Another Moscow Derby on tap tonight!
After defeating CSKA on Friday, the Red-and-Whites have another Moscow Derby in front of themselves when they meet Dynamo tonight. It’ll be the first game for their new head coach Igor Grishin – after firing Boris Mironov, the team was led by Alexei Zavarukhin for their “road” win over the reigning Gagarin Cup champion. Will they celebrate again against a Moscow rival?
The KHL matchday starts in the Far East, with Amur hosting Traktor with an active winning streak. The Tigers will want to try to catch up to return to playoffs places, but it won’t be easy as Traktor is looking to stay in the top-eight and rehabilitate after suffering from two straight losses.
The action then moves West, where Kunlun Red Star hosts Torpedo – both teams have been in shape of late, and Brandon Yip is scoring at a record pace for the Dragons. However, the Igor Larionov’s squad will be just as motivated to achieve yet another win for their standings.
Another exciting matchup is scheduled in Yaroslavl, where Lokomotiv hosts Severstal. The Railwaymen found themselves on the losing side twice in a row, while the Steelers returned to win on Thursday, when they blanked Neftekhimik scoring three unanswered goals. Severstal and Andrei Razin will be willing to battle to reach the top-eight again, but Lokomotiv will also be on the lookout for a win after the losses.
A showdown between Vityaz and Lokomotiv closes another exciting KHL matchday.
12:00: Amur (10-13-4, 10th E) vs Traktor (12-15-3, 8th E)
About the game
Amur enters its third of a four-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Traktor, who has already defeated Traktor this season (1:0), is at its third of a four-game road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.
Amur lost its previous six home games to Traktor, with the latest win dated Oct 09, 2018 (3:1).
Injury list
Amur: Andrei Alexeyev, Andrew Calof, Janis Kalnins, Yaroslav Likhachyov, Denis Vikharev.
Traktor: Anton Burdasov, Ilya Karpukhin.
Milestone alert
Amur’s forward Pavel Makhanovsky lines up for his 100th KHL game.
19:00: Kunlun Red Star (11-17-3, 10th W) vs Torpedo (18-10-1, 4th W)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star ends a four-game home series and defeated Neftekhimik on Saturday (7:4).
Torpedo, who has already defeated the Dragons this season (3:2), is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous three matches.
Kunlun Red Star’s Brandon Yip is on a nine-game scoring streak, with 11 (7+4) points over that span.
Torpedo’s forward Nikolai Kovalenko is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Torpedo’s forward Igor Larionov had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, collecting a total of seven helpers.
Torpedo’s forward Sergei Goncharuk is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points.
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Jack Chelios, Matt Jurusik, Paris O’Brien.
Torpedo: Kenny Agostino, Vasily Atanasov, Kirill Urakov.
19:00: Lokomotiv (18-7-4, 5th W) vs Severstal (11-11-7, 9th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv, who has already defeated Severstal twice this season (5:3, 4:3 OT), starts a two-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Severstal starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over Neftekhimik on Thursday (3:0).
Severstal’s most recent victory in Yaroslavl is dated Oct 31, 2017 (1:0).
Lokomotiv’s Artur Kayumov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that span.
Lokomotiv’s Denis Alexeyev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin, Artyom Ilyenko, Dmitri Simashev, Daniil Tesanov.
Severstal: Dmitri Moiseyev.
19:00: Vityaz (13-10-6, 7th W) vs Neftekhimik (11-17-1, 11th E)
About the game
Vityaz enters the second of a four-game home series after a loss to Avtomobilist on Saturday (1:4).
Neftekhimik ends a three-game road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.
Neftekhimik had its latest road win over Vityaz on Nov 17, 2017 (2:1 SO).
Injury list
Vityaz: Tyler Graovac.
Neftekhimik: Emil Garipov, Bulat Shafigullin, Alexander Sudnitsin.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (16-9-4, 5th W) vs Spartak (12-13-5, 8th W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow starts a three-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Spartak ends a four-game road trip and defeated CSKA on Friday (2:1).
Spartak’s forward Phil Varone is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Ivan Igumnov, Brennan Menell, Bogdan Yakimov, Vladislav Yefremov.
Spartak: Pavel Kukshtel, Daniil Orlov, Semyon Ruchkin, Artyom Serikov.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Vladislav Kodola may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Spartak’s forwards Roman Lyubimov and Alexander Khokhlachyov line up for their 500th and 400th KHL game, respectively.
