A seven-game winning streak brought Khabarovsk Amur to the playoffs

Neftekhimik lost to Dynamo Minsk and lost all chances of getting into the top eight

That night they probably didn’t sleep not only bandy fans, but also Amur fans. Although the “tigers” are just preparing for the match in Magnitogorsk with the local “Metallurg”. But on the night of February 20-21, the most important game for the Khabarovsk team took place in Belarus. Dynamo Minsk hosted Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, Amur’s closest pursuer, in the race for eighth place in the regular season in the East.

The stakes were very high – if Neftekhimik had won, the Wolfpack could have continued to fight for access to the playoffs; a loss put an end to the attempts of the Nizhnekamsk team to extend the season. Without these points, they simply would not have been able to catch up with Amur. The “wolves” fought like lions, but the “bisons” were stronger. The result is 2:1 in favor of Dynamo Minsk, which won in regular time. Neftekhimik finishes February and packs its bags for vacation, Amur gets its last ticket to the playoffs.

In Khabarovsk, it’s time to exhale, remember the 0:8 in the Platinum Arena against the Nizhnekamsk team and, thanks to them, flying past the G8. There is some kind of supreme justice in this, as well as in the fact that “Sibir” decided to stop collaborating with Andrei Martemyanov, who had led the Novosibirsk team to the second stage of the championship for several seasons, and replaced him with his former assistant, Sergei Krivokrasov, also this season instead of the play- off goes to rest.

It is worth noting that an early ticket to the playoffs for the Khabarovsk team could not have come at a better time. Amur is ahead away series with very difficult opponents. Already on February 22 he will have to cross clubs with Magnitogorsk “Metallurg”, On February 24, the battle in Kazan with the local Ak Bars will end the regular season with a match with Traktor, which will certainly try to take revenge for the defeat in Khabarovsk. It is not at all a fact that the winning streak will be extended. But now this is by and large no longer important.

But there seem to be reasons to extend it – the Togliatti Lada is in seventh place and only 2 points separate it from the Amur. Why don’t the Khabarovsk team try to improve their tournament position? There are chances, but there are also nuances. So let’s rely on the coaching staff to solve the dilemma: is it worth giving all the effort in the fight for the seven if the winner of the regular season in the East is not really determined? Either “Avangard” (Hello to Mikhail Kravets) or “Metallurg” – the teams are still separated by only one point, and they will play the final match of the regular season with each other. How can you guess? Maybe it’s better to save your strength and emotions before the start of the second stage?

Well, a few more words about “Cupid.” It may seem that everything was decided somehow by itself, without the participation of the Khabarovsk team, but this is of course not the case. If it were not for the will to win of the “tigers”, winning the seventh match in a row, and in nine games (also in a row), gaining points, there would be no playoffs. It was this finishing spurt that allowed the Khabarovsk residents to jump into the departing carriage ahead of their rivals, and also a certain amount of luck, of course, as without it.

The management also tried – they motivated as best they could. For example, it entered into new contracts with head coach of Amur, and with forward Alex Broadhurst, which further sets up the team to fight. In general, everyone did well: both the top wanted and the bottom could. After six “empty” seasons, we are back in the playoffs, and congratulations. And by the way, we went there again under the leadership of Andrei Martemyanov. This is only the third appearance in the second stage of the KHL championship in the team’s history.

“Friends, Khabarovsk residents, all fans of our team! I sincerely congratulate you all on reaching the playoffs! I know how much you were waiting for this. All club employees worked almost around the clock to make this a reality. With your help, with your amazing support, we did it!!! Many thanks to all of you and our leadership in the person of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Governor of the Khabarovsk Territory Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev and the President of the club, First Vice-Governor Alexander Alexandrovich Nikitin. Your support is invaluable! Respect and gratitude to our entire team, led by Andrei Alekseevich Martemyanov. The season turned out to be difficult, but at the right moment the guys managed to pull themselves together and complete the task. Well done! Now emotions are overflowing, you can give them free rein, but this is only the first step. Now our goal is to make some noise in the playoffs. We are starting to prepare for this,” he shared his emotions in his Telegram channel Roman Kramar, General Director of HC Amur.

Well, we won’t forgive you for “making some noise in the playoffs”, but for now We’re finishing the regular season and we begin to prepare for the first round of the fight for survival.

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