KHL November 19th, 2014

Five games on today, beginning in...

Omsk, as Avangard hosts Barys Astana. Jan Laco and Konstantin Barulin are given the starting nods. Omsk got going with an Erik Gustafsson goal, via Alexander Popov and Nikolai Lemtyugov. Astana tied it on a Roman Savchenko power play goal in the third period, powered by Talgat Zhailauov and Konstantin Pushkaryov. In the shootout, Avangard won 2-1 with a lone tally by Chad Kolarik. The three stars went to Laco (51 for 52 in saves), Kolarik, and Barulin (25 for 26 in saves).

Westward to Yaroslavl, as Lokomotiv welcomes Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ville Kolppanen and Curtis Sanford protect the nets. Yaroslavl began in the first period with an Emil Galimov goal, courtesy of Geoff Platt and Sergei Konkov. Lokomotiv added on in the second period as Kirill Kapustin scored, thanks to Vitaly Vishnevsky and Sergei Plotnikov. Yaroslavl extended the lead with a Plotnikov goal, guided in by Janis Sprukts and Mikhail Pashnin. Nizhnekamsk got on the board in the third period with a power play goal by Dan Sexton, powered by Stanislav Kalashnikov. Lokomotiv shot back on a Daniil Apalkov power ply goal, assisted by Staffan Kronwall and Yegor Averin. Neftekhimik pulled back on a shorthanded and unassisted Igor Polygalov goal. This made it 4-2, with the three stars going to Plotnikov, Sanford (30 for 32 in saves), and Apalkov.

Down in Podolsk, Vityaz hosts Lada Togliatti. Ilya Ezhov and Harri Sateri are the masked men. Togliatti dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Andrei Nikitenko goal, assisted by Semyon Valuisky and Anton Shenfeld. Lada added on in the third period with a Georgy Belousov goal, with a lone assist by Shenfeld. This made it 2-0, the final, with the three stars going to Ezhov (29 save shutout), Shenfeld, and Sateri (44 for 46 in saves).

North to Finland, as Jokerit Helsinki brings in SKA St. Petersburg. Alexander Salak and Henrik Karlsson are in the blue paint. Helsinki led off in the first period on a Steve Moses goal, made possible by Linus Omark and Jere Karalahti. Jokerit added on with a Petteri Wirtanen goal, passed from Eetu Poysti and Ville Lajunen. Helsinki extended the lead as Moses scored his second of the game, with the help of Karalahti and Omark. St. Petersburg got on the board in the third period with an Artemy Panarin goal, guided in by Tony Martensson and Roman Cervenka. This only made it 3-1, with the three stars belonging to Moses, Karlsson (31 for 32 in saves), and Karalahti, while Omark gets an honorable mention.

Finally, Dinamo Riga hosts Slovan Bratislava. Johan Backlund and Jakub Sedlacek are between the pipes. Dinamo won 1-0 with a lone tally in the shootout with a Linus Videll tally. The three stars went to Sedlacek (28 save shutout), Backlund (26 save "shutout"), and Videll.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL November 19th, 2014

Two games tonight, beginning in...

Edmonton, as the Oilers host the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller faces a lesser foe in Ben Scrivens in goal. Vancouver started in the first period with a shorthanded goal by Jannik Hansen, his fourth of the season, set up by Shawn Matthias. The Canucks added on with a second period power play goal by Radim Vrbata, his seventh of the year, powered by Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. Edmonton got on the board with a Steven Pinizzotto goal, going in unassisted. Vancouver shot back with a Chris Higgins goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Nick Bonino. The Oilers pulled back with a Teddy Purcell goal, his third of the year, coming off of Mark Arcobello on the power play. Edmonton tied it as Boyd Gordon scored his third of the season, thanks to Matt Hendricks and Pinizzotto. The Canucks took the lead back with another power play goal by Vrbata, his second of the game and eighth of the year, assisted by Yannick Weber and Daniel Sedin. The Oilers retied it in the third period on an Andrew Ference goal, via Justin Schultz and Taylor Hall. Vancouver won 5-4 on a Weber goal, passed from Daniel Sedin, who got a sock trick, and Henrik Sedin. The three stars were awarded to Vrbata, Daniel Sedin, and Weber, while Pinizzotto and Henrik Sedin get the honorable mentions.

Back east, the other game has the New York Rangers host the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Cam Talbot receive the starting nods. New York opened in the first period on a Kevin Klein goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by Carl Hagelin. The Rangers added on in the second period with a Rick Nash power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Martin St. Louis and Derek Stepan. This produced the eventual 2-0 final, with the three stars going to Talbot (31 save shutout), Klein, and Nash.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL November 19th, 2014

Four games on today, beginning with...

Severstal Cherepovets hosting CSKA Moscow. Kevin Lalande and Jakub Stepanek are the masked men. Moscow started in the first period with a shorthanded goal by Vladimir Zharkov, set up by Andrei Stas. CSKA added on in the third period as Igor Grigorenko scored a power play goal, powered by Nikita Zaitsev and Alexander Radulov. Moscow extended the lead with a Stas goal, via Igor Volkov and Alexei Bondarev. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars going to Stas, Lalande (26 save shutout), and Zharkov.

Down in Sochi, the Leopards welcome Traktor Chelyabinsk. Michael Garnett and Tomas Popperle are in the creases. Sochi dented the scoreboard with a second period goal by Max Warn, via Roman Lyuduchin and Ryan Whitney. The Leopards added on as Evgeny Lapenkov scored, thanks to Andre Petersson and Whitney. Sochi extended the lead with a Petersson power play goal, powered by Nikita Shchitov. The Leopards padded the lead with a shorthanded goal by Igor Ignatushkin, set up by Ilya Krikunov. Vasily Demchenko replaced Garnett for the third period. Chelyabinsk got on the board in the third period on a Martin Ruzicka goal, with a lone assist from Anton Glinkin. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Petersson, Popperle (24 for 25 in saves), and Whitney.

Back in Moscow, Dynamo brings in Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Mikhail Biryukov and Alexander Lazushin are set to start. Khanty-Mansiysk opened in the first period on an unassisted Igor Bortnikov goal. Moscow tied it in the second period with a Maxim Karpov goal, assisted by Dmitry Vishnevsky and Alexei Tsvetkov. Dynamo took the lead on a Denis Kokarev goal, passed from Tsvetkov and Dmitry Sinitsyn. Moscow added on as Maxim Pestushko scored in the third period, thanks to Kaspars Daugavins and Konstantin Gorovikov on the power play. Dynamo iced it at 4-1 with a Martins Karsums goal, fueled by Tsvetkov, who got a sock trick, and Alexander Osipov. The three stars were handed to Tsvetkov, Lazushin (22 for 23 in saves), and Kokarev.

Finally, Medvescak Zagreb hosts Dinamo Minsk. Danny Taylor and Calvin Heeter are the North American goalies. Zagreb began in the first period on a Pascal Pelletier power play goal, powered by Martin St. Pierre and Brandon Segal. Minsk tied it on a Charles Linglet power play goal, passed from Ryan Vesce and Matt Ellison. Dinamo took the lead in the second period with a Dmitry Meleshko goal, assisted by Artur Gavrus and Alexander Kulakov. Minsk added on in the third period on a Gavrus goal, with a lone assist by Lukas Krajicek. Medvescak got one back with a Segal goal, guided in by Patrick Bjorkstrand and Mark Popovic. Dinamo shot back with an empty net goal by Vesce, set up by Linglet. Minsk iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal from Alexander Materukhin, with assists from Alexei Kalyuzhny and Ellison. The three stars were given to Linglet, Gavrus, and Vesce, while Ellison and Segal get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL November 18th, 2014

Eleven games today, beginning in...

Boston, as the Bruins host the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Tuukka Rask man the creases. Boston led off in the first period on an unassisted Patrice Bergeron goal, his fifth of the season. The Bruins added on with a Torey Krug goal, his third of the year, guided in by Matt Bartkowski and Loui Eriksson. This held up for a 2-0 win, with the three stars being Rask (33 save shutout), Bergeron, and Krug.

Down on Long Island, the New York Islanders welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Evgeni Nabokov and Jaroslav Halak are set to start. Tampa Bay started in the first period with an Alex Killorn goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Jason Garrison and Jonathan Drouin. New York tied it on a second period shorthanded goal by Cal Clutterbuck, his second of the year, going in unassisted. The Islanders took the lead with a Mikhail Grabovski goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo. New York added on as Ryan Strome scored his third of the year, thanks to Calvin de Haan. The Islanders extended the lead on a Brock Nelson power play goal in the third period, his ninth of the season, powered by Lubomir Visnovsky and Nielsen. The Lightning got one back with an Ondrej Palat goal, his fifth of the year, via Matthew Carle and Nikita Kucherov. New York finished it at 5-2 on a Casey Cizikas goal, his second of the campaign, fueled by Okposo and Nelson. The three stars went to Nelson, Nielsen, and Okposo.

West to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Sergei Bobrovsky protect the nets. Detroit began in the first period on a Tomas Tatar goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Jonathan Ericsson and Brendan Smith. The Red Wings added on in the second period on a Gustav Nyquist power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Justin Abdelkader and Johan Franzen. Detroit extended the lead with a third period Tomas Jurco goal, coming off of Danny DeKeyser and Riley Sheahan on the power play. The Red Wings padded the lead on a Sheahan goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Smith and Tatar. Detroit iced it at 5-0 with a Darren Helm goal, his second of the year, assisted by Jurco and Daniel Cleary. The three stars went to Howard (28 save shutout), Tatar, and Sheahan, while Jurco and Smith get the honorable mentions.

Back east, the Buffalo Sabres host the San Jose Sharks. Troy Grosenick and Michal Neuvirth receive the starting nods, but Jhonas Enroth took over in the second period. Buffalo got going in the second period on a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, his second of the season, assisted by Cody McCormick and Rasmus Ristolainen. San Jose tied it on a Brent Burns power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. The Sabres retook the lead as Brian Gionta scored, with the help of Brian Flynn and Tyler Myers. Buffalo added on with a Flynn goal, his second of the campaign, courtesy of Gionta and Mike Weber. The Sabres iced it at 4-1 with a Gionta empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by Myers and Andrej Meszaros. The three stars went to Gionta, Flynn, and Myers.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Carey Price guard the cages. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period on an unassisted Beau Bennett goal. The Penguins added on as Steve Downie scored his third of the season, thanks to Kris Letang and Bennett. Pittsburgh extended the lead with a Brandon Sutter goal in the second period, his fifth of the year, coming off of Bennett and Downie. The Penguins padded the lead as Sidney Crosby scored his eighth of the campaign, a power play goal powered by Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist. This was all they needed in a 4-0 win, with the three stars going to Bennett, Downie, and Fleury (27 save shutout).

Over in Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Jonathan Bernier are between the pipes. Nashville was first to score in the first period on a Taylor Beck goal, his second of the season, guided in by Shea Weber and Paul Gaustad. The Predators added on with a Derek Roy goal, via Matt Cullen and Ryan Ellis. Nashville extended the lead with a power play goal by Beck, his second of the game and third of the year, powered by Filip Forsberg and Seth Jones. Bernier was pulled for James Reimer in the second period. The Predators padded the lead as Eric Nystrom scored his third of the campaign, courtesy of Beck and Mattias Ekholm. Nashville continued in the third period on a Mike Ribeiro goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Ellis. The Predators struck again on a Forsberg goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Weber and Ribeiro. Nashville kept going with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, coming off of Colin Wilson and Weber, the latter getting a sock trick. The Predators got another with a Roman Josi goal, his third of the campaign, made possible by Nystrom and Gaustad. Toronto got on the board with a Mike Santorelli goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by Leo Komarov. The Maple Leafs pulled closer on a Nazem Kadri goal, his fifth of the year, pushed through by Dion Phaneuf and Cody Franson. Nashville finished it at 9-2 with a Wilson goal, his second of the campaign, helped along by Craig Smith and Jarnkrok. The three stars went to Beck, Forsberg, and Weber, while Gaustad, Ellis, Nystrom, Ribeiro, Jarnkrok, and Wilson get the honorable mentions.

West again to Winnipeg, where the Jets host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Michael Hutchinson are in the blue paint. Winnipeg dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Mathieu Perreault goal, assisted by Mark Stuart. The Jets added on with a Mark Scheifele goal, his third of the season, passed from Michael Frolik and Zach Bogosian. New Jersey got on the board in the third period on a Patrik Elias power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Martin Havlat and Damien Brunner. Winnipeg shot back with Frolik fourth of the campaign, guided in by Adam Lowry. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars being Frolik, Hutchinson (21 for 22 in saves), and Scheifele.

South to Dallas, where the Stars welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Kari Lehtonen are the veteran goalies. Dallas opened in the first period on a Jamie Benn goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Vernon Fiddler and Jamie Oleksiak. The Stars added on with a Tyler Seguin goal, his thirteenth of the year, made possible by John Klingberg and Jason Spezza. Carolina got on the board in the second period with a Jeff Skinner goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Jay McClement. The Hurricanes tied it on a Patrick Dwyer goal, guided in by John-Michael Liles. Carolina gained the lead as Victor Rask scored a power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Liles and Nathan Gerbe. The Hurricanes extended the lead as Jiri Tlusty potted his eighth of the season, thanks to Elias Lindholm and Eric Staal. Lehtonen was pulled for Anders Lindback. Carolina padded the lead in the third period on a Staal goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Justin Faulk and Andrej Sekera. Dallas got one back on a shorthanded Cody Eakin goal, his third of the season, set up by Alex Goligoski and Benn. The Stars pulled closer with another Seguin goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, via Klingberg and Eakin. The Hurricanes finished it at 6-4 with Staal's second of the game pushed through by Riley Nash. The three stars went to Staal, Seguin, and Liles, while Benn, Klingberg, and Eakin get the honorable mentions.

North to Calgary, where the Flames bring in the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen faced off against former teammate Jonas Hiller in goal. Anaheim led off in the first period with a Sami Vatanen goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Jakob Silfverberg. The Ducks added on with a second period power play goal by Matt Beleskey, his eighth of the year, powered by Hampus Lindholm and Vatanen. Calgary got on the board in the third period with a Jiri Hudler, his sixth of the season, assisted by Markus Granlund and T.J. Brodie. The Flames tied it on a Dennis Wideman goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Granlund. Calgary took the lead on another goal by Wideman, his second of the game and seventh of the season, passed from Johnny Gaudreau. Anaheim tied it on a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, via Cam Fowler and Vatanen. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Gaudreau and Ryan Kesler cancelled out, and then Sean Monahan scored to win it 4-3 for the Flames. The three stars belonged to Wideman, Vatanen, and Gaudreau.

Back stateside, the Arizona Coyotes host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Mike Smith are the masked men. Washington began in the first period on a Jay Beagle goal, his second of the season, fueled by Jason Chimera. Arizona tied it on a second period goal by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, his third of the year, guided in by Sam Gagner and Tobias Rieder. The Capitals won 2-1 in overtime on an Eric Fehr goal, his third of the campaign, assisted by Brooks Orpik and John Carlson. The three stars belonged to Fehr, Holtby (23 for 24 in saves), and Beagle.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Jonathan Quick tend the twines. Los Angeles got going in the second period on a Matt Greene goal, via Brayden McNabb and Anze Kopitar. The Kings added on a Jeff Carter power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Dwight King and Jamie McBain. Los Angeles extended the lead as Marian Gaborik scored his third of the year, a power play goal, guided in by Kopitar and Jake Muzzin. The Kings padded the lead on a Robyn Regehr goal, assisted by Carter and Drew Doughty. Al Montoya replaced Luongo for the third period. Florida got on the board in the third period with a Jimmy Hayes goal, his fourth of the season, a power play goal made possible by Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad. The Panthers pulled closer on a Jussi Jokinen goal, his second of the year, passed from Vincent Trocheck and Hayes. Los Angeles finished it at 5-2 on a Dustin Brown goal, his third of the campaign, a power play goal with assists provided by Justin Williams and McNabb. The three stars went to Kopitar, Hayes, and Carter, while McNabb gets an honorable mention.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL November 18th, 2014

Six games on today, with the first in...

Vladivostok, as Admiral hosts Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Alexander Pechursky and Ilya Proskuryakov are the goalies. Magnitogorsk opened in the first period on a Denis Platonov power play goal, powered by Maxim Yakutsenya and Tim Brent. Metallurg added on with a Jan Kovar goal in the second period, via Chris Lee and Sergei Mozyakin. Magnitogorsk extended the lead as Evgeny Biryukov scored, thanks to Danis Zaripov and Kovar. Vladivostok got on the board with a power play goal from Denis Kuzmin, guided in by Artyom Zemchyonok and Konstantin Sokolov. Metallurg answered on an Oskar Osala goal, passed from Francis Pare and Rinat Ibragimov. Admiral shot back on an Enver Lisin goal, coming off of Alexei Ugarov and Ilya Zubov. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Kovar, Biryukov, and Osala.

A little west to Novokuznetsk, where Metallurg welcomes Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Jakub Kovar and Rafael Khakimov are in the blue paint. Novokuznetsk began in the first period with an unassisted goal by Sergei Sentyurin. Yekaterinburg tied it on a Sami Lepisto goal, coming off of Alexei Simakov and Anton Lazarev. Metallurg took the lead back with a power play goal by Mark Skutar in the second period, powered by Evgeny Belokhvostikov and Alexander Komaristy. Novokuznetsk added on with Komaristy's unassisted goal. Avtomobilist got one back on a Gilbert Brule goal, fueled by Simakov and Lazarev. Yekaterinburg tied it in the third period on a Vladislav Yegin goal, made possible by Sergei Yemelin and Artyom Gareyev. Avtomobilist took the lead with an Alexander Bumagin. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars being Yegin, Simakov, and Lazarev.

Close by in Novosibirsk, Sibir brings in Ak Bars Kazan. Anders Nilsson and Mikko Koskinen guard the cages. Novosibirsk led off in the first period with a Dmitry Kugryshev power play goal, with a lone assist by Igor Ozhiganov. Sibir added on with a Jarno Koskiranta power play goal, powered by Kugryshev and Jonas Enlund. Novosibirsk extended the lead in the second period as Koskiranta scored his second of the game, thanks to Maxim Ignatovich and Kugryshev. Sibir padded the lead on a Stepan Sannikov goal, assisted by Patrik Hersley and Konstantin Alexeyev. Kazan got on the board with a shorthanded goal in the third period by Vladimir Tkachyov, set up by Vladimir Denisov. Novosibirsk shot back on a Koskiranta power play goal, helped along by Enlund. Sibir iced it at 6-1 with a power play goal by Dmitry Monya, via Vyacheslav Belov and Ozhiganov. The three stars went to Koskiranta, Kugryshev, and Enlund, while Ozhiganov gets an honorable mention.

Westward to Ufa, where Salavat Yulaev hosts Barys Astana. Jan Laco and Vladimir Sokhatsky are the masked men. Astana got going in the second period on a power play goal by Mike Lundin, powered by Dustin Boyd and Kevin Dallman. Ufa tied it on a Denis Tolpeko goal, via Alexander Kutuzov. Salavat Yulaev took the lead on a power play goal by Kirill Koltsov, assisted by Tolpeko and Kutuzov. Barys retied it on a power play goal by Nigel Dawes, courtesy of Dallman and Boyd. Astana took the lead on another Dawes goal, made possible by Boyd and Brandon Bochenski on the power play. Ufa pulled even with a Dmitry Makarov goal, guided in by Teemu Hartikainen and Dmitry Semin. Salavat Yulaev took the lead as Alexei Kaigorodov scored, thanks to Antti Pihlstrom and Koltsov. Ufa finished it at 5-3 with an unassisted empty net goal by Hartikainen. The three stars went to Koltsov, Tolpeko, and Hartikainen, while Boyd, Dawes, Dallman, and Kutuzov get the honorable mentions.

Further along to Mytishchi, where Atlant welcomes Slovan Bratislava. Johan Backlund and Atte Engren receive the starting nods. Bratislava started in the first period on a Vaclav Nedorost goal, guided in by Ivan Baranka and Stefan Ruzicka. Slovan added on in the third period on a power play goal by Ruzicka, powered by Michal Sersen and Michal Vondrka. Mytishchi got on the board with a power play goal by Maxim Potapov, with a lone assist by Yaroslav Dyblenko. They failed to tie it, producing a 2-1 final. The three stars went to Ruzicka, Backlund (28 for 29 in saves), and Nedorost.

Finally, back east, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod brings in Vityaz Podolsk. Ivan Lisutin and Ivan Kasutin are between the pipes. Nizhny Novgorod dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Wojtek Wolski goal, going in unassisted. Podolsk tied it on an Alexei Makeyev goal, fueled by Alexander Kucheryavenko. Torpedo took the lead back with a Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev goal, passed from Vladimir Galuzin. Nizhny Novgorod added on in the third period with a Sakari Salminen power play goal, powered by Wolski and Juuso Hietanen. Torpedo extended the lead on an Alexei Potapov goal, via Kirill Knyazev and Roman Konkov. This was good for a 4-1 win, and the three stars belonged to Wolski, Kasutin (21 for 22 in saves), and Krasnoslobodtsev.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL November 17th, 2014

One game today, with the New York Rangers hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Henrik Lundqvist guard the cages. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his seventh of the season, via Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. The Lightning added on as Ryan Callahan scored his seventh of the year, a power play goal made possible by Steven Stamkos and Valtteri Filppula. New York got on the board in the second period on a Martin St. Louis power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Derick Brassard and Derek Stepan. Tampa Bay shot back on a Stamkos goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Filppula. The Lightning extended the lead on an Alex Killorn goal, his third of the season, assisted by Johnson and Palat. Tampa Bay padded the lead in the third period on Callahan's second of the game and eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Stamkos. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars going to Callahan, Stamkos, and Filppula, while Johnson and Palat get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL November 17th, 2014

Three games on today, beginning in...

Togliatti, as Lada hosts Traktor Chelyabinsk. Michael Garnett and Ilya Ezhov draw the starts. Togliatti began with a first period goal by Martin Zatovic, assisted by Stanislav Romanov and Anton Shenfeld. Lada added on with a Denis Golubev goal, with a lone assist by Jiri Hunkes in the second period. Togliatti extended the lead as Alexander Streltsov scored, thanks to Vasily Streltsov. Lada padded the lead on a Shenfeld goal, via Georgy Belousov. Chelyabinsk got on the board with an unassisted Artyom Penkovsky goal. This only made it 4-1, the eventual final, with the three stars being Shenfeld, Ezhov (27 for 28 in saves), and Golubev.

Moving along to Nizhnekamsk, where Neftekhimik welcomes Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Stepan Goryachevskikh and Alexander Sudnitsin are in the creases. Khanty-Mansiysk led off in the first period on an Ilari Melart goal, courtesy of Igor Magogin and Nikita Gusev. Nizhnekamsk tied it on a Teemu Eronen power play goal, powered by Maxim Rybin. Neftekhimik took the lead with a Tim Stapleton goal, made possible by Dan Sexton and Yegor Milovzorov. Nizhnekamsk added on in the second period as Stapleton scored again, with the help of Sexton and Milovzorov. This held up for a 3-1 win, with the three stars awarded to Stapleton, Sexton, and Milovzorov.

Finally, SKA St. Petersburg brings in Dinamo Minsk. Lars Haugen and Evgeny Ivannikov receive the starting nods. Minsk got going in the second period on an Alexander Materukhin power play goal, powered by Dmitry Meleshko and Lukas Krajicek. St. Petersburg tied it on a Jimmie Ericsson goal, passed from Viktor Tikhonov and Ilya Kovalchuk. SKA took the lead as Artemy Panarin scored, thanks to Tony Martensson. St. Petersburg added on with a Kovalchuk goal, coming off of Ericsson. Dinamo got one back on a Ryan Vesce power play goal in the third period, via Matt Ellison. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Kovalchuk, Ericsson, and Panarin.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.