Traktor started the KHL season with a defeat from Severstal

In the first match of the 2022/23 KHL regular season, Traktor lost 2-4 to Severstal on home ice. The Chelyabinsk team has goals scored by Sergey Kalinin and Teemu Pulkkinen. Also, the general director of “Tractor” Ivan Savin in the telecast of the match announced the club’s agreement with two legionnaires. Canadian goaltender Andrew Hammond and Swedish defender Adam Almqvist are due to join the Black and White squad in the coming weeks.

The coaching staff of Anvar Gatiyatulin had to make changes to the game combinations on the eve of the match. Center forward Vladimir Tkachev and forward Alexei Potapov felt bad. Alexander Podkorytov was called up to the third link instead of Tkachev from Chelmet. Kirill Kapustin and Maxim Shabanov became his partners. The first two links looked the same as at the pre-season Cup of the Governor of the Chelyabinsk region. Emil Garipov played at the Traktor goal.

Already in the second minute of the match, the guests opened the scoring. Severstal’s young talent Nikita Guslistov outplayed Maxim Shabanov and Emil Garipov. But, pretty soon, “Tractor” bounced back. Chelyabinsk captain Sergei Kalinin gave an excellent shift, first working in defense, and then completing a combination of partners with a goal from the rebound.

In the second period, the audience saw three goals in the majority. Unfortunately, two of them hit the Traktor gate. At Severstal, Robin Press and the same Nikita Guslistov scored, and the hosts answered only with a goal by Teemu Pulkkinen. The Finnish striker corrected the puck after a long-range shot by Sergei Telegin.

In the last game segment, Daniil Vovchenko took advantage of the confusion of the second line of the Chelyabinsk team and set the final score. Traktor did not succeed in any last assault, Anvar Gatiyatulin’s team did not even have the opportunity to change the goalkeeper for the sixth field player in the end. Guests confidently brought the match to victory and took two points on the road.

It should be noted that Anton Burdasov, Chelyabinsk striker, did not come out for the post-match handshake and greeting from the stands. It looked strange, because Anton is a pupil of Chelyabinsk hockey, who returned home after a ten-year absence, an assistant to the captain, and also, according to some sources, the highest paid black-and-white hockey player.

– He is a professional, understands everything perfectly. So there is a reason. Let’s check with him – the head coach of Traktor Anvar Gatiyatulin commented on the behavior of the striker.

2:4 – the defeat of Chelyabinsk residents in their native stands. Despite the negative result, the team looked good. The first link was marked by two goals, young Maxim Shabanov and Mikhail Goryunov-Rolgizer were active. Summed up errors in defense and not the most confident game of Emil Garipov. The thesis that the team needs to be strengthened from foreign players was confirmed.

Traktor will also play the next match at home. On September 4, Lokomotiv will be visiting, which also started the season with a defeat, losing today to Avtomobilist 2:4. We are waiting for the “black and white” to work on the mistakes and the first victory of the season.