As the NHL enters the final month of its season, the KHL playoffs have been in full swing for a few weeks now. The conference finals are highlighted by Traktor vs. Ak Bars and Dynamo Moscow vs. SKA.
On Tuesday, Dynamo took a commanding 3-0 series lead over SKA after scoring four unanswered goals to take a 4-2 victory. Delaying Dynamo's ability to start a comeback was a save in the second period by goaltender Ilya Ezhov with SKA holding a 2-0 lead.
With SKA on a power play, Ilya Gorokov fired a one-timer from the point as Ezhov was recovering and the goaltender managed to stretch enough to make the stop:
That big save didn't deter Dynamo, the defending Gagarin Cup champions, as all four of their goals came in the final period, with the winner coming with less than 7 seconds left in regulation.
On Wednesday, SKA stayed alive and forced a Game 5 with a 6-2 victory, while Ak Bars, who feature Andrei Kostitsyn and Evgeny Kuznetsov, hold a 2-1 series lead after a 1-0 overtime win on Tuesday.
In other Russian hockey news, Alex Kovalev announced his retirement last week, but during a charity game in Montreal on Sunday he said he will look to play in Europe next season. But alas, a return to the KHL isn't in the cards as he told the Gazette there are “worse (hockey) politics than here."
Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy
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