«Ak Bars» skillfully beat «Traktor»: they caught them off guard with counterattacks, and Bilyalov was outstanding in defence

Long break disrupted the game rhythm

«Ak Bars» calendar is arranged in such a way that the team had two long breaks in December. On the one hand, the players and coaching staff had time to rest and prepare for the rest of the season. On the other hand, such a schedule disrupts the game rhythm, and it is difficult for the team to get back on the ice and show their usual hockey after a pause.

The second December break ended on Saturday with a match against «Traktor». The Chelyabinsk team recently appointed Evgeny Koreshkov as the head coach. Before the trip to Kazan, the team under his leadership managed to hold three matches. If the Chelyabinsk team lost to «Metallurg» in the first match with the new coach (4:7), then they subsequently secured two consecutive victories — over «Barys» (0:2) and «Lada» (1:6). So the opponent for «the Bars» was not an easy one.

Despite this, the coaching staff continued to experiment with the lineup, albeit вынужденно. Due to illness, forwards Alexander Barabanov and Dmitry Katelevsky could not play. However, Grigory Denisenko and Dmitry Yashkin returned to the lineup. The latter appeared in the first line right away — with Alexander Khmelevsky and Kirill Semenov. Denisenko was listed in the third line with recent reserves Brandon Biero and Alexey Pustozerov.

«Traktor» had Josh Livou and Yegor Korshkov in great shape. The foreign player could have ended up in «Ak Bars» in the summer, but chose Chelyabinsk, and the Russian player spent the last season in Kazan and failed to impress with his game. Both players probably had extra motivation and a special attitude for this game.

Playing on counterattacks

The opening minutes of the match were calm, as if the teams were sizing each other up. The guests were the first to ramp up the pace, disturbing Timur Bilyalov a couple of times. Josh Livou was especially zealous; he «raged» in the ranks of Kazan’s main rival, «Salavat Yulaev», last season. The hosts did not rush things and stayed in defence. But whenever possible, «the Bars» inevitably launched counterattacks. One of these moments ended with a goal scored against Sergey Mylnikov. Yashkin took the puck in his zone, Semenov launched a counterattack, and Khmelevsky beautifully outplayed the goalkeeper — 1:0.

With such a score, there was no point in dreaming of a different game pattern. «Ak Bars» sat even tighter in defence, completely switching to counterattacking mode. It is worth noting that this style was quite successful. Even in the first period, the Kazan team could have scored at least three times. In one episode, «the Bars» even scored — Nikita Dynyak and Alexey Pustozerov elegantly set up a two-move play with the latter scoring the goal, but the referees disallowed the goal due to offside.

Until the end of the first third of the match, «Ak Bars» had an opportunity to play with a man advantage. The puck moved well in «Traktor’s» zone, but did not go into the net. However, Livou could have scored — he shot on the move in one touch, but it was weak, and Bilyalov saved the minimal advantage for «the Bars» in a split.

Reaction to the conceded goal was top-notch

The guests also started the second period more actively than the Kazan team. «Traktor» gradually increased the pressure on Bilyalov’s goal and succeeded in the fourth minute. The Chelyabinsk team played the puck in «the Bars» zone and got it to Grigory Dronov, who equalized the score with a jewel-like accurate shot into the «nine» — 1:1.

Only after that «Ak Bars» woke up. The hosts did not have to «struggle» in attack for long. After Nikita Lyamkin’s long shot, the puck bounced off the back board to the «crease», where Pustozerov finished it off — 2:1. It is noteworthy that this goal was the forward’s 50th point scored in the KHL.

Immediately after that, the teams exchanged dangerous attempts — Livou and Miller failed to convert their chances. Soon, the «Traktor» legionary went to the penalty box for a full 10 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. Tensions rose: first, Arseniy Koromyslov and Dynyak received mutual removals, and then Alexander Kadeykin was removed for a rough foul. Left in a 4-on-3 situation, the Kazan team converted the power play. Ilya Safonov was the most agile in the «crease» — 3:1.

At the end of the match, the guests’ coach Koreshkov called the second period decisive for the final result. «Ak Bars’» reaction to the conceded goal turned out to be incredibly correct and appropriate.

«Played with full concentration»

The third period began with three consecutive removals for «Ak Bars». The discipline issues did not arise out of nowhere. The guests rushed to make a comeback after the break, as they still had 20 minutes of playing time. Plus, the Kazan team looked noticeably weaker in terms of readiness after a long pause in the championship. As a result, «Traktor» scored in a 5-on-3 situation, converting the third removal of «the Bars»: Livou powerfully shot the puck into the net from mid-range.

The guests had about 10 minutes left to equalize the score. «Ak Bars» desperately tried to move the game to the opponent’s half, but failed to do so. Until the end of the match, the Kazan team made only one shot on Mylnikov’s goal, while playing two minutes with a man advantage. Timur Bilyalov ultimately made the decisive contribution to the victory. The «Bars» goalkeeper spun like a squirrel, saving the day in the most unexpected positions and forms — lying down, jumping, and even without a stick. The goalkeeper sealed the deal in the last seconds, retrieving the puck from the goal line after Mikhail Grigorenko’s attack.

The best thing about Bilyalov’s saves was said by Lyamkin. The «Ak Bars» defender did not resort to banalities like «the goalkeeper helped us», but said something more fair: «If we want to go far in the playoffs, the goalkeeper must save us in such moments». It is precisely this kind of game from Bilyalov that must become the foundation for «Ak Bars’» quest for the Gagarin Cup.

At the press conference, Anvar Gatiaytulin highlighted another component that is important for the playoffs. The coach praised the team for the level of concentration that allowed them to pull the match to victory. This was necessary after a long pause. And it is especially encouraging that they managed to do it even without the main players Barabanov and Katelevsky.

«We understood that the opponent would want to take advantage of the fact that we lost our game rhythm. We focused the team’s attention on this during the preparation for the match. The guys played great, with full concentration, stepping up at the right moments. Of course, illnesses leave their mark — we don’t have the whole team, we can’t practice combinations. The power play also requires training. We have what we have. The goals have not been cancelled, we are preparing as the situation allows,» Gatiaytulin said.

«Ak Bars» — «Traktor» — 3:2 (1:0, 2:1, 0:1)
Goals:
1:0 — Khmelevsky (Semenov, 06:40);
1:1 — Dronov (Kravtsov, Glotov, 23:53);
2:1 — Pustozerov (Lyamkin, Dynyak, 26:03);
3:1 — Safonov (Galimov, Khmelevsky, 36:02, 4x3);
3:2 — Livou (Gross, Grigorenko, 48:29, 5x3)

«Ak Bars» will play their next match on December 30 in Kazan against «Severstal» at 19:00 Moscow time. The game will be the final one for Gatiaytulin’s team in the current 2025 year. And «the Bars» have every chance to end the year on a high note, flipping the calendar while being in second place in the Eastern Conference.