Collision of fates:

Thursday, November 7th:

HC Sochi 5-2 SKA Saint Petersburg

While this strays from the usual format of ending on this matchup, I thought starting with this was appropriate to lead off with this game for this edition of the series as it is emblematic of SKA’s recent woes (it also made logical sense given it was the first game for both clubs since the last installment). Most likely still worn down from overuse, SKA G Yegor Zavragin was pulled in the second period after the Flyers prospect allowed 2 goals on his first 15 shots against. Meanwhile, as a whole, SKA struggled to generate offense against Sochi, as they had no response for their defensive structure and shot-blocking. They out-shot Sochi 43-31 but simply did not generate many good looks against Blue Jackets prospect Sergei Ivanov and his blueline core. The two goals they scored in the third period were ultimately meaningless in the grand scale, as SKA’s losing streak stretched to four games. Timur Khafizov was the story of the day, as he registered 2 goals and 1 assist for the “Leopards” in their road victory against SKA. Several important offensive weapons for SKA, meanwhile, were held without a point, including Alexander Nikishin, Arseni Gritsyuk, Tony Deangelo, and Ivan Demidov.

Subsequent events:

SKA Saint Petersburg:

Game 26: Monday, November 11th

SKA 1-2 Avangard Omsk

The beginning of the Eastern swing marked the return of Evgeny Kuznetsov to the lineup after the veteran missed the game against Sochi. However, it did not spark offensive brilliance, as the team lost a low event game which saw them lose due to never having an answer for the two goals they allowed in the first period. Zavragin fared better, stopping 26 of 28, but was not aided by a good team performance as the club’s losing streak grew to five. Yet again, many top dogs failed to show up, as Nikishin, Demidov, Gritsyuk, Kuznetsov, and Deangelo (the lattermost being in an awful slump despite the tremendous beginning to his tenure in the KHL) all being held pointless. Gritsyuk unleashed some frustration after the match, with the Devils prospect particularly dissatisfied with the direction of the club and his own performance. His frustration will likely continue, as he will likely remain in an unfavorable spot on Roman Rotenberg’s depth chart.

Meanwhile, defenseman Nikita Zaitsev was injured during the game’s proceedings, and is expected to miss some time. The team must hope that the blueline core does not end up missing him too much.

Next game:

@ Sibir Novosibirsk: Today (Wednesday, November 13th), 7:30 PM EST

HC Sochi:

Game 23: Saturday, November 9th

Sochi 3-1 Vityaz Moscow Region

It did not feel like the club was out-shot by 13 in this matchup. They felt quite poised and in control in the offensive zone and it translated into goals. The shooting and overall offensive efficiency was on point in this game, to the point where the fairly low SOG total was not an obstacle. When the game did go the other way, they were patient and well structured, and Sergei Ivanov made a number of great, impressive stops. This was a solid team win.

Game 24: Monday, November 11th

Sochi 1-7 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod

Yeah, can we just not?

The ironic thing about this game is that Sochi actually did tie it up at 1-a-piece in the first period on a Daniil Seroukh power play goal. However, Torpedo had such a response that this one was over at the first intermission, and it only got worse from there. There just isn’t anything to say about such a dismal performance. For the record, four Torpedo players (Bobby Lynch, Bogdan Konyushkov, Dmitri Kagarlitsky, and Igor Larionov II) had three-point games.

Next game:

vs. Kunlun Red Star: Friday, November 15th

Standings updates:

SKA: Second in Bobrov Division, third in Western Conference (somehow)

Sochi: [hysterical laughter] (last in Bobrov Division, tenth in Western Conference)