Traktor lost his goalkeeper and collapsed in Yaroslavl! Without Fucale, will the series end quickly?
Dmitry Storozhev April 2, 2024, 22:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
For the first time in these playoffs, Lokomotiv put the Chelyabinsk team in a position to reach it.
The Gagarin Cup 2024 is slowly approaching its conclusion: today, April 2, the semi-final stage began. For the first time since 2017, Lokomotiv participates, having eliminated the champions of the last two years CSKA in five games in the first round, and in the second round, after seven games, they broke the resistance of Avangard. The rival of the Yaroslavl team turned out to be Traktor, who defeated Salavat in six meetings and in a minimum number of matches displaced the winners of the Continental Cup from Dinamo Moscow.
Many assumed that a long pause could negatively affect the playing tone of Chelyabinsk residents, but from the first seconds it became clear that this was out of the question. “Traktor” came out to play very actively, constantly causing the opponent’s elimination and then retreating on his own. With truncated lineups, the teams were unable to score, but soon the score was still open. One of the main characters of these playoffs, Buddy Robinson, surprised the railroaders on the turn: the American from his zone dragged the puck along the right flank and surprised Daniil Isaev with a shot from an acute angle.
Video rights belong to KHL LLC. The video can be seen on the league’s official website.
Lokomotiv’s response came at a rather unexpected moment: the Yaroslavl team again found itself in the minority midway through the period, but managed to catch the guests on a counterattack. Pavel Kraskovsky and Alexander Polunin did everything wonderfully – all five Traktors, together with Zach Fucale, could only watch.
Video rights belong to KHL LLC. The video can be seen on the league’s official website.
After twenty minutes, the railwaymen were already in the majority and managed to convert their attempt two seconds before the siren sounded: Martin Gernat once again demonstrated, as in the sixth game of the series against Avangard, his ability to confront. the time required.
Video rights belong to KHL LLC. The video can be seen on the league’s official website.
The teams spent the second half quite carefully, but one episode changed the course of events: Maxim Shalunov collided with Zach Fucale, forcing the Traktor goalkeeper to ask for a replacement. Shortly after his teammates helped the Canadian leave the court and head to the locker room, Lokomotiv doubled the lead: Polunin scored a double, hitting the cold Sergei Mylnikov with one of his first shots.
This goal was followed by the elimination of Albert Yarullin, but again the minority special team played excellently: this time Mikhail Kotlyarevsky hit Isaev’s goal. The railroad team, however, gained the majority a minute later and went into the second break with a two-goal lead.
Video rights belong to KHL LLC. The video can be seen on the league’s official website.
And already at the beginning of the third period, this advantage became even greater: Alexander Elesin somehow found space between the post and Mylnikov. It’s hard to understand how the puck ended up in the net, even after several replays.
Video rights belong to KHL LLC. The video can be seen on the league’s official website.
As expected, Traktor could not cope with the task of recovering three goals; it was difficult to imagine Lokomotiv giving up such an advantage on their own court. And the Chelyabinsk team itself was not particularly impressive in the final third: after replacing the goalkeeper, the team seemed to fall apart. Yaroslavl took the first game of the semi-finals and now a lot will depend on whether Zach Fucale will be able to return to goal. If today’s first number of guests no longer take the ice in this series, it is feared that it will end quickly.
