Larionov: SKA goalkeepers may shoot at an empty net

SKA goalkeepers may shoot at an empty net. Skaters may do so only once they have crossed the red line. Head coach Igor Larionov set out the rule after goalkeeper Sergei Ivanov tried to score into an empty goal late in the game with Traktor, which finished 4:3.

Larionov said the attempt was his own idea. "I recommended that Seryozha Ivanov try it back in the training camp and at the Puchkov tournament. Almost all our matches are decided by one goal, apart from the last game against the Chinese team from St Petersburg. I am all for such attempts," he said.

Ivanov has no goals in his career.

"It is not about setting him a target to score. You want to give a person confidence and show that we believe in him in any situation. He has earned that. If he had scored, it would have been great. Our goalkeepers, both [Artemy] Pleshkov and Seryozha, are very responsible lads. When there is space, time and a lane for the shot, I am all for it," Larionov said.

Asked about the skaters, he drew a line at the red line. "I let defenders and forwards try for the empty net only after they have crossed the red line. Otherwise there comes a moment when you start thinking about yourself, not the team: you send the puck back into your own zone and can concede. Goalkeepers are allowed to shoot at an empty net," he said.

If SKA's games keep being decided by a single goal, this may mean more such attempts from Ivanov and Pleshkov.