| Dynamo are not in the mood for the capital derby In Soviet times, matches between the capital's hockey teams CSKA and Dynamo were always the highlight of the championship. When multiple world champions and legendary hockey players, each of whom was a real personality with a capital P, came face to face on the ice rinks, the fans were guaranteed a magnificent spectacle. After the collapse of the USSR, CSKA ceased to be the leader of domestic hockey for more than ten years, and the meetings between the “blue and white” and the “red and blue” became ordinary for a long time.
Before the start and during the current championship, a whole group of players with extensive experience in the NHL joined the rosters of both teams, which allowed the capital’s derby to reach the previous level in terms of its sporting significance, the skill of rival hockey players, the intensity and uncompromisingness of the fight. On Saturday, the first meeting of the army team and Dynamo this season in the 13th round of the Super League championship ended dramatically: having conceded first, the army team equalized the score and snatched a victory in extra time - 2:1.
Striker Pavel Datsyuk was absent from Dynamo's nominal guests. According to the team's head coach Vladimir Krikunov, the forward was forced to fly to the United States for one day to check in at the American government agency that issues so-called “green cards” - residence permits. “Even during the warm-up, I didn’t see the guys in a fighting mood,” Krikunov shared after the match. “It looks like that barrel of adrenaline, without which you can’t play hockey, has turned out to be depleted to the bottom.”
The first period was relatively calm. I remember only one dangerous moment at the home team's goal. Alexander Ovechkin won the fight on the right flank near the boards and made a quick pass to his partner who was rolling towards the goal. Maxim Afinogenov almost opened the scoring in the match. Throughout the match, he was the most noticeable figure in the Dynamo lineup, and the first goal was scored precisely after his shot. The Blue and White took the lead early in the second period. To maintain the pace of the game, army coach Vyacheslav Bykov made shifts more often than his counterpart Krikunov. Often the second line of CSKA played on the court against the first five Dynamo.
The red-blues' return goal became another pattern. The hosts created most of the sharp moments as a result of solo runs by Nikolai Zherdev, who stands out among other players for his superior technique in handling the puck. It was Nikolai who distinguished himself in the middle of the third period, hitting the goal of Vitaly Eremeev. The decisive goal was the result of a blunder by the Dynamo defense. At the 30th second of extra time, the army team intercepted the puck at their blue line. Zherdev and another NHL representative, Alexander Frolov, calmly ran away from the visiting defense players. Frolov put an end to the capital's derby by punishing the opponents for their sluggishness, and Zherdev added an assist to his personal account.
Contrary to expectations, the match was not sold out. About a thousand seats remained free at the CSKA Ice Palace. And the blame for this lies primarily with the leaders of the army club. It’s amazing, with a budget amounting to millions of dollars, CSKA cannot properly organize such a basic thing as ticket sales. The match had already begun, and hundreds of fans were languishing in a long line at the ticket office - three cashiers were clearly not enough to cope with such an influx of people. As a result, many hockey fans simply gave up and went home. Strange things are happening with the accreditation of journalists. CSKA is allegedly unable to satisfy the requests of all publications that regularly write about sports, while a crowd of ordinary fans with press accreditations in their hands wanders around the official buffet.
With the defeat, former Dynamo player and mentor Zinetula Bilyaletdinov began his work as head coach of Ak Bars Kazan. The score of the home match with Lada - 1:2 - is very typical of the cautious manner of play that Bilyaletdinov usually professes. Moreover, the Kazan team opened the scoring, but did not maintain their advantage. As a result, Ak Bars dropped four places in the standings and now occupies ninth place.
Zero draws have already become a real disaster of the current championship. This time, the local Siberia and Spartak played without scoring goals in Novosibirsk - this is the sixth shutout match in the Super League. The tournament leader Severstal met with last year's champion Avangard - 2:0. Omsk cannot win the third match in a row, and the series of away defeats also reached three matches. Thanks to the victory, the Cherepovsk team increased their lead over second-place Dynamo from five to seven points.
Results of the matches of the 13th round : "Metallurg" (Nk) - "Lokomotiv" - 4:2, "Siberia" - "Spartak" - 0:0, "Molot" - "Metallurg" (Mg) - - 0:3, "Ak Bars" - "Lada" - 1:2, "Neftekhimik" - "Salavat Yulaev" - 4:2, CSKA - "Dynamo" - 2:1 (OT), "Severstal" - "Avangard" - 2:0, SKA - "Khimik" - 3:1. Leading: Severstal - 32 points (13 games), Dynamo - 25 (12), Neftekhimik, Metallurg (MG) - 24 (12), Lada - 21 (12) . Ilya TRISVIATSKY |
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