GOALLESS AT HOME TO SPARTAK

HC SLOVAN Bratislava - Spartak Moskva 0:3 (0:0, 0:1, 0:2)

Goals: 31. Kulik (Peshekhonov, P. Medvedev), 44. Sergeyev (Lemtyugov), 49. Špirko (Sergeyev, Lemtyugov)

Penalties: 5:3 (2 min.), +  49. Daňo - 5 min. (roughing) - 49. Anderson - 5 min. (roughing). Powerplay goals: 0:0. Officials: Naumov, Shchenyov - Pavlov, Meshikh. Attendance: 10,055.

Lineups:
HC Slovan: Janus - Štajnoch, Škoula, Sigalet, V. Mihálik, Mojžíš, J. Brejčák - Šatan, Radivojevič, L. Hudáček - Miklík, Bližňák, Vondrka - J. Mikúš, Ölvecký, Bartovič - M. Bakoš, A. Šťastný, M. Daňo - 21. T. Mikúš
Spartak: Shestyorkin - Kulik, Bodrov, Zheldakov, A. Sergeyev, Mamkin, V. Sorokin, Grishin, Yermakov - Volkov, Kvasha, Vyacheslav Kozlov - Lemtyugov, Wandell, Špirko - Anderson, A. Nikulin, Toluzakov - P. Medvedev, Bobrov, Peshekhonov

An evenly matched game, for a long time it was a contest between forwards and the two goaltenders Janus and Shestyorkin. Neither team was able to establish consistent pressure, and major chances were few and far between. At the end of the period Šatan and Špirko were punished for a minor set-to. The Bratislava forward was joined in the sin bin by Vondrka early in the second period, giving the visitors a lengthy four-on-three advantage. But the home defense managed to hold out.

Emerging from the sin bin half way through the game, Mihálik had a chance to take on Shestyorkin. A last-minute hack from Anderson was enough to stop the Slovan defenseman from scoring. The resulting penalty shot gave him a second chance, but his shot from between the circles was palmed off by the goalie. At the other end a minute later, Kulik got the puck from a ruck in front of goal, and his shot from between the circles made its way through four defenders and the goaltender – 0:1. The home team created a number of chances in response, but Shestyorkin kept his side in front.

When Sergeyev found a way through in the 43^rd minute, Spartak’s second goal brought Slovan to their knees.  The Bratislava team struggled, having real trouble moving forward to attack. In the 49^th, Špirko crowned a nice move with a backhand flick into the top of the net – 0:3. Soon after, Daňo and Anderson got into a fight in front of the visitors‘ goal, leading to 5-minute penalties for both of them. Spartak proceeded to control the closing stages of the game, Slovan no longer able to muster the mental and physical strength to respond - the home fans made their disappointment known to the players.

Rostislav Čada: “We put in a weak performance physically, which showed itself in totally inadequate movement. The strength of both our defensive and attacking efforts was weak and inadequate. We were slow and overly complicated, so we didn’t even score a single goal. The players wanted it and they tried, but after the second goal the morale fell away, and none of the players could do anything to lift it.”