Intrigue intensified in the quarterfinals of the Fonbet play-offs of the KHL championship
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In the quarterfinal play-off series “Fonbet” of the KHL championship between “Avangard” and “Lokomotiv”, intrigue returned, as it recently seemed, ready to die. The Omsk club, which started it extremely poorly, managed to fire coach Mikhail Kravets along the way, and lost the score twice in the fifth match, was still able to beat the Yaroslavl team at home – 4:2. His gap in the confrontation was reduced to 2:3. In the fourth match of the other quarterfinal, Spartak beat Metallurg at home – 1:0 – and equalized the series. Now each opponent has two victories.
The fifth match of the series between the Omsk and Yaroslavl clubs, apparently, pleased the eye of the Yaroslavl fan for a long time, inspiring hope that on this day, after the fourth victory, Lokomotiv would find themselves in the semi-finals. He saw exactly the same railroad workers he was used to, who over the past couple of weeks had raised their quotes to colossal heights. Their game contained all the elements without exception that ensured this takeoff – the activity of each of the four links, exceptional density, the desire to complete any approach to someone else’s goal with a throw.
There was nothing new from Avangard’s game, something that would transparently hint at a possible turning point. Well, let’s say the main episode of the starting period did not exactly prove that it had added accuracy. The violation that Reid Boucher committed – in the opponent’s zone, essentially in possession of the puck – was one of those that is equated to a crime in the playoffs. And the retribution for it was immediate.
Lokomotiv forward Maxim Berezkin was aggressive even in equal numbers, constantly getting into the game. But then the goal didn’t work out for him. It came together when his team gained a numerical advantage thanks to a lucky rebound.
But Avangard, although it looked unsightly, although its leaders still did not fully engage, the same Boucher, Vladimir Tkachev, maintained a minimal difference. And in the second period he himself found himself in the majority and waited for luck.
The puck scored by Tomas Jurcho seemed a little suspicious – the striker, of course, did not openly kick it with his skate, but still made some kind of movement with it to correct it where necessary. However, the goal was counted after a pause. And soon, raising the mood of the Omsk team, their already excellent goalkeeper Pavel Khomchenko accomplished a real feat. Martin Gernat fired in touch after a perfect transfer. Khomchenko, having somehow managed to rush from corner to corner, sprawled in the twine, caught the puck in a trap. Apparently, there has never been a brighter save in this playoff.
True, Lokomotiv soon showed that even such miracles could not be a blow to them. Having managed to get accustomed to the fact that he takes rather forcefully, impudently, albeit intelligently, this time he played a combination of amazing subtlety, scattering the entire Omsk five and Khomchenko across the ice with passes. He watched as Maxim Shalunov again brought Lokomotiv forward, already lying on the ice.
But Avangard did not lag behind. Ryan Spooner converted his next power play. And there could be no questions about this goal – it was too clean.
And in the final period, Avangard, which was constantly catching up, suddenly exploded. His third goal was a hymn to the determination of defender Semyon Chistyakov – in a positional attack, seeing a corridor in front of him, he boldly went to the goal and dealt with goalkeeper Daniil Isaev. The second suggested that no matter how enormous the Lokomotiv’s energy charge may have seemed before, it is not unlimited. The Yaroslavl people – this was clearly visible – did not have time to return to their zone as easily as before after the raids in Omsk. And the attacks, given the score, became more and more risky. And then Gernat made a terrible mistake, giving the puck to Spooner out of the blue. The Avangard forward made great use of the gift – he skated behind the goal and made an amazing pass to Boucher. You can’t go wrong with this.
Thus, Avangard, which until recently was heading straight towards inevitable disaster, reduced the gap in the series to a minimum – 2:3. Although Lokomotiv still needs only one victory to break into the semifinals. He can achieve this on Thursday in the sixth match, which will take place in Yaroslavl.
The other match of the evening was completely different in style. For two and a half periods in the battle between Spartak and Metallurg, reliability beat the edge with an overwhelming advantage. There were no heads.
The breakthrough happened in the middle of the final twenty minutes, when Spartak defender Daniil Ivanov threw the puck into the area, and there it was found not by Magnitogorsk goalkeeper Ilya Nabokov, but by Ivanov’s partner Arsen Galimov.
Then there was a wild ending in terms of tension – the assault on Metallurg, Spartak’s chances in counterattacks were ruined. But she didn’t change anything. Having won, Spartak equalized the series score. Someone will take the lead after the fifth match: it will take place on Thursday in Magnitogorsk.
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