Gobs of KHL action with eight Saturday games on tap!
Vityaz, the hottest team in the KHL, will look to make it 10 out of 11 right at home against Metallurg. Both Jokerit and Avtomobilist will be looking to get out of their funks as they battle things out in Helsinki. Meanwhile, SKA hosts a Dynamo Moscow team that has won two in a row while a hot Avangard team greets another Moscow club, namely Spartak. They’ll be joined by Severstal and Ak Bars, who will both look to keep their 2-game winning streaks going right at home.
10:00: Amur (1-7-3) vs. Sibir (5-2-2)
About the game
Amur is playing the 3rd of four straight home games.
Sibir is playing the 1st of three straight road games.
Amur is coming into this game fresh off a renewed loss.
Sibir is coming into this game on a 2-game winning streak.
Amur last defeated Sibir at home on November 22nd, 2012, by a score of 3-2.
Sibir has already defeated Amur twice this season, both times by a tight score of 2-1.
Sibir has won the last 8 games between these two teams played in Khabarovsk.
Injury list
Amur: Denis Golubev, Kirill Rasskazov, Alexander Kuznetsov, Gleb Koryagin
Sibir: Samvel Mnatsyan, Nikolai Demidov, Vladislav Naumov, Nikita Shashkov
Milestone alert
Defenseman Oleg Piganovich is hoping to collect his 100th career KHL assist (currently at 99).
16:00: Jokerit (3-5-1) vs. Avtomobilist (8-2-1)
About the game
Jokerit is playing the 1st of two straight home games.
Avtomobilist is playing the 2nd of four straight road games.
Jokerit is entering this contest fresh off a loss.
Avtomobilist is entering this contest on a 3-game losing streak.
Jokerit has lost the last three home games it played against Avtomobilist in Helsinki.
CSKA defeated SKA 3-0 in the two teams’ first match-up this season.
German forward Macek leads Avtomobilist in scoring with 6-6-12 in 11 games.
Defenseman Lehtonen leads Jokerit in scoring with 3-5-8 in 9 games.
Injury list
Jokerit: Veli-Matti Savinainen
Avtomobilist: Rafael Batyrshin
17:00: Ak Bars (7-2-0) vs. Kunlun (4-5-1)
About the game
Ak Bars is playing the 2nd of four straight home games.
Kunlun is playing the 3rd of three straight road games.
Ak Bars is coming into this contest fresh off a victory.
Kunlun is also coming into this contest fresh off a victory.
Petrov has points in 5 straight games, going 2-3-5 over that span.
Azevedo has points in 5 straight games, going 3-5-8 over that span.
Cormier has points in 5 straight games, going 3-4-7 over that span.
Cracknell has points in 4 straight games, going 1-4-5 over that span.
Milestone alert
Forward Kirill Petrov is hoping to pot his 100th career regular season KHL goal (currently at 99).
Forward Danis Zaripov is hoping tie Alexei Morozov’s club KHL record for career KHL points. He currently had 323 to Morozov’s 325.
17:00: Neftekhimik (4-5-2) vs. Dinamo Minsk (4-4-2)
About the game
Neftekhimik is playing the 2nd of two straight home games.
Dinamo Minsk is playing the 3rd of three straight road games.
Neftekhimik is coming into this contest fresh off a loss.
Dinamo Minsk is coming into this contest on a 2-game losing streak.
Neftekhimik defeated Dinamo Minsk earlier this season by a score of 4-2.
Pulkkinen has points in 4 straight games, going 3-3-6 over that span.
Prince has points in 3 straight games, going 1-3-4 over that span.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Rafael Bikmullion, Bulat Shafigullin, Timur Khafizov
Dinamo Minsk: Sergei Kostitsyn, Alexander Pavlovich
Milestone alert
Forward Andrei Kostitsyn is hoping to score his 100th career KHL goal (currently at 99).
Goaltender Jonas Enroth can set the club record for KHL victories. Both he and Lars Haugen currently stand at 35 apiece.
17:00: Severstal (4-6-1) vs. Salavat (6-3-1)
About the game
Severstal is playing the 3rd of three straight home games.
Salavat is playing the 3rd of three straight road games.
Severstal is entering the contest on a 2-game winning streak.
Salavat is entering the game fresh off a loss.
Alexeyev has points in 3 straight games, going 2-2-4 over that span.
Omark has points in 3 straight games, going 2-2-4 over that span.
Injury list
Severstal: Yevgeni Bodrov
Salavat: Nikita Zhuldikov
Suspensions
Severstal: Vladislav Provolnev will miss this game while serving the 3rd of a 3-game suspension.
Milestone alert
Defenseman Vadim Kudako is hoping to suit up for his 200th career KHL game (currently at 199).
17:00: Avangard (6-2-1) vs. Spartak Moscow (4-5-3)
About the game
Avangard is playing the 2nd of three straight home games.
Spartak Moscow is on a 1-game road trip.
Avangard is coming into this contest on a 2-game winning streak.
Spartak Moscow is entering this contest fresh off a victory.
Hudacek has played 60 straight minutes of shutout hockey.
Avangard defeated Spartak earlier this season 3-2 in OT.
Voynov has points in 3 straight games, going 4-2-6 over that span.
Injury list
Avangard: Alexei Yemelin, Denis Zernov, Artyom Manukyan, Maxim Mizyurin, Cody Franson, Sergei Shirokov
Spartak Moscow: Ilya Arkalov, Andrei Kuteikin
Milestone alert
Defenseman Alexei Bondarev is hoping to collect his 100th career KHL point (currently at 99).
17:00: Vityaz (9-1-0) vs. Metallurg (2-7-1)
About the game
Vityaz is playing the 2nd of two straight home games.
Metallurg is playing the 1st of two straight road games.
Vityaz is entering the contest on an 8-game winning streak.
Metallurg is coming into the game on a 2-game losing streak.
Vityaz can set its KHL record for wins in a row with a victory today.
Vityaz defeated Metallurg earlier this season by a score of 2-0.
Samonov has played 99:16 straight minutes of shutout hockey.
Semin has points in 4 straight games, going 2-5-7 over that span.
Injury list
Vityaz: Nikita Komarov, Pekka Jormakka, Danila Kvartalnov, Joonas Nattinen
17:00: SKA (7-3-1) vs. Dynamo Moscow (6-3-1)
About the game
SKA is playing the 4th of four straight home games.
Dynamo Moscow is playing the 2nd of two straight road games.
SKA is entering this contest fresh off a much-needed victory.
Dynamo Moscow is entering this contest on a 2-game winning streak.
SKA defeated Dynamo Moscow earlier this season by a score of 2-0.
Tkachyov leads SKA in scoring with 6-4-10 in 11 contests.
Injury list
SKA: Dinar Khafizullin, Lukas Bengtsson
Milestone alert
Forward Maxim Karpov is hoping to collect his 200th career point in the KHL (currently at 199).
Defenseman Roman Rukavishnikov is hoping to suit up for his 300th career regular season KHL game (currently at 299).
Forward Vadim Shipachyov is hoping to collect his 200th career goal in the KHL (currently at 198).
Defenseman Michal Cajkovsky is hoping to suit up for his 100th career KHL game (currently at 99).
