Podolsk drew first blood in the second period on an unassisted goal by Alexander Pankov. Vladivostok tied it on a Samvel Mnatsyan goal, assisted by Sergei Barbashev and Andrei Konev. Admiral took the lead in the third period with an Andrei Sigaryov goal, fueled by James Wright and Anton Volchenkov. Vladivostok added on with another Sigaryov goal, going in unassisted. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars awarded to Sigaryov, Bobkov (37 for 38 in saves), and Mnatsyan.

In St. Petersburg, SKA welcomes Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Mikhail Biryukov and Mikko Koskinen are the veteran goalies. St. Petersburg led off in the first period with a Nikolai Prokhorkin goal, going in unassisted. Nizhny Novgorod tied it on a Brandon McMillan goal, passed from Carter Ashton in the second period. SKA took the lead back with a Patrik Hersley power play goal, powered by Pavel Datsyuk. St. Petersburg added on with an Alexander Khokhlachyov goal, fueled by Jarno Koskiranta and Artyom Zub. Torpedo got one back in the third period with an Artyom Alyayev goal, guided in by John Norman. SKA iced it at 4-2 with an Ilya Kovalchuk power play goal, with a lone assist by Hersley. The three stars went to Hersley, Khokhlachyov, and Kovalchuk.

Finally, the regular season ends with Dinamo Riga bringing in Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Andrei Kareyev and Janis Kalnins draw the starts in goal. Nizhnekamsk struck first in the first period with a Pavel Poryadin goal, fueled by Gennady Stolyarov and Ivan Lekomtsev. Riga tied it on a Lauris Darzins goal, passed from Maris Bicevskis and Aleksandrs Jerofejevs. Dinamo took the lead with a Guntis Galvins goal, via Miks Indrasis and Bicevskis. Neftekhimik tied it on a Richard Gynge power play goal, powered by Gilbert Brule and Dan Sexton. The tie went to a shootout, where Gynge got topped by Indrasis and Filipp Toluzakov for a 3-2 Dinamo win. The three stars went to Bicevskis, Indrasis, and Gynge.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0, and prepare for the Gagarin Cup Playoffs, beginning on Tuesday.

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