Spartak/Vityaz among 5 teams in action with playoff hopes on the line!

The gamedays are ticking away and so too are the opportunities to sneak into the playoffs. For both Vityaz and Spartak Moscow, a loss doesn’t come into questions. But will Vityaz be able to deal with Kunlun in the same manner Spartak hopes to dispense of Riga?

Others in play battling for points in the west include Dinamo Minsk, Severstal, and Jokerit, all of whom are in striking distance of one another for 5^th in the conference.

Also, with a victory today over Traktor, CSKA would take over first place in the KHL.

All in all, there are 9 games scheduled, so you’ll have plenty to quench your hockey thirst!

14:30: Salavat (33-16-5) vs Amur (20-28-5)

About the game

Salavat is entering today’s contest on a 4-game winning streak.

Amur is entering today’s contest fresh off a defeat.

Salavat is playing the 2^nd of four straight home games.

Amur is playing the 2^nd of two straight road games.

Salavat has defeated Amur three times this season by scores of 4-1, 2-1, and 3-2.

Rasskazov has points in three straight games, going 2-2-4 over that span.

Injury list

Salavat: Mikhail Vorobyov, Gleb Kuzmin, Danil Bashkirov

Amur: Artyom Zhelezkov, Danil Faizullin, Alex Sharov

Milestone alert

Forward Vyacheslav Solodukhin is hoping to collect his 100^th career KHL point (currently at 99).

15:00: Metallurg (34-14-5) vs Barys (28-19-6)

About the game

Metallurg is entering today’s contest on an amazing 9-game winning streak.

Barys is entering today’s contest fresh off a victory.

Metallurg is playing the 3^rd of four straight home games.

Barys is playing the 3^rd of three straight road games.

Metallurg has defeated Barys twice this season, namely by scores of 3-1 and 2-1 in OT, but also lost once to them by a score of 3-2 in OT.

Koshechkin has played 105:29 straight minutes of shutout hockey.

Beck has points in three straight games, going 2-5-7 over that span.

Rasmussen has points in three straight games, going 2-1-3 over that span.

Injury list

Metallurg: Bogdan Potekhin

Barys: Viktor Svedberg, Leonid Metalnikov, Joni Ortio

Milestone alert

Forward Linus Videll is hoping to collect his 200^th career KHL assist (currently at 199).

15:00: Traktor (30-19-4) vs CSKA (38-10-5)

About the game

Traktor is entering today’s contest on a 2-game winning streak.

CSKA is entering today’s contest on a 3-game winning streak.

Traktor is playing the 4^th of five straight home games.

CSKA is playing the 2^nd of two straight road games.

Traktor has been defeated by CSKA six times in a row.

Johansson has played 86:49 straight minutes without a goal against.

Hyka has points in eight straight games, going 3-10-13 over that span. He can repeat Petri Kontiola’s club record for a scoring streak with a point today.

Mamin has points in four straight games, going 2-2-4 over that span.

Injury list

Traktor: Pontus Aberg

CSKA: Mario Kempe

Milestone alert

Defenseman Denis Bodrov is hoping to collect his 100^th career KHL assist (currently at 99).

17:00: Kunlun (11-33-8) vs Vityaz (25-24-4)

About the game

Kunlun is entering today’s contest on an 8-game losing streak.

Vityaz is entering today’s contest fresh off a victory.

Kunlun is playing the 3^rd of three straight home games.

Vityaz is playing the 1^st of two straight road games.

Vityaz defeated Kunlun earlier this season by a score of 3-0.

With a point today, Danforth can tie the club record for points in a regular season, which is currently 51.

Dergachev has points in three straight games, going 2-1-3 over that span.

Bardakov has points in five straight games, going 6-1-7 over that span.

Injury list

Kunlun: Casey Wellman, Cory Kane

Vityaz: Alexander Semin, Ivan Larichev

Suspension

Vityaz: Forward Artyom Ivanyuzhenkov will miss this game while serving a 1-game suspension.

Milestone alert

Defenseman Daniil Pylenkov is hoping to suit up for his 100^th career KHL game (currently at 99).

17:00: Avangard (31-11-11) vs Neftekhimik (16-37-0)

About the game

Avangard is entering today’s contest on a 2-game winning streak.

Neftekhimik is entering today’s contest on a 5-game losing streak.

Avangard is playing the 3^rd of four straight home games.

Neftekhimik is playing the 3^rd of six straight road games.

Avangard defeated Neftekhimik by a score of 2-1.

Boucher has points in three straight games, going 3-0-3 over that span.

Injury list

Avangard: Arseni Gritsyuk, Alexander Yaremchuk, Yegor Chinakhov, Jiri Sekac, Nail Yakupov, Maxim Chudinov

Neftekhimik: Mikhail Sidorov

Milestone alert

Forward Alexei Potapov hoping to collect his 100^th career KHL point (currently at 99).

Forward Ilya Kablukov is hoping to collect his 100^th career KHL assist (currently at 99).

Forward Pavel Poryadin is hoping to collect his 100^th career KHL point (currently at 99).

17:00: Sochi (14-32-8) vs Dinamo Minsk (28-22-3)

About the game

Sochi is entering today’s contest fresh off a loss.

Dinamo Minsk is entering today’s contest on a 2-game losing streak.

Sochi is playing the 2^nd of two straight home games.

Dinamo Minsk is playing the 3^rd of five straight road games.

Dinamo Minsk has defeated Sochi twice this season, both times by scores of 3-2 in OT, but also lost once 2-1. Yes, we can expect this to be a very close affair.

Prince has points in three straight games, going 2-2-4 over that span.

Injury list

Dinamo Minsk: Dmitri Buinitsky, Ryan Spooner, Ilya Solovyov, Pavel Varfolomeyev, Vladislav Yeryomenko, Vladislav Kolyachonok

17:30: Severstal (28-21-4) vs Dynamo Moscow (33-15-6)

About the game

Severstal is entering this contest on a 3-game winning streak.

Dynamo Moscow is coming into this contest having lost its last game.

Severstal is playing the 3^rd of three straight home games.

Dynamo Moscow is playing the 2^nd of five straight road games.

Severstal defeated Dynamo earlier this season by a shootout score of 3-2.

Kodola has points in three straight games, going 1-5-6 over that span.

Adamchuk has points in three straight games, going 3-1-4 over that span.

Injury list

Severstal: Artyom Gareyev, Vladislav Provolnev, Adam Liska

Dynamo Moscow: Alexander Kucheryavenko

17:30: SKA (32-13-8) vs Jokerit (28-18-5)

About the game

SKA is entering today’s contest fresh off a victory.

Jokerit is also entering today’s contest fresh off a win.

SKA is playing the 2^nd of four straight home games.

Jokerit is playing the 3^rd of three straight road games.

Jokerit has defeated SKA twice this season, both times by a score of 2-1 (once coming in the shootout), but also lost to SKA once by a score of 4-1.

Samonov has played 79:13 straight minutes of shutout hockey.

Injury list

SKA: Artyom Shvets-Rogovoy, Stepan Starkov, Vasili Tokranov

Jokerit: Jesse Joensuu, Anders Lindback, Peter Regin

18:00: Dinamo Riga (8-35-9) vs Spartak Moscow (24-23-6)

About the game

Dinamo Riga is entering this contest on a 6-game losing streak.

Spartak Moscow is coming into this contest having lost its last game.

Dinamo Riga is on a 1-game homestand.

Spartak Moscow is playing the 3^rd of six straight road games.

Dinamo Riga defeated Spartak Moscow earlier this season by a score of 5-2.

Indrasis has points in three straight games, going 2-3-5 over that span.

Injury list

Dinamo Riga: Danila Larionovs, Stanislov Galimov

Spartak Moscow: Andrei Kuteikin, Pavel Medvedev, Zakhar Shablovsky 

Milestone alert

Forward Pavel Chernov is hoping to collect his 100^th career KHL assist (currently at 99).