Key night in the East!
Barys, traveling to Magnitogorsk tonight and currently sitting in 8th place, with its 52 points earned, cannot afford to lose if they want to hold on to their spot. Amur, sitting in 9th place, also with 52 points accrued, must come out victorious in tonight’s away matchup with table-topping Sibir if they want to stay in the running for the playoffs.
Finally, Traktor, sitting in 10th place, again at the 52-point mark, have the toughest task ahead of them, as they must not only win when they host Ak Bars tonight, but also make up ground on the teams above them. Neftekhimik is resting tonight, but they only have one point fewer than their rivals.
As the night unfolds, it’s anyone’s guess as to which team will come out on top of the small pack. Will Barys maintain their position, or will Amur and Traktor come out of nowhere to steal the show? One thing is for certain, the stakes are high, and the tension is palpable. The Eastern Conference playoff race is on and it’s time to see who wants it more.
In the remaining game of the matchday, Torpedo hosts CSKA. Igor Larionov’s young guns have already proven their mettle against CSKA this season, so unpredictability is once again a watchword for tonight’s contest.
15:30: Sibir (33-17-4, 1st E) vs Amur (23-23-6, 9th E)
About the game
Sibir, who has already defeated the Tigers this season (4:1), ends a three-game home series and won its previous four matches.
Amur enters the second game of a four-match road trip coming off a two-game winning streak.
Sibir won its previous eight home games against Amur, with the latest defeat dated back Feb 4, 2017 (1:3).
Sibir’s forward Alexander Sharov is on a five-game home series, with 8 (5+3) points over that span.
Amur’s goalie Evgeny Alikin is on a 111:51 shutout streak.
Injury list
Sibir: Vyacheslav Litovchenko, Anton Nazarevich, Nikita Setdikov.
Amur: Vasily Sredin.
Milestone alert
Amur’s goalie Evgeny Alikin may celebrate his 200th KHL game tonight.
17:00: Metallurg (29-16-8, 3rd E) vs Barys (24-27-4, 8th E)
About the game
Metallurg starts a two-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Barys ends a three-game road trip coming off a two-match winning streak.
Metallurg has defeated Barys twice this season (5:0, 3:2 SO), and lost once (2:3).
Metallurg’s forward Denis Zernov had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, with four total helpers.
Barys’ forward Anton Sagadeyev scored at least a goal in each of his previous five games, totaling six tallies.
Injury list
Barys: Kirill Savitsky, Linden Vey.
17:00: Traktor (22-23-8, 10th E) vs Ak Bars (29-16-8, 5th E)
About the game
Traktor ends a two-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Ak Bars starts a three-game road trip coming off a three-match winning streak.
The teams have won one game apiece this season so far (5:2, 2:3).
Traktor’s defenseman Rob Hamilton is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov is on a 109:26 shutout streak.
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Radulov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points.
19:30: Torpedo (33-16-4, 5th W) vs CSKA (34-12-6, 2nd W)
About the game
Torpedo ends a four-game home series and lost to SKA on Saturday (2:6).
CSKA is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Dynamo Moscow also on Saturday (1:2 SO).
The teams have equally traded wins this season so far (4:2, 0:4).
CSKA’s forward Konstantin Okulov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that span.
CSKA’s defenseman Nikita Nesterov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 7 (4+3) points.
Injury list
Torpedo: Kenny Agostino, Alexander Daryin, Dennis Yan.
CSKA: Danil Yurtaikin.
