An absolute stunner today in the KHL Finals as Lokomotiv lost a 3-0 lead as Ak Bars triumphed in OT to even the series…..more from Mr. McBride as always…..
Ak Bars Rallies to Even KHL Gagarin Cup Title Series
Ak Bars Kazan rallied from an early three goal deficit to upend Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4-3 in overtime tonight to level the best-of-seven games KHL Gagarin Cup finals at one game apiece.
After three quick goals in the first 14 minutes of the game Lokomotiv ran out of steam as Ak Bars got their offense back on track with four unanswered goals of their own.
Alexei Morozov started the Snow Leopards’ comeback with a goal in the 17th minute on a slap shot from the blue line that caught Lokomotiv goalie Georgy Gelashvili by surprise. After a scoreless second period, Ak Bars clawed back to send the game into overtime by goals from Dmitry Obukhov in the 50th minute and Evgeny Medvedev in the 59th minute.
Ak Bars then wasted no time in the extra period to bring the game to conclusion as Andrei Pervyshina let loose with a shot in the 61st minute that found its way past Gelashvili for the win.
What began on a high note turned into a frustrating evening for the recently flawless Gelashvili. The netminder had his Russian professional post-season scoreless streak snapped at 205 minutes and 22 seconds when Ak Bars scored in the game’s 17th minute.
“I think the same struggle goes on,” said Lokomotiv defender Vitaly Vishnevsky. “It is very fast and exciting hockey. We must go forward and play to win.”
Game 3 of the KHL Gagarin Cup finals will be played Sunday, April 5th in Yaroslavl.
KHL Gagarin Cup Scoreboard
|
Teams |
G 1 |
G 2 |
G 3 |
G 4 |
G 5 |
G 6 |
G 7 |
Results |
|
Ak Bars vs. Lokomotiv |
0-3 |
4-3 (OT) |
4/5 |
4/6 |
4/8 |
4/10 |
4/12 |
1-1 |
The Gagarin Cup, the KHL’s post-season tournament, named for famed Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, features sixteen teams consisting of the KHL’s four division winners and 12 other teams with the best overall regular season records.
The first two rounds of the KHL’s Gagarin Cup are best-of-five games, while the semi-finals and finals are best-of-seven games. Game 7 of the finals will occur on April 12th, the anniversary of Gagarin’s mission into space.
For news and scores from the KHL’s Gagarin Cup visit www.khl.ru.
