Both squads are in top form as they get ready to drop the puck. Both teams sat near the top of the Western Conference standings, each riding a hot streak. The CSKA players just wrapped up a perfect five-game roadie, sweeping max points, and they were looking to keep rolling. Alexander Samonov started in goal for our team, coming off back-to-back shutouts. Nikolai Kovalenko returned to the lineup after sitting out the game in Togliatti, while Denis Zernov and Ivan Patrikhaev were scratched.
Right from puck drop, this game was electric. Our team pushed hard, Marat Khairullin and Derek Barach went on the attack, but couldn’t find the back of the net. SKA opened the scoring with a power-play goal. Samonov stopped the first shot from the slot, but Atanasov cleaned up the loose puck and put it home. CSKA stood this blow and kept pushing for an offensive breakthrough. The Army Men finally capitalized on one of their chances. Nikita Nesterov unleashes a blast from afar, and Karnaukhov was the quickest to react in front of the net. Shortly after, Kovalenko put the team ahead. Denis Guryanov set him up with a great pass, and Nikolai buried it with a precise mid-range shot.
Coming out of the break, the teams did not slow down at all but ramped up. SKA cashed in on the power play again, but just 20 seconds later, the Army Men answered right back. Guryanov tried to shoot but missed the puck completely, unintentionally feeding Kovalenko, who buried it to complete his second goal of the game. SKA fought back to tie it up at 3-3, and that deadlock held almost until the end of the period. The captain broke the tie. Karnaukhov first converts a sweet pass from Kostin, and then shows the best instincts to poke it home in the crease. Caps rained down onto the ice from the stands to celebrate the hat trick. Buchelnikov strikes in the third to make it 6-3, but the drama was not done yet. The opponent pushed hard to tie it up and almost pulled it off. The visitors scored twice and pushed hard with an extra skater late in the game. Our team put on a defence in the final minutes to lock down the win.
