KHL Championship 2023: Torpedo Ends Spartak’s Winning Streak, Traktor Dominates Severstal

2023-12-26 21:22:30

Spartak’s winning streak was interrupted in Nizhny Novgorod, and Traktor confidently beat Severstal.

Torpedo interrupted Spartak’s five-match winning streak

Torpedo

Spartacus

Continuing the pre-New Year series of games, Torpedo had to try on its 77th birthday to beat the current championship leader, Spartak, on its fourth attempt, which arrived on the banks of the Volga and Oka with a five-match winning streak under its belt. In this regard, Alexey Zhamnov did not make any changes to the composition. Igor Larionov, on the contrary, following the victory over SKA, made changes due to the return to action of Igor Larionov Jr. and Sergei Goncharuk, as well as the transfer of Nikolai Kovalenko to the injured list. Goncharuk took Kovalenko’s place in Alexey Kruchinin’s line, and Larionov Jr. took the position of the third-line center forward, displacing Bobby Lynch to the wing. Ivan Kulbakov took his place at the last stage of Torpedo.

Before the match, the personal banner of Vladimir Solodov, who defended the colors of Torpedo for 13 years and became the first Gorky player called up to the USSR national team, was raised under the arena arches.

The game began in an equal fight and not at the highest speeds. In the fourth minute, Pavel Poryadin missed the opportunity to score the puck twice during the shift, and then the guests were left in the minority. The Nizhny Novgorod team didn’t capitalize on it, but with equal strength they applied pressure in the opponent’s zone, and Mikhail Orlov finished off the puck following Goncharuk’s shot. The Muscovites slowly but surely moved the game into the Torpedo zone, which led to an increase in the number of shots on target, and then the quantity turned into quality: Ilya Kovalchuk scored for the second match in a row.

Sergei Goncharuk, Torpedo forward:
— We began to make more mistakes in the second half of the first period. Why can’t we play with our three? Apparently, someone is holding Voodoo dolls – mine, Nikolai Kovalenko and Alexey Kruchinin. It’s probably just a coincidence. Injuries are an inevitable part of hockey. A black stripe that must be passed so that later it will be white for a long time. We must give credit to Ivan Kulbakov, who, despite the fact that his hand was cramped, played the match to the end and stopped all the shots in the series. I’ve already talked to all my clubs, all I have to do is hit it to make it break through.

The second segment was dictated by the Nizhny Novgorod team, who took the initiative into their own hands, improving both individual and team movement. Each Torpedo unit had a chance to score a goal, but time following time the hosts lacked composure and accuracy in the final stages. “Spartak” attacked much less frequently and did not cause any special problems for Kulbakov in the second period.

Igor Larionov, head coach of Torpedo:
— Some journalists complained that there were few goals. But we can refer to the outstanding performance of the goalkeepers. We made adjustments during the first break and played differently from the second. They became more aggressive, there were more quick passes that cut through Spartak’s aggressive pressure. Ivan Kulbakov had difficulties due to dehydration, but he showed character and kept the team in the game. It’s nice that Mikhail Orlov does the job that is not typical for him – he scores goals from a dime. I’ll ask him where he got it. A strict defensive player who doesn’t invent much, but his rare raids to the opponent’s goal end in success. We planned to play today with the full squad, but, unfortunately, Nikolai Kovalenko is out for at least two weeks. Igor Larionov Jr. changed his visor twice because he has a special one – allowed following concussions in the NHL. A month ago, we sent a letter to Alexey Anisimov that this was a necessary measure for medical reasons, and he approved it. But for some reason he didn’t tell anyone regarding it. The judges mightn’t reach him by phone today. It’s good that during the second period the referees received a call, they came up, apologized and said that everything was fine. I won’t say anything regarding Artemy Knyazev. I turned off my phone at 5 pm and I don’t know what’s going on. All questions to Maxim Gafurov. The deadline is tomorrow and we don’t want to make the wrong moves at the last second. There was a conversation regarding Knyazev, but I don’t know how it ended. A month ago, in a conversation with me, he expressed a desire to come to Torpedo even the next day.

At the beginning of the final third, the guests tried to gain a foothold in the opponent’s zone with control of the puck, and the Nizhny Novgorod team twice dangerously counterattacked. The exchange of deletions that followed did not have much impact on the game design. Spartak’s players had more possession of the puck and were more often in the attacking zone, but it didn’t come to the point of real threats. The visitors had an excellent opportunity to avoid overtime following Vasily Atanasov was sent off, but in the end they only got the opportunity to play for just under a minute on the power play in extra time.

The winner was determined in a series of throws, the only attempt of which was scored by Atanasov.

Alexey Zhamnov, head coach of Spartak:
“Perhaps we weren’t angry enough in the end.” The fact that we gave up the initiative and lost a little pace in the second period was purely due to deletions. A series of shots is not our strong point. But we don’t plan to pay attention to them during training. Hockey players are skilled and must find ways in such situations. Michal Czajkowski received a micro-injury and might not finish the match. Ilya Kovalchuk has not yet fully regained his playing tone. Training is training, but the rhythm of the game is completely different. Through games, Ilya will catch him. I think he will be 100% ready for the playoffs.

#Gagarin Cup

Three Stars

Mikhail Orlov
Blocked four shots and scored a goal.

Vasily Atanasov
Converted an attempt in a series of throws.

Ilya Kovalchuk
He scored a goal.

Highlights of the match

Torpedo – Spartak I 12/26/2023 I Review of the match Fonbet KHL Championship

Yarullin’s double brought Traktor victory in Cherepovets

Severstal

Tractor

“Traktor” arrived in Cherepovets as part of a long away tour, which went quite well: five points in three games. Cherepovets, on the contrary, opened a long home series in December, in which they lost to Torpedo and beat Avtomobilist.

Madison Bowie was absent from Traktor due to illness. Cherepovets have Konstantin Shostak in the infirmary, which is why Dmitry Shugaev was in the starting lineup for the fourth match in a row. However, he does a decent job, and even became the best goalkeeper last week.

Already in the third minute the hosts remained in the minority, but defended the goal. And already in equal numbers, Albert Yarullin opened the scoring with a shot from the blue line, scoring in the fourth match in a row.

Alexey Zavarukhin, head coach of Traktor:
— The first two periods, although there was good movement on our part, we played a little incorrectly. Yes, we won the first period and drew the second, but there are things that we paid attention to. It was they who led to the missed goal. The third period dotted all the i’s. The guys heard us and began to play according to instructions. The score for the game, I think. We have good functionality, the guys worked hard during the break, and what we developed is now producing results. We pay attention to long shots. We always tell the guys that any throw is dangerous. And we want there to be a player in front of the goalkeeper during shots. If the player is not there, it is difficult to score.

After the break, Maxim Shabanov also extended his scoring streak to four games. The Cherepovets improved their attack and started shooting more often. The guests played in a disciplined manner, not giving their opponents a chance to gain a numerical advantage, but before the break, Alexander Skorenov scored in the minority.

At the start of the third period, Vladimir Tkachev increased the lead with a pass from Shabanov. Five minutes later, his teammates brought Timofey Davydov into a lethal position, and he shot past Zach Fucale with a powerful flick.

Vladimir Tkachev, Traktor forward:
— The opponents controlled the puck well and tried to attack more. We were a little lacking in details: in the majority, minority, we gave them the opportunity to score.

The fans did not rejoice for long; soon Yarullin once more successfully hit from long range. A minute later, Charles Robinson scored the fifth goal. Alexander Samoilov, who came on instead of Shugaev, made his debut in the KHL and did not miss a goal, while Danil Aimurzin reduced the gap. But the Cherepovets failed to achieve more.

Andrey Kozyrev, head coach of Severstal:
— The score on the scoreboard does not reflect the balance of power. The opponents’ goalkeeper played well, we, as a young team, need to be able to overcome this. As a matter of fact, this became decisive. I would like to note that the guys played until the end. It is expensive. Missing goals is a sign of the opponents’ playing skill; they make the most of it. We can’t do that yet. Sasha Samoilov entered the game well. That’s why we took it, to insure it. He has everything to play in the KHL.

#Gagarin Cup

Three Stars

Albert Yarullin
Scored two goals.

Maxim Shabanov
Scored a goal and gave two assists.

Danil Aymurzin
I dialed 1+1.

Position of teams before the game Position of teams following the game

Highlights of the match

Severstal – Traktor I 12/26/2023 I Review of the Fonbet KHL Championship match

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