Thursday, March 2, 2017

KHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinal: 3) Ak Bars Kazan VS. 6) Salavat Yulaev Ufa

The KHL playoffs are back, and we'll return to the old series-post format. Here's the first game of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal between Ak Bars Kazan and Salavat Yulaev Ufa.

Game 1: TatNeft Arena, Kazan, Russia. In goal: Niklas Svedberg for Salavat Yulaev and Emil Garipov for Ak Bars. Kazan began in the first period with a Jiri Sekac power play goal, powered by Justin Azevedo and Vasily Tokranov. Ufa tied it on a Kirill Kaprizov power play goal, assisted by Linus Omark and Alexander Loginov. Ak Bars won 2-1 on a last second goal by Atte Ohtamaa, via Mikhail Varnakov and Andrei Popov. The three stars were Ohtamaa, Sekac, and Garipov (24 for 25 in saves). Ak Bars has a 1-0 lead in the series.

Game 2: TatNeft Arena, Kazan, Russia. In goal: Niklas Svedberg for Salavat Yulaev and Emil Garipov for Ak Bars. Kazan led off in the first period with a Fyodor Malykhin power play goal, powered by Mikhail Varnakov and Rafael Batyrshin. Ak Bars added on in the third period with a Mikhail Glukhov goal, via Vladimir Tkachyov. Ufa got on the board with an unassisted Enver Lisin goal. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Garipov (26 for 27 in saves), Glukhov, and Malykhin. Ak Bars takes a 2-0 series lead with them on the road.

Game 3: Ufa Arena, Ufa, Russia. In goal: Emil Garipov of Ak Bars and Andrei Gavrilov of Salavat Yulaev. Ufa opened in the first period with a Kirill Kaprizov power play goal, powered by Linus Omark. Salavat Yulaev added on with a Denis Kulyash goal, assisted by Enver Lisin and Denis Parshin. Ufa extended the lead in the second period as Omark scored a power play goal, with the help of Igor Grigorenko and Sami Lepisto. Kazan got on the board with a Fyodor Malykhin goal, helped along by Artyom Lukoyanov. Ak Bars got closer with a Jiri Sekac power play goal, via Vasily Tokranov and Alexander Svitov. Kazan tied it on a Justin Azevedo power play goal, with assists provided by Vladimir Tkachyov and Tokranov. Niklas Svedberg replaced Gavrilov at this time. Salavat Yulaev retook the lead in the third period with a Lisin goal, with a lone helper from Parshin. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Omark, Lisin, and Parshin, while Tokranov gets the honorable mention. Ufa has gained some ground against leading Ak Bars, who hold a 2-1 series lead still.

Game 4: Ufa Arena, Ufa, Russia. In goal: Emil Garipov of Ak Bars and Niklas Svedberg of Salavat Yulaev. Kazan started in the first period with a Vladimir Tkachyov power play goal, powered by Justin Azevedo and Jiri Sekac. Ufa tied it on a Kirill Kaprizov goal in the third period, coming off of Sami Lepisto and Linus Omark in the last minute. Ak Bars answered only 37 seconds later with the winner, an Azevedo goal with a lone assist by Tkachyov to take the game 2-1. The three stars were Azevedo, Tkachyov, and Garipov (12 for 13 in saves). Ak Bars leads the series 3-1 as they head home looking to close it out. 

Game 5: TatNeft Arena, Kazan, Russia. In goal: Niklas Svedberg for Salavat Yulaev and Emil Garipov for Ak Bars. Kazan struck first in the first period with a Fyodor Malykhin power play goal, powered by Vladimir Tkachyov and Justin Azevedo. Ufa tied it on a Zakhar Arzamastsev power play goal in the third period, going in unassisted. Ak Bars won 2-1 in overtime with a Jiri Sekac goal, made possible by Azevedo. The three stars were Azevedo, Sekac, and Garipov (27 for 28 in saves). Ak Bars advances to the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 4-1 series win.

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