Game 7s are always a party that features a special hockey aesthetic. To an outside observer, many matches in the seventh series can be boring, as the teams tend to be cautious. But any fan understands what is at stake, and every dangerous moment, even if it is rare, brings up many different feelings and emotions.
Avangard and Lokomotiv reached the seventh match. Omsk heroically defended itself from 1-3 and changed coaches during the series. And in the sixth match they also lost 0-2, but managed to snatch the victory. Lokomotiv, on the other hand, suddenly let the situation get out of control and looked especially confused in the final matches.
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Super comeback! Avangard recovered from 0-2 in the match of the year and tied the series with Lokomotiv
The seventh meeting, however, began primarily with pressure from railway workers. The Yaroslavl players pressed, although there were no moments of danger.
…until the 17th minute. Avangard’s defenseman lunged for the puck in the middle zone. But then Arthur Kayumov appeared here! The visiting forward threw the puck effectively, overtook the Omsk player, sent him to the ground and faced Pavel Khomchenko. Getting closer, sharp shot to the “home” – and 1:0! Kayumov knocked out the entire Avangard defense with a feint.
You can watch the video on the official KHL website. Video rights belong to KHL LLC.
At the end of the first half, the Yaroslavl team beat the home team 11:2.
The second half of the game began with pressure from Avangard. For almost nine minutes the railwaymen were unable to shoot on goal! But this did not bring any benefit.
And in the 33rd minute, Avangard almost missed. Stepan Nikulin threw the puck into the rival zone and hit the boards, which played against the home team! Rejection on the spot, and Khomchenko was already behind the goal! Georgy Ivanov was already shooting at close range, for sure… but the Avangard goalkeeper managed to come back and made a super save!
You can watch the video on the official KHL website. Video rights belong to KHL LLC.
In the end, Omsk’s pressure was of no use: the teams reached the second break with a score of 1:0 in favor of the guests.
And the third period began with another slap to Avangard. Lokomotiv fought back and launched a two-on-one counterattack. The defense of the Omsk team failed, allowing Maxim Berezkin to fly into the opponent’s goal. The forward actually put the puck under himself (Avangard’s defenseman skated past him on the ice) and threw it accurately. 2:0!
You can watch the video on the official KHL website. Video rights belong to KHL LLC.
About the performance It was scary to see the Avangard head coach. Sergei Zvyagin literally went crazy after missing the second goal.
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Midway through the period, Avangard had a real chance to break the deadlock. Ryan Spooner took the throw-in, but Daniil Isaev made the save. And then there was a penalty kick: the Lokomotiv goalkeeper made a great save again!
The locals put serious pressure on the Yaroslavl team. Isaev had to enter the game several times, and not only enter, but also save it for the team.
As a result, Lokomotiv, after blowing a two-win lead during the series, got the desired result and reached the KHL semifinals. The Yaroslavl team must put in a great performance against Isaev.
And Avangard, who dared to fire the coach during the playoffs and even extended the series, is still flying. And now I have to think about the future of the team.
