Lokomotiv, Spartak lead way in the West. September 25 round-up

Wednesday’s KHL action saw table-topping Lokomotiv consolidate its position with a tight 3-2 verdict over Avangard. Spartak moves to second in the West thanks to a 4-3 win at Metallurg, with the defending champion recovering from 1-4 but falling short at the end. There were successful fightbacks for other big clubs in the East: Ak Bars scored twice in a minute at the start of the third period to beat Lada 4-3 and Salavat Yulaev recovered from 0-2 to win at Traktor.Ufa on top in high-scoring battleTraktor Chelyabinsk 3 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 5 (1-0, 1-3, 1-2)Salavat Yulaev defeated Traktor for the second time this season, following up a shoot-out success two weeks ago with a high-scoring victory here. However, the visitor had to come back from 0-2 to get the verdict in an entertaining game in Chelyabinsk.Traktor started well, creating frequent chances even before Maxim Shabanov failed with a penalty shot. Then, after a short pause to replace the glass after a crunching hit on Charles Robinson dislodged one pane, the home team got the lead it deserved in the 15th minute. Alexander Kadeikin’s 100th KHL goal came on the power play and sent the host to the intermission up 1-0.Immediately after the break, Kadeikin potted his second of the night to double the home lead. Subsequently, Salavat Yulaev began to get its offense into the game and Vladislav Yefremov was denied by the piping with Zach Fucale out of the equation. As the game ticked past the 30-minute mark, the momentum tipped decisively in Ufa’s favor. Sheldon Rempal led the way with two goals and fellow summer signing Nathan Todd was also on target. Josh Leivo’s latest assist extended his productive streak to 14 games dating back to last season’s playoffs.Down 2-3, Traktor started the third period looking for a way back. However, Alexander Samonov stood firm in the visitor’s net to calm an early storm. Then, in the 47th minute Rempal added an assist to his earlier goals, helping Alexander Sharov make it 4-2. Mikhail Kotlyarevsky pulled one back to keep the game alive but Benoit Groulx’s team could not complete the recovery. Instead Alexander Chmelevski found the empty net to wrap up a 5-3 scoreline.Spartak holds off Metallurg fightbackMetallurg Magnitogorsk 3 Spartak Moscow 4 (1-1, 0-3, 2-0)The Metallurg mini-revival hit a bump at home to Spartak. The Red-and-Whites produced a powerful second-period performance to get the win over the defending champion despite a rally from the host in the final stanza.The Muscovites arrived with four wins from five, but Alexei Zhamnov made changes to the team that won the previous game in Chelyabinsk. Some big hitters missed out: Michal Cajkovsky, Shane Prince and Will Bitten were all rested, while Dmitry Nikolayev took Patrik Rybar’s place in goal.Magnitka was lifted by back-to-back wins and looked to carry that form into the early exchanges here. The home team got a quick goal when Dmitry Silantyev converted a Robin Press feed but was unable to build on that boost. It didn’t take long for Spartak to tie the scores: Pavel Poryadin’s shot was too hot for Ilya Nabokov to handle and the puck slithered over the line. Nabokov made amends shortly afterwards, keeping the scores level with a terrific glove save to deny Andrei Loktionov.One of Metallurg’s problems this season has been a weak power play and this was in evidence again at the start of the second period. Spartak absorbed the pressure and turned the game around in the latter part of the middle frame. Goals from Daniil Orlov and Alexander Belyayev sandwiched Poryadin’s second of the night; the Red-and-Whites carried a 4-1 lead into the final stanza. Razin, meanwhile, opted to replace Nabokov with Nikita Podskrebalin after the fourth goal.The Steelmen needed a lift in the third period and Daniil Vovchenko quickly provided it, pulling a goal back with a shot right after a face-off. Vovchenko only recently returned to action after missing the start of the season through injury, a story shared by Danila Yurov. The young forward got his first of the campaign, in his third appearance, to make it a one-goal game with eight minutes to play. Spartak was wobbling, and an untimely penalty on Adam Ruzicka hardly helped the Muscovites’ cause. However, Metallurg could not find the big moment it needed to tie the game and the visitor left with a 4-3 verdict in regulation.Four in a row for Ak BarsLada Togliatti 3 Ak Bars Kazan 4 (0-1, 3-1, 0-2)Ak Bars came from behind to reel off a fourth successive victory. Down 2-3 at the second intermission, Anvar Gatiyatulin’s men recovered to beat Lada in the final frame. The win moves Kazan to fifth in the Eastern Conference amid signs that a slow start to the season could be behind the Tatar team.Lada’s form is the exact opposite: today brought a fourth straight loss for Oleg Bratash’s team. Ahead of the game he reshuffled his lines in hopes of getting more goals. The new-look line-up was more productive than in recent games, but could not score enough to claim the win.An early goal from Dmitry Yudin gave Ak Bars the lead and the visitor continued to justify its supremacy in a good first period display. Midway through the second, Dmitrij Jaskin added a second on the power play, redirecting a Nic Petan shot and leaving Lada with it all to do.Credit to the Motormen: they did it! Three goals in 11 minutes turned the game around. Troy Josephs started the fightback, Nikita Popugayev tied it up and Arkhip Nekolenko’s power play effort 23 seconds before the hooter sent Lada into the intermission with the lead.However, Gatiyatulin made the most of that intermission and found the right words for his players. Ak Bars came out in the third period and scored two goals in little more than a minute. Alexei Marchenko tied it up on 41:09 and, 61 seconds later, Semyon Koshelev made it 4-3. After getting its lead back, Ak Bars continued to press high up the ice rather than trying to kill the game in center ice. Despite Lada’s efforts, the visitor looked more likely to score with Koshelev and Yegor Korshkov both missing good chances.Leader edges out AvangardLokomotiv Yaroslavl 3 Avangard Omsk 2 (1-1, 2-1, 0-0)A third win in four games keeps Lokomotiv clear at the top of the KHL standings. Victory over Avangard takes Igor Nikitin’s men to 15 points, two clear of Spartak and Avtomobilist. But this 3-2 verdict was a hard-fought affair.The league leader was hampered by penalties at the start of the game. Daniil Tesanov sat in the second minute, Lokomotiv survived, but a second Avangard power play brought the opening goal of the game. Damir Sharipzyanov played the puck to the left-hand circle, Linden Vey fired in a shot and Alexei Makeyev converted the rebound for a sixth-minute lead.However, the goalscorer found himself in the box later in the first period and Lokomotiv took advantage of its first power play. After a minute of careful probing in front of Pavel Khomchenko’s net, the home team found a shooting lane for Stepan Nikulin to t