Backs to the wall

The third seeds in the Western Conference, Dinamo Moscow have proven themselves to be a tough test for the Slovak side, as both games at the Luzhniki Palace of Sports have gone to the home side. Game 1 saw Dinamo assert their offensive prowess, putting five goals past Jaroslav Janus in a 5:1 victory. The score line flattered Dinamo, but the better side on the day prevailed. The first period saw Dinamo take a 2:0 lead thanks to goals from Tsvetkov and Mosalyov, the goal by the latter coming just after HC SLOVAN spurned a great chance in front of Yeryomenko. The second period was end to end, with Michal Vondrka finding the back of the net with a composed finish, moments after having a breakaway chance hit the post. However, Dinamo were able to stop the momentum with Derlyuk beating Janus with a hard shot to give the hosts a 3:1 lead going into the second intermission. Two quick goals in the third period, from the sticks of Petruzalek and Kvapil buried any hopes of a HC SLOVAN comeback, and the team finished the game disappointed with the result.

Management made the decision to start Game 2 with Branislav Konrád in goal, and despite having a shaky opening five minutes, which saw Dinamo score through a wicked Petruzalek wrist shot, the HC SLOVAN netminder had an outstanding game in his KHL postseason debut. In the second period HC SLOVAN had the better of the play, and their efforts were rewarded with a pair of goals. Firstly while shorthanded, Mário Bližňák finished off a great piece of play crafted by Michal Vondrka, converting on a 2 on 1 chance. Four minutes later, Roman Kukumberg hammered a shot from the left slot past Yeryomenko while on the powerplay, which gave HC SLOVAN their first lead of the series. However, two minutes later, with Konrád forced out of the play, Sopin was able to wrap the puck into the net. It was Sopin who would go on to be the hero for Dinamo, as the Russian forward scored in the 72^nd minute in overtime to hand HC SLOVAN a heart-breaking loss to send the series to the Slovak capital with the Russian side holding a commanding 2:0 lead in the series.