Gatiyatulin became Kvartalnov’s client: Ak Bars again lost heavily to Dinamo Minsk

      Gatiyatulin lost to Kvartalnov for the fourth time in a row

      Another failed match by Berdin

      By mid-November the number one goalie at Ak Bars had finally been decided. If in September–October Anvar Gatiyatulin still had doubts about which goalkeeper to back, now there is effectively no goalie tandem at the Kazan club. Timur Bilyalov plays noticeably more and more reliably than Mikhail Berdin. Nevertheless, in the regular season the Ak Bars coach is forced to give chances to the second goalkeeper, otherwise over the long run Bilyalov will simply be physically exhausted. And Berdin’s contract for 15 million rubles a year implies that the team still counts on the goalkeeper as a capable member, not a rarely used rotation player. After all, otherwise keeping Mikhail at Ak Bars makes no sense. In that case it would be better to call up the club’s own youth product Maksim Arefyev from Bars and give him chances, rather than keep Berdin on the payroll.

      When Mikhail was first joining Ak Bars, the main line in his résumé read roughly that he shows promise and could blossom in the right team. At one time Avangard signed him with a similar assessment for 40 million rubles for the season. True, in Omsk the goalie failed to show himself due to a serious injury.

      The transfer to Ak Bars for Berdin was a sort of advance payment for a run of good matches he produced in Sochi. However, in Kazan Mikhail’s play can only be described as dismal. In 13 games played for Ak Bars, Berdin conceded four times on the opponent’s first shot. That happened in games against Amur (1:5), Metallurg (3:6) and Avangard (1:6) and in yesterday’s match against Dynamo Minsk. Berdin’s current overall save percentage is 89%, which for a goalie of a top KHL club is pitifully low. A goalie’s uncertainty in the net transfers to the team’s defensemen; they begin to feel more nervous, doubting the reliability of their keeper. That is essentially why the routs occur. Psychological problems are a direct correlate of regular mistakes.

      Mikhail Berdin was replaced after the third goal conceded. However, Timur Bilyalov, who came onto the ice, did not save the hosts either. Of sixteen shots the goalie stopped only thirteen (the seventh goal by the Minsk side was scored into an empty net).

      Kvartalnov outmanaged Gatiyatulin for the fourth time

      The goaltending question resurfaced as one of the most pressing issues at Ak Bars. Opponents at the level of Dynamo Minsk clearly showed that if the team goes into the playoffs without strong goalies, dreams of a trophy will end already in the first or second round. By the way, Gatiyatulin has already lost to the Minsk side for the fourth time in head-to-head meetings. So far the Kazan head coach has not been able to find an antidote to the “zubr” (bison) team and Dmitry Kvartalnov.

      “In the regular season you always have to proceed from the team’s current condition and approach matches correctly,” Anvar Gatiyatulin summed up the outcome of the meeting with Dynamo, blaming the defeat on his players’ wrong mindset.

      Nevertheless, the trend of the last four defeats to the Minsk team showed that Ak Bars looks less preferable both tactically and physically.

      Dmitry Kvartalnov, as is appropriate for him at press conferences in Kazan, was fairly restrained in his comments. He did not bring up grievances against Ak Bars over his 2022 dismissal, but his demeanor showed that the story has not completely let him go. From this, perhaps, came his team’s principled mindset toward the match with the Kazan club.

      For Kvartalnov himself it was important to beat Ak Bars. And the Dynamo players showed all their skill against the Kazan club. In his third year of work in Belarus Kvartalnov has nevertheless built a squad capable of contending for the Gagarin Cup. In the past playoffs the Minsk side reached the second round. This season, judging by how the team looks in the regular season now, it can easily aim for the semifinals.

      Is Barabanov being prepared for a trade at Ak Bars?

      From the standpoint of the standings nothing critical has happened for Ak Bars. The team continues confidently in second place in the Eastern Conference. But in November the Kazan club, as predicted, occasionally struggles in games against strong opponents. In matches against the giants of the East and West conferences Kazan fans want the leaders of Ak Bars to have their say.

      Dmitry Yashkin, for example, is consistent in collecting points. Mitchell Miller scores masterpiece goals match after match. But Alexander Barabanov is having a tough time. With a salary of 95 million rubles for the season, the forward has scored only two goals in the current regular season.

      Barabanov’s plus-minus rating is minus five. Yesterday several sources stated that Ak Bars is preparing a trade for the well-known forward, and one must say, the decision is not without logic.

      Photo: © Salavat Kamaletdinov / Tatar-inform

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