MOSCOW, Russia — Dinamo Riga need to win their next three games if they are to progress to the Western Conference final.

An 0-2 loss this evening sees Dinamo Riga go two down in their best of five semifinal series, meaning anything short of victory in the three remaining games will [private_supervisor]spell an end to their season.

Having a team laden with members of the Latvian national team has in many ways disadvantaged Dinamo Riga in their series against HK MVD, with Latvian national squad coach Olegs Znaroks, also heading the MVD coaching staff. This is an obvious advantage for MVD, with Znaroks only too well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of his opposition.

As a Dinamo Riga power play came to a close midway through the opening period, the defense failed to pick up Ruslan Zainulin who was returning to the ice from the penalty box. The slight lapse left Zainulin one-on-one with Martin Prusek who failed to stop the resulting shot.

Midway through the second period and Dinamo Riga found itself falling further behind. This time it was Alexei Ugarov piercing the Dinamo Riga defensive line. Initial thoughts were Prusek had been taken out of play but replays would show the puck had already found the back of the net before the interference on Prusek occured.

With time fading quickly Dinamo Riga fought hard but ultimately it would prove fruitless. In a curious move, Dinamo Riga coach Július Šupler opted not to pull Pruseks to give himself an extra man on attack. This suggested that Šupler had little faith in grabbing two goals late in the piece.

The series will move to Riga on Monday, with action scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m. at Arena Riga. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]spell an end to their season.

Having a team laden with members of the Latvian national team has in many ways disadvantaged Dinamo Riga in their series against HK MVD, with Latvian national squad coach Olegs Znaroks, also heading the MVD coaching staff. This is an obvious advantage for MVD, with Znaroks only too well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of his opposition.

As a Dinamo Riga power play came to a close midway through the opening period, the defense failed to pick up Ruslan Zainulin who was returning to the ice from the penalty box. The slight lapse left Zainulin one-on-one with Martin Prusek who failed to stop the resulting shot.

Midway through the second period and Dinamo Riga found itself falling further behind. This time it was Alexei Ugarov piercing the Dinamo Riga defensive line. Initial thoughts were Prusek had been taken out of play but replays would show the puck had already found the back of the net before the interference on Prusek occured.

With time fading quickly Dinamo Riga fought hard but ultimately it would prove fruitless. In a curious move, Dinamo Riga coach Július Šupler opted not to pull Pruseks to give himself an extra man on attack. This suggested that Šupler had little faith in grabbing two goals late in the piece.

The series will move to Riga on Monday, with action scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m. at Arena Riga. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]spell an end to their season.

Having a team laden with members of the Latvian national team has in many ways disadvantaged Dinamo Riga in their series against HK MVD, with Latvian national squad coach Olegs Znaroks, also heading the MVD coaching staff. This is an obvious advantage for MVD, with Znaroks only too well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of his opposition.

As a Dinamo Riga power play came to a close midway through the opening period, the defense failed to pick up Ruslan Zainulin who was returning to the ice from the penalty box. The slight lapse left Zainulin one-on-one with Martin Prusek who failed to stop the resulting shot.

Midway through the second period and Dinamo Riga found itself falling further behind. This time it was Alexei Ugarov piercing the Dinamo Riga defensive line. Initial thoughts were Prusek had been taken out of play but replays would show the puck had already found the back of the net before the interference on Prusek occured.

With time fading quickly Dinamo Riga fought hard but ultimately it would prove fruitless. In a curious move, Dinamo Riga coach Július Šupler opted not to pull Pruseks to give himself an extra man on attack. This suggested that Šupler had little faith in grabbing two goals late in the piece.

The series will move to Riga on Monday, with action scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m. at Arena Riga. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]spell an end to their season.

Having a team laden with members of the Latvian national team has in many ways disadvantaged Dinamo Riga in their series against HK MVD, with Latvian national squad coach Olegs Znaroks, also heading the MVD coaching staff. This is an obvious advantage for MVD, with Znaroks only too well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of his opposition.

As a Dinamo Riga power play came to a close midway through the opening period, the defense failed to pick up Ruslan Zainulin who was returning to the ice from the penalty box. The slight lapse left Zainulin one-on-one with Martin Prusek who failed to stop the resulting shot.

Midway through the second period and Dinamo Riga found itself falling further behind. This time it was Alexei Ugarov piercing the Dinamo Riga defensive line. Initial thoughts were Prusek had been taken out of play but replays would show the puck had already found the back of the net before the interference on Prusek occured.

With time fading quickly Dinamo Riga fought hard but ultimately it would prove fruitless. In a curious move, Dinamo Riga coach Július Šupler opted not to pull Pruseks to give himself an extra man on attack. This suggested that Šupler had little faith in grabbing two goals late in the piece.

The series will move to Riga on Monday, with action scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m. at Arena Riga. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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