CSKA Moscow saw off Dynamo Moscow 5:2 in the KHL on Thursday evening, extending their grip on the upper half of the table. The visitors took control early and never looked back, with the final score reflecting a comfortable margin for the away side.
CSKA remain second after thirteen games with ten wins, while Dynamo sit ninth following fifteen matches and nine defeats. The gap between them is widening, and this result does little to ease the pressure on the home side's coaching staff.
Dynamo have lost five consecutive league games, their last win coming against Kunkunlun Red Star three days before this fixture. CSKA, by contrast, have won four of their last five, including a narrow 4:3 victory over Dynamo earlier this month.
and here's the thing — we had backed the visitors at 47 per cent confidence before kickoff. The away side's consistency in tight games has been evident all season, and Dynamo's defensive frailties simply cannot contain that level of repetition.
what matters is how CSKA managed the tempo. They did not chase the game, they let Dynamo come at them, and then punished the spaces left behind. Dynamo's players looked tired from the first period, and by then the outcome was already clear.
the standings do not lie. CSKA hold a comfortable cushion above the play-off spots, while Dynamo have nine losses from fifteen games and faces a difficult run-in. Five points separate them in the table, and this result makes that gap feel larger.
