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Will Igor Larionov's Torpedo keep the pace?
The Nizhny Novgorod side is currently the third seed in the Western Conference and faces Spartak Moscow tonight.
Torpedo is definitely one of this year’s sensation. Igor Larionov an his young lineup are doing a tremendous job and they are currently third in the Western Conference’s standings. A loss to SKA meant little to them as they have already forget about it and easily got rid of Lokomotiv on Wednesday, with goalie Adam Huska stopping 28 of 29 shots in his KHL debut.
The KHL matchday has two games in the East earlier on, with Magnitka facing Neftekhimik – the Wolves are fresh off their first win of the season – and Traktor welcoming Salavat Yulaev. Traktor’s captain Anton Burdasov has been in fine shape of late, will it be enough for Chelyabinsk to reach a win?
In the Western Conference, Severstal travels to Yaroslavl trying to return to the right side of the playoffs line, while Vityaz faces Admiral at home in another hot game for playoffs contention. Five games are on tap on this KHL Friday.
17:00: Metallurg (8-1-2, 1st E) vs Neftekhimik (1-9-1, 11th E)
About the game
Metallurg enters the final match of a three-game home series after seven straight wins.
Neftekhimik starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over Sibir on Monday (2:1 OT).
Metallurg’s forward Brendan Leipsic had at least an assist in each of his latest four games, with a total of six helpers.
Metallurg’s forward Denis Zernov is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Metallurg’s forward Philippe Maillet is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Metallurg’s forward Andrei Chibisov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points.
Metallurg’s forward Nikita Korostelyov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points.
Neftekhimik’s forward Mikhail Nazarov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Injury list
Metallurg: Anatoly Nikontsev.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s netminder Vasily Koshechkin may celebrate his 90th KHL shutout.
17:00: Traktor (5-7-0, 8th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (5-4-2, 6th E)
About the game
Traktor ends a four-game home series and defeated Kunlun Red Star on Wednesday (3:1).
Salavat Yulaev, who has already defeated Traktor this year (3:2), starts a two-game road trip and lost to Ak Bars on Tuesday (0:3).
Traktor’s forward Anton Burdasov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points over that span.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Josh Ho-Sang.
Disqualifications
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Ryan Murphy serves a one-game ban.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin is at his 300th KHL game as a head coach.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Stanislav Bocharov may net his 100th KHL tally (currently at 99).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Stepan Sannikov may reach the 200-point mark tonight (currently at 199).
19:00: Lokomotiv (6-4-2, 5th W) vs Severstal (5-4-2, 9th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv ends a four-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Severstal starts a three-game road trip and lost to Admiral on Monday (1:2 OT).
Severstal’s defenseman Robin Press is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev is on an 84:09 shutout streak.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Nikita Cherepanov, Alexei Marchenko.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Yegor Averin may reach 300 KHL points (currently at 298).
Severstal’s forward Daniil Vovchenko may have his 100th KHL assist (currently at 99).
19:30: Vityaz (5-3-3, 8th W) vs Admiral (5-6-1, 7th E)
About the game
Vityaz ends a four-game home series and defeated Amur on Tuesday (3:1).
Admiral ends a four-game road trip and lost to SKA on Wednesday (1:6).
Injury list
Vityaz: Alexander Avtsin.
Admiral: Svyatoslav Grebenshchikov, Semyon Ivanov, Vadim Khlopotov, Yury Pautov.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s defenseman Artyom Borodkin lines up for his 500th KHL game, while his teammate, Roman Abrosimov, for his 200th.
19:30: Spartak (6-3-3, 8th W) vs Torpedo (8-3-0, 3rd W)
About the game
Spartak is in its second of a four-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Torpedo, who has already defeated Spartak this season (2:1 OT) ends a three-game road trip and defeated Lokomotiv on Wednesday (3:1).
Torpedo’s forward Nikolai Kovalenko is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that span.
Injury list
Spartak: Shane Prince.
