Metallurg extended its winning streak to 11 matches with a victory over Neftekhimik

After the home series, Metallurg went on a short two-game road trip. The first stop on the tour was Nizhnekamsk.

The main changes in the composition occurred in the first link of the Magnitogorsk team. Pavel Akolzin, Denis Zernov, Maxim Karpov, who missed the game with Spartak, took their place in the top three. And Alexander Sudnitsyn, who had previously played in early October, was sent to the last line.

The first period did not bring any goals, but at one point Metallurg was close to opening the scoring. True, the judges, after reviewing the controversial episode, rendered a verdict that the puck did not cross the goal line.

As a result, the score was opened only at the equator of the second segment. Neftekhimik scored three goals in four minutes. First, Bulat Shafigullin, having read the opponent’s pass, intercepted the puck and went one-on-one with the Magnitogorsk goalkeeper. Outplaying him. Then Alexander Dergachev doubled the lead, and Evgeniy Mityakin made it 3:0, casting doubt on Metallurg’s 11th consecutive victory. After the third goal, Sudnitsin gave way to Ilya Nabokov.

Magnitogorsk rushed to save the match and decided not to wait until the next period, but to start a comeback from the second. 30 seconds before the break, the hosts’ goalkeeper was shot through. Egor Yakovlev scored the puck, converting the majority.

Metallurg used another numerical advantage in the third twenty minutes. In the 46th minute, a fight broke out between the players of the two teams. The Neftekhimik hockey player, as its instigator, received 2+5, as well as 10 minutes as a disciplinary penalty. Egor Yakovlev also went to the penalty box for five minutes. Magnitka played in the majority, and Danila Yurov reduced the gap to a minimum – 3:2. And Roman Kantserov finally brought the team back into the game, tying the game 3:3.

Regular time ended in a draw, and it was also impossible to determine the winner in the extra five minutes, so the fate of the match was decided by a shootout. Ilya Nabokov saved all five shots of Neftekhimik, and Nikita Mikhailis was able to beat the goalkeeper of Metallurg.

The result was a 3:4 victory, which became Magnitogorsk’s 11th in a row. The team will hold the next meeting in Kazakhstan against Barys.