And "Tractor" does not give up! What was the reason for "Ak Bars" defeat in the third match of the series?

      The third match of the series between Ak Bars and Traktor ended with a victory for the Chelyabinsk team.

      Traktor is not planning to quickly give up the series to Ak Bars.

      After Ak Bars' spirited game in the second match of the series against Traktor (4:2), experts began to predict a swift end to the confrontation for the Kazan team. Many Chelyabinsk fans, traveling home by train after the second match, did not hide in conversations with a TASS Sports correspondent that given such a performance, they would be lucky to win at least one game on home ice. The Ural defense line faltered twice in the Kazan matches. A third consecutive defeat would likely have predetermined the outcome of the battle for Traktor. However, the Chelyabinsk team managed to cling on and break the series in their first home match, winning 3:2. Although the game for Traktor started – it couldn't have been worse. Ak Bars organized a quick positional attack just 20 seconds into the match, during which Ilya Safonov scored with his first shot, beating Dmitry Nikolaev. The stands fell into a grave silence for a few seconds. But then they roared with joy – as the visitors entered the zone, they were found to be offside. The goal was deemed illegitimate.

      It cannot be said that the early disallowed goal by the Kazan team significantly affected the course of the game. However, it certainly gave a boost to the Traktor players. The Chelyabinsk team was extremely aggressive in the first 20 minutes, delivering 21 body checks during that time. Especially tormenting the Kazan players was the Cheboksary giant Andrey Nikonov, who, in the style of Dmitry Voronkov, seemed ready to fight any Ak Bars player who came into contact with him in the crease.

      "We prepared for different scenarios..."

      Psychologically, the Chelyabinsk team undoubtedly influenced the charges of Anvar Gatiyatulin, being the instigators of most of the skirmishes on the ice. Ak Bars players were targeted: Galimov repeatedly tried to remove Teligin's helmet from Jioshvili, and in one episode, Traktor players roughly knocked Yashkin down onto the ice. The Chelyabinsk team seemed to want to show whose territory the game was taking place on. The boisterous reaction of the local fans contributed to the pressure on the visitors.

      "We prepared for different scenarios; this was also one of the moments we discussed. I believe that today the guys showed character and did not do what they shouldn't have done," commented Gatiyatulin after the game regarding the skirmishes between Ak Bars and Traktor players.

      "It was clear that with the home crowd, the opponent would engage in such battles. It was not a surprise for us," said Ak Bars defender Ilya Karpukhin.

      By the way, for the 89th number of the Kazan team, the trip to Chelyabinsk was special. Karpukhin is a product of Traktor. For a long period, the defender played for the Chelyabinsk club, and his family and relatives live here.

      Galimov's point streak continues; Gatiyatulin has great faith in Artem.

      Despite Traktor's activity in the first period, it was the Kazan team that scored first. One of the main irritants for the Chelyabinsk hockey players in the Kazan team, Artem Galimov, made a great wrist shot when Ilya Safonov created space for him by drawing the attention of a defender. It is worth noting that Galimov also participated in Ak Bars' second goal, scored by Mitchell Miller.

      For Artem, the series against Traktor has been productive so far, as the forward has been consistently scoring points in recent matches. However, Anvar Gatiyatulin is not surprised by this. The Kazan coach has long been expecting leadership qualities from Galimov.

      "We talked a lot with Artem, including about what leadership qualities consist of. A leader is not someone who scores 50 goals [in a season], but someone who works hard both in attack and defense and scores important goals. I believe Artem is progressing in this direction," said Gatiyatulin.

      Ak Bars scored two decent, quality goals. But they were not enough to at least secure overtime in the match.

      Marchenko makes another costly mistake. Will the coaching staff of Ak Bars bench the captain?

      The turning point in the game was undoubtedly the second period when Traktor easily turned the score from 0:1 to 3:1. The first two goals scored by the Chelyabinsk team were particularly easy to execute. First, Alexander Kadeikin took advantage of the chaos in Ak Bars' defense, and shortly after, a gross mistake by defender Alexei Marchenko during a puck clearance led to Mikhail Grigorenko scoring from close range against Timur Bilyalov. It is worth noting that the captain of Ak Bars was on the ice at the moment of the first conceded goal.

      The third goal by Traktor was entirely the result of Josh Leivo's skill. The expensive Canadian finally had his first truly effective playoff match for the Chelyabinsk team.

      Ak Bars could have saved themselves if the visitors had converted a five-minute power play at the end of the third period, which was granted to them by Traktor defender Michal Chaykovski's penalty. But neither in the five-on-four format nor in the six-on-four setup did Ak Bars show anything productive.

      Traktor secured a very important victory in the series for themselves. The Chelyabinsk team is in the game, and they can head to the fifth match in Kazan even with an equal score in the confrontation.

      Anvar Gatiyatulin and his players are not discouraged. According to the head coach of Ak Bars, he fully controls the situation and will try to avoid a critical moment in the series.

      "Games can unfold in different scenarios, and we prepared for different scenarios. You can't say that one game resembles another. You just need to act correctly. We had to wait half a game for the first goal. We scored it, but then allowed the opponent to quickly equalize. It is important how you act with and without puck control. The series continues; we need to analyze the moments and use our segments more productively," said Gatiyatulin.

      Photo: ak-bars.ru

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