Ak Bars lost to Spartak on the road: problems with finishing, Arefyev's debut

      "Ak Bars" slipped up in Moscow at the end of the road trip; the team failed to score

      Two wins, one loss on the road – Ak Bars can safely count that as a success

      In the third away game, Ak Bars lost to Spartak by the smallest margin (1-0) in Moscow. The Tatars can definitely count the recently completed road trip as a positive. Primarily because they regained second place in the East thanks to the first two away wins over Neftekhimik and the Shanghai Dragons.

      The only person who might count the game against Spartak as a plus for himself is 22-year-old Ak Bars goalkeeper Maksim Arefyev, who made his debut at the KHL level and for Ak Bars. Previously he had only been included in the main squad’s roster as a backup. This time Timur Bilyalov was the insurance, while Mikhail Berdin stayed in Kazan. After the game, Ak Bars coach Anvar Gatiyatulin assessed the debutant’s performance positively.

      "His first match, perhaps he was a little nervous, but he played confidently," Gatiyatulin said during a brief interview.

      At the moment the Kazan team has 40 points after 31 games. However, they are still far from the conference and KHL leaders Metallurg. Magnitka have 48 points. They are also some way off the West leader Lokomotiv with 43 points.

      By the way, there are rumors that Yaroslavl coach Bob Hartley wants to leave the team of his own accord. Lately it seems to have become popular for foreign specialists to “run away” from the KHL on their own initiative. Earlier Benoit Groulx left Chelyabinsk’s Traktor, citing fatigue and intense pressure. Is the league that hard on foreigners? It’s not without reason that many respected experts have recently been saying that there are too many foreign specialists in Russian hockey and that more emphasis should be placed on domestic coaches.

      Ak Bars still have problems with finishing

      But how can you bet on domestic players when, for example, Mitchell Miller again stood out in the last match for Ak Bars — not in points, but in the “mosts.” The defenseman covered the greatest distance on the ice — 5.52 km. That means the player gets back in defense and forward in attack. But today the Bars’ finishing let them down again. Anvar Gatiyatulin said as much at the end of the match.

      During the flash interview the Tatarstan coach looked out of sorts. With deep regret in his voice and expression he said that his players “again lacked efficiency in the final phase of the attack.” You don’t often see Gatiyatulin so frustrated. As a rule, he always appears at press conferences in a calm mood.

      But how could he not be frustrated. Perhaps Gatiyatulin has repeated this phrase about a lack of finishing more often than any other over the past month and indeed throughout the season. He says that the style of play and players’ effort suit him, but the finishing suffers. But is that really the case?

      Arefyev could become a serious competitor to Berdin and a replacement for Bilyalov

      But back to our debutant, Maksim Arefyev. If it hadn’t been for today’s defeat, the traditional tubeteika in the winning locker room would certainly have gone to him. In the game against Spartak he faced 23 shots, saved 22 of them and finished the match with a 95.7% save percentage. Not bad for a debut. And at the moment Arefyev has better numbers than Bilyalov and Berdin on those indicators.

      If you compare Berdin’s statistics from his last game against Minsk’s Dinamo, his save percentage was 70.0% — a critically low figure for a KHL-level goalkeeper. Bilyalov’s save percentage in his last match against the Dragons was 91.3%. So Arefyev could well become a worthy replacement for Bilyalov in the future, and perhaps Maksim should be given more chances. Especially since at the post-match press conference Anvar Gatiyatulin praised the 22-year-old Arefyev and noted his strengths.

      "One of Maksim’s strong qualities is his stable psyche. He played well, good job," Gatiyatulin said after the match. That means Arefyev will definitely have a chance to show himself again in Ak Bars’ main lineup.

      In support of Arefyev’s stable psyche are his own words after his debut. In the locker room reporters asked him how he coped with the period during which he was not called up to the main team for a long time.

      "Quite adequately. This is sport, and the best play here," the 22-year-old goalkeeper replied.

      Biro took Fisenko’s place but failed to score at the key moment against Spartak

      Mikhail Fisenko missed the match against Spartak. Later the head coach said that the 35-year-old forward was absent for family reasons. His place in the third line was taken by Brandon Biro, who had missed the previous three games. The last match the 27-year-old Canadian played was against Minsk’s Dinamo in Kazan.

      Despite his modest qualities, Biro has played 24 games this season in the KHL for Ak Bars, scoring 7 points (1+6) with a +5 plus-minus. If Miller is an attacking defenseman, Biro is more a forward with defensive and playmaking functions. If that is any consolation.

      In one of the key moments against Spartak, Biro, having good speed and a good chance to score, could not handle the puck while very close to the opponent’s crease. Artem Galimov could have handled that situation in the same circumstances. Biro also periodically has problems with the accuracy of his passes. Although Biro is a fairly average forward, Gatiyatulin consistently avoids questions about the Canadian being a rotation player.

      "He missed part of the season, was somewhat out of rhythm. Nevertheless, he did a lot of useful things in defense and attack. We have the depth we’re going to use this season. The principles for determining the lineup we have already stated — we analyze the match and assess the current condition," Gatiyatulin concluded after the match in Moscow.

      With the match against Spartak, Ak Bars finished the road trip. Ahead are again difficult home games against SKA, the Dragons and Traktor. The Tatarstan team will next play in Kazan at Tatneft Arena on November 28. Face-off is at 19:30 Moscow time.

      Photo: ak-bars.ru

      More news about the event:

      "Ak Bars" lost to "Spartak" on the road: finishing problems, Arefyev’s debut

      "Ak Bars" stumbled in Moscow at the end of the road trip, the team failed to score

      Two wins, 09:21 26.11.2025 Tatar-Inform News Agency - Kazan

      Gatiyatulin on Arefyev’s debut against Spartak: He did well

      Ak Bars head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin commented on his team after the 0:1 loss to Spartak in Moscow and also assessed the debut of 22-year-old goalkeeper Maksim Arefyev. 09:21 26.11.2025 Tatar-Inform News Agency - Kazan

      Working meeting

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      "Ak Bars" lost to Spartak in Moscow 0:1

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      Zero goals for the highest-scoring KHL team: what happened to Ak Bars in the game against Spartak?

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      Ak Bars finished the road trip losing to Spartak 1:0

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      Photo: taken from ak-bars.ru

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      Ak Bars head coach Gatiyatulin on Arefyev: "He did well"

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      Ak Bars lost in Moscow to Spartak by a minimal score

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      Photo: taken from ak-bars.ru

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      Ak Bars announced the roster for the match against Spartak in Moscow

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      Photo: taken from ak-bars.ru

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