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Two games on tap tonight with qualification battles in the West
If Vityaz are far enough above the play-off line in the West, the same can't be said for Spartak. The Muscovites currently sit in seventh, just one point above the line and Severstal, and two above Dinamo Minsk, who they face in a heated encounter tonight. Spartak currently have two key players with active scoring streaks – Alexander Khokhlachyov and Andrei Loktionov – but Dinamo Minsk will be looking for revenge after their recent defeat at Severstal.
The two sides have already met four times this season. Fortune has smiled on Spartak so far, with the Muscovites claiming three victories, but all of the games have been tightly contested and each time the winner has been decided by a single goal – twice after shootouts.
In Yaroslavl, the Railwaymen host a red-hot Vityaz side that is on a three-game winning streak. Lokomotiv will be looking to consolidate their place in the top four, while Vityaz will be looking to move up the table after three straight wins.
19:00: Lokomotiv (32-15-8, 3rd W) vs Vityaz (26-19-8, 6th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv enters the second game of a four-match home series fresh off a win over Salavat Yulaev on Sunday (3:2).
Vityaz plays the second game of a four-match road trip coming off a three-game winning streak.
Lokomotiv has defeated Vityaz twice this season so far (1:0 SO, 2:1), and lost once (3:4 OT). its forward Pavel Kraskovsky is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Vityaz’s goalie Maxim Dorozhko is on a 64:53 shutout streak.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin, Yegor Korshkov.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s forward Stepan Starkov celebrated his 200th KHL game tonight.
Vityaz’s forward Vladimir Galuzin may reach 250 points in the KHL (currently at 249).
19:30: Spartak (24-23-7, 7th W) vs Dinamo Minsk (21-22-11, 9th W)
About the game
Spartak enters the fifth game of a six-match home series coming off a win over HC Sochi on Sunday (2:0).
Dinamo Minsk is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Severstal also on Sunday (1:2).
Spartak has defeated Dinamo Minsk three times this season (3:2 OT, 2:1 SO, 6:5 SO) and lost once (2:3).
Spartak’s forward Alexander Khokhlachyov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward Andrei Loktionov and Dinamo Minsk’s forward Nick Merkley are on an identical three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points
