Perfect! Three points away at champions!

Metallurg Magnitogorsk – HC SLOVAN Bratislava 2:3 (1:2, 1:0, 0:1)

Goals: 4. Kovář (Mozyakin, Lee), 29. Grigorenko (Kosov) – 9. Nedorost (Magy, Sersen), 17. Bartovič (Murley, Tičar), 50. Nagy (Baranka)

Linups:
Metallurg Magnitogorsk: Koshechkin (Pechursky) – Biryukov (A), Antipin, Khabarov, Lee, Ibragimov, Bereglazov, E. Grigorenko, S. Tereshchenko – Mozyakin (C), Kovář, Zaripov (A) – Platonov, Brent, Osala – Kosov, Kamenev, Yakutsenya – Pare, Yunkov, Timkin
HC SLOVAN Bratislava: Backlund (Janus) – Baranka, Sersen (A), Sigalet, Starosta, Mihalik, Brejčák, Luža – Vondrka, Nedorost, Nagy (A) – Hudáček, Surový, Netík – Bartovič (C), Tičar, Murley – Ölvecký, White, Jeglič

The match officials continued in the newly-established tradition of awarding fouls, and Slovan found themselves defending five-on-three already in the 3rd minute. It seemed the champions would waste their numerical advantage, as Backlund made several good saves, but just before Brejčák’s return, Czech attacker Ján Kovář found the net with an unstoppable shot. Kovář , the sole Czech in the Gagarin Cup holders’ team, soon tested Backlund again with another heavy shot. But then came Slovan's turn to play five on three, and it paid dividends immediately. A great touch from Václav Nedorost put the visitors back on level terms - 1:1. The hosts could have gone ahead again in four-on-four play, but Backlund just managed to squeeze the puck over the bar. When Slovan broke away three on two in the 17th, Murley brought the puck into the zone and set up Bartovič perfectly, who put us into the lead - 1:2.

Less than a minute into the second period, Slovan could have increased their lead to two, but Hudáček and Surový failed to take advantage of a two-on-one overlap. The power play which followed went no better, barely threatening Koshechkin in the hosts’ net. In the 27^th minute Magnitogursk’s first line began to close down Čada’s charges, and Zaripov hit the left post. The extended pressure finally paid off when Yevgeny Grigorenko found himself unmarked and beat Backlund from close in - 2:2. In the 31st minute, Nagy picked out Vondrka expertly from behind the net, but the Czech forward could only find Koshechkin. The home team then applied the pressure again, and the whole Slovan defence - Backlund included - struggled to keep them at bay; four minutes from the siren, the Swedish goaltender pulled off a spectacular save off Grigorenko.

In the 41^st minute our first line set up in the Metallur zone, and when Nagy broke through, Slovan came mighty close to celebrating their third goal. At the other end, Slovan had to defend after Sigalet's dismissal, but the reliable Backlund saved several dangerous shots. Koshechkin was then called on to keep out two shots from Ölvecký, with Jeglič and Hudáček the would-be providers. Slovan finally took a decisive lead in the 51st minute, and it was that man Ladislav Nagy, with his fourth goal in two games, who made the most of a four-on-three power play to score from between the circles - 2:3. Magnitogorsk did have a number of chances from a powerplay in the 53^rd, but the 2:3 scoreline remained. After a mêlée around the visitors’ net two minutes later, it was left to the video referee to determine that the puck was never in the net. Slovan warded off the hosts’ pressure in the closing stages, and take all three points from the champions’ back yard.

Rostislav Čada: “The whole game, we defended very well in the face of the home side’s attack. Until the penalty kill, we didn’t allow their very strong first line to get past us. We scored two goals in powerplays, and that’s the main reason why we took all three points today.”