Zvezda Moscow took three points from their visit to CSK VVS on Thursday, winning 3:2 in the VHL. The match finished with the visitors holding on after a late rally from the hosts, who had been unable to convert their pressure into goals. It was another setback for CSK VVS, who continue to search for their first points of the campaign.
Both sides arrived with poor recent form. CSK VVS had lost four of their five previous games, including heavy defeats to Khimik and Gornyak. Zvezda Moscow were equally winless, having taken just one point from their last five outings. The gap between expectation and reality was immediate — we had tipped the home side at 46 per cent confidence, but the away team simply refused to fold.
The game itself was open from the start, with both teams creating chances but neither able to build momentum. CSK VVS pressed forward but found themselves chasing the game rather than controlling it. By then, the visitors had already established enough of a lead to see out the result. The hosts did not travel to make up the numbers, but they played a man down in spirit if not on paper.
With both teams sitting on zero points after thirteen and eleven games respectively, the table tells you nothing about the season — it has barely begun. What matters is the run each side is on. CSK VVS have now lost five of six matches. Zvezda Moscow have found a way to win at least occasionally, even if their record does not yet show it.
The result leaves CSK VVS still searching for their first points, while Zvezda Moscow moved closer to their first win of the season. And here's the thing — sometimes a match is decided not by tactics but by who wants it more in those final moments.
