Will HC Sochi finally get a win tonight?
As the regular season draws to a close, HC Sochi finds themselves in a less than desirable position. The team has lost a staggering 21 consecutive games – that’s a record in the whole Russian hockey history. Despite this, there are glimmers of hope amidst the darkness. Young players like Matvei Michkov and Sergei Popov have shown flashes of brilliance, with the latest being on an active scoring streak.
But tonight, HC Sochi will face their toughest challenge yet as they take on the mighty Metallurg. The team from the East is currently sitting comfortably in second place, a stark contrast to HC Sochi’s last place standing in the Western Conference. It will be a David versus Goliath battle, but as we all know, anything can happen in hockey.
The KHL matchday however starts in Kazakhstan, with Barys taking on Neftekhimik. Both sides find themselves in a do-or-die position and there’s a lot on stake tonight at the Astana rink. The action moves then to Ufa, with Salavat Yulaev facing Admiral. The Sailors achieved two victories in direct matchup this season, and goalie Pavel Khomchenko has an active shutout streak – look out for a tight game in Ufa.
A rematch between Sibir and Ak Bars takes place as the day’s last game. The two sides met on Monday, with Kazan taking two points after SO. It’ll be exciting to see whether they will be able to tie the series as so far Sibir defeated them twice, with just one Ak Bars win.
14:00: Barys (22-25-4, 8th E) vs Neftekhimik (22-24-3, 10th E)
About the game
Barys is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous couple of matche.
Neftekhimik starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over Amur on Wednesday (1:0).
Neftekhimik has defeated Barys twice this season (2:1; 4:2), and lost once (1:3). Its goalie Andrei Tikhomirov is on an 88:58 shutout streak.
Injury list
Barys: Nelson Nogier.
Neftekhimik: Emil Garipov, Maxim Goncharov.
14:30: Salavat Yulaev (26-14-9, 5th E) vs Admiral (27-18-5, 6th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev starts a two-game home series coming off a loss to Dynamo Moscow on Tuesday (2:3).
Admiral will be entering the second game of a four-match road trip on a two-game winning streak.
Admiral has defeated Salavat Yulaev twice this season (2:0, 2:1 OT), and lost once (3:5). Its goalie Pavel Khomchenko is on a 105:09 shutout streak
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Vladislav Kartayev, Josh Ho-Sang, Ryan Murphy, Grigory Panin.
Admiral: Michal Kristof, Yegor Rykov.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s forward Alexander Gorshkov may score his 200th KHL point (currently at 199).
17:00: Ak Bars (26-16-7, 7th E) vs Sibir (29-17-4, 3rd E)
About the game
Ak Bars starts a four-game home series coming off a five-match winning streak.
Sibir starts a two-game road trip after a defeat to Ak Bars on Monday (2:3 SO).
Sibir has defeated Kazan twice this season (4:2, 6:3), and lost once (2:3 SO). Its forward Taylor Beck had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Injury list
Sibir: Vyacheslav Litovchenko.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s defenseman Trevor Murphy may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Sibir’s forward Valentin Pyanov may score his 100th assist in the KHL (currently at 99).
17:00: HC Sochi (5-35-9, 11th W) vs Metallurg (28-14-7, 2nd E)
About the game
HC Sochi ends a four-game home series and lost 21 times in a row.
Metallurg starts a four-game road trip coming off a two-match losing streak.
HC Sochi’s forward Sergei Popov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s head coach Sergei Svetlov celebrates 400 KHL games.
Metallurg’s goalie Ed Pasquale may reach the 100 KHL wins’ mark.
His teammate, forward Denis Zernov, may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).’
