Metallurg eyes Eastern lead!
It hasn’t been the best period for the Motormen – after the December pause, the Yekaterinburg side is yet to achieve a single victory and lost seven times in a row. As a result, tonight Magnitka can surpass them in case of a win over Lokomotiv and return in the first place in the Eastern Conference. But maybe the Motormen will manage to achieve a win in today’s matchup with Traktor. Earlier on, Amur and Barys meet again on a rare back-to-back game, with the Tigers prevailing in yesterday’s showdown after SO.
Another leader hitting the ice tonight is SKA – the St. Petersburg side will seek another Eastern victim after scoring nine to Traktor, tonight they face Salavat Yulaev. Ak Bars vs Vityaz, and Neftekhimik vs Severstal are the two last games of the KHL Eastern matchday
In the West, Dynamo Moscow hosts Kunlun Red Star, with the Dragons still seeking their first KHL victory over the Blue-and-Whites. In the remaining match, Torpedo welcomes Spartak.
10:00: Amur (19-21-6, 10th E) vs Barys (21-22-4, 8th E)
About the game
Amur ends a three-game home series and defeated Barys yesterday (4:3 SO).
Barys enters the second of a four-game road trip after a loss to Amur yesterday.
Amur recorded two wins over the Kazakhs so far this season (3:1, 4:3 OT), while Barys had one (1:5).
Amur’s forward Nikita Grebyonkin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Barys’ forward Linden Vey is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 9 (2+7) points.
Injury list
Barys: Nelson Nogier, Yegor Shalapov.
13:00: Dynamo Moscow (26-12-8, 5th W) vs Kunlun Red Star (16-27-4, 10th W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow starts a three-game home series after a loss to CSKA on Tuesday (2:3 OT).
Kunlun Red Star enters the second of a four-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
Dynamo has defeated the Dragons thrice this season (3:2 ОТ, 5:3, 5:1) – Kunlun Red Star is yet to achieve its first victory over the Muscovites at the KHL level.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Pavel Kudryavtsev, Eric O’Dell, Alexander Skorenov.
Kunlun Red Star: Paris O’Brien.
14:30: Metallurg (27-13-6, 2nd E) vs Lokomotiv (29-11-7, 2nd W)
About the game
Metallurg starts a three-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Lokomotiv, who has already defeated Magnitka this season (4:1), ends a four-game road trip and also lost its previous couple of matches.
Metallurg won its previous seven home games against the Railwaymen, with the latest Lokomotiv’s win dated Oct 22, 2013 (1:2 SO), and its forward Philippe Maillet is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 15 (2+13) points over that span.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin, Artur Kayumov, Yegor Korshkov.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s forward Denis Zernov may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
Metallurg’s forward Maxim Karpov may score his 300th point in the KHL (currently at 299).
14:30: Salavat Yulaev (24-13-9, 5th E) vs SKA (23-7-4, 1st W)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev ends a two-game home series and defeated Lokomotiv on Wednesday (2:1).
SKA, who has already defeated Salavat Yulaev this season (3:2 OT), enters the fourth of a five-game road trip after a win over Traktor also on Wednesday (9:3).
SKA’s forward Nikita Gusev is on a four-game scoring streak, with 8 (1+7) points over that span.
SKA’s forward Marat Khusnutdinov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
SKA’s defenseman Stepan Falkovsky is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Josh Ho-Sang, Ryan Murphy, Grigory Panin.
SKA: Zakhar Bardakov, Evgeny Ketov, Danila Moiseyev, Roman Rukavishnikov, Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi.
14:30: Traktor (19-22-6, 9th E) vs Avtomobilist (28-12-6, 1st E)
About the game
Traktor enter the fourth of a five-game home series after losing to SKA on Wednesday.
Avtomobilist starts a two-game road trip on a seven-game losing streak.
The Motormen have defeated Traktor twice (3:2 OT, 2;1), and lost once (3:4 OT).
Traktor’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Traktor’s forward Maxim Shabanov had at least an assist in his previous three games, totaling five helpers.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Anatoly Golyshev, Stephane Da Costa.
17:00: Ak Bars (23-16-7, 6th E) vs Vityaz (21-17-8, 7th W)
About the game
Ak Bars, who has already defeated Vityaz this season (4:3), ends a four-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
Vityaz starts a four-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.
Vityaz’s forward Stepan Starkov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.
17:00: Neftekhimik (20-23-3, 10th E) vs Severstal (18-17-11, 8th W)
About the game
Neftekhimik enters the second of a four-game home series and defeated Spartak on Wednesday (3:2).
Severstal, who has already defeated Neftekhimik this season (3:0), ends a two-game road trip after a loss to Ak Bars also on Wednesday (1:2 OT).
Neftekhimik’s forward Ansel Galimov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Emil Garipov, Maxim Goncharov.
17:00: Torpedo (29-14-3, 3rd W) vs Spartak (21-19-7, 6th W)
About the game
Torpedo ends a two-game home series after a win over HC Sochi on Tuesday (5:2).
Spartak enters the seventh of a nine-game road trip after losing to Neftekhimik on Wednesday (2:3).
Torpedo has defeated the Muscovites twice this season (2:1 OT, 3:1), and lost once (3:4).
Torpedo’s forward Dennis Yan is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points over that span.
Torpedo’s forward Vladislav Firstov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Spartak’s forward Alexander Khokhlachyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Spartak’s defenseman Semyon Ruchkin had at least an assist over his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Injury list
Torpedo: Kenny Agostino, Kirill Urakov.
Spartak: Kirill Kozhevnikov, Dmitry Vishnevsky.
