Neftekhimik 4–5 (OT) Barys 10/2/2026
02.10.2026
Neftekhimik lost to Barys 4–5 (OT).
Unlike the game in Astana a week earlier, this time Neftekhimik found themselves playing catch-up. The visitors' goal came after a spell of sustained pressure; in the ensuing scramble in the crease, Barys’s number eight, Justin Bailey, was the quickest to react. That goal seemed to wake the Nizhnekamsk side up. They unleashed a barrage of attacks on Hunter Shepard, who was kept frantically busy in goal during those moments.
The onslaught lasted about three minutes but yielded no result. Then, our team had to play shorthanded for nearly four minutes; even while down a man, the "Wolves" came close to equalizing. Towards the end of the first period, Neftekhimik finally managed to beat the Barys goaltender. A sharp, precise shot from Matvey Nadvorny proved unstoppable for Shepard – making it 1–1.
At the start of the second period, the roles reversed, and the visitors found themselves trailing. Andrei Belozyorov executed a well-timed pause before firing a shot just inside the post—2–1. Amidst the roar of the crowd, the "Wolves" kept up the pressure and seemed on the verge of scoring again to break Barys’s resistance, but instead, they conceded a goal. Joining the play from deep in the zone, Tyce Thompson fired a mid-range shot to level the score.
The teams headed into the second intermission tied, though the "Wolves" could have taken the lead had they capitalized on a power play. What they failed to achieve late in the second period, they managed in the third—and specifically during a power play. Maxim Fedotov fired two consecutive shots at Shepard’s goal. On the first attempt, the puck went just wide of the post, but the second try found the net. Shortly after, our team scored a fourth goal, the result of a textbook play: Yevgeny Mityakin initiated the attack and passed to Rafael Bikmullin, who set up Artur Tyanulin for an open-net finish.
However, that wasn't enough for the win. The visitors first capitalized on a power play, and with 12 seconds remaining in regulation, Garrett Pilon tied the game with a long-range shot. In overtime, the Astana side proved more fortunate.
Upcoming game:
DATE OPPONENT TIME
10/4/2026 vs Sibir ⏰2:00 pm
