Tried our best but did not succeed

On February 15, Admirals played the final game of the home stand. Primorye team faced Traktor: the teams had the fourth game in the season.

The coaching staff made minimal changes in the lineup again, affecting only the center of the fourth offensive line – Rodewald replaced Osnovin.
The game started badly for the Sailors: in the first five minutes, Rodewald and Grman were sent to the sin bin almost at the same time. For the second game in a row, Admirals didn’t survive in the three-on-five game, Kravtsov scored. When the penalized players were released, the Sailors began to make up for what they had lost at the start of the period and test Fucale's strength. Starkov had a good chance to score, but a one-on-zero attack ended with a save of Traktor’s goalie. The Canadian was beaten in the 15th minute: the goal was scored by Prince, even though the puck got into the net after ricochet from the skate of a defenseman Day. The point for the forward became special – the 200th in KHL. The joy of fans didn't last long. Two minutes later, Traktor took the lead again: Shabanov broke out from the center of the rink to Mishurov’s net without opponents’ resistance and shot accurately into the top corner.

The second period was goalless, but the teams created plenty of chances. Admirals increased forecheck, forcing the opponents to make mistakes near their own net. Petukhov had a good chance: the forward intercepted the puck at the slot, but couldn't outplay the goalie at close range. Gutik and Starkov had a similar moment: one picked up and passed the puck to the partner, the other threw, but after the shot the puck slowly slid near the goalpost. Traktor players, who scored in the game, were more active among their teammates. Shabanov shot powerfully into the corner, while Kravtsov tried a two-on-one attack. Moreover, the teams exchanged one-on-zero opportunities: Mishurov was checked by Svetlakov, and Zavgorodny came off the penalty box and ran to Fucale’s net, but the goalie played reliably again.

In the third period, Admirals outshot their opponents for the first time in the game and spent more time on offense, in particular due to Traktor’s frequent infractions: they were sent to the penalty box three times in the period. At this time, Sulak hit the goalpost, and Starkov created a dangerous moment, but Fucale played incredibly. Three minutes before the buzzer, the Sailors' coaching staff pulled the goalie for a five-on-four play. The final attempts of Admirals repeatedly ended with a scramble on Traktor’s net, but the puck still didn’t cross the goal line. Result – a victory of the guests with a minimal gap – 2:1.


Admirals – Traktor 1:2 (1:2, 0:0, 0:0)

Goals: 0:1 Kravtsov (Glotov, Day, 4:47), 1:1 Prince (Stepanov, 14:13), 1:2 Shabanov (Day, Koromyslov, 16:20).

Match statistics: Shots: 41-74; Shots on goal: 23-42; Goals: 1-2; Faceoffs won: 26-28; Blocked shots: 21-10; Hits: 13-11 ; Takeaways: 2-5; Giveaways: 6-0; Interceptions: 7-14; Time on offense: 11:19-19:42; Penalty: 8-6.

Lineup: Mishurov-Konovalov; Sulak-Shepelev, Petukhov-Shestakov-Soshnikov; Metalnikov-Grman, Stepanov-Zavgorodny-Prince; Ruchkin-Solyannikov, Gutik-Shen-Starkov; Shevchenko-Rodewald-Muranov, Susuev.

Goaltenders: Mishurov - Fucale