Top games tonight in both West and East!
The stage is set for the sixth installment of the Green Derby as Ak Bars and Salavat Yulaev face off in Ufa. This season, Ak Bars has come out on top in three out of the five previous meetings, while Salavat Yulaev has secured two victories. However, both teams come into this game with very different momentum, with Ak Bars on a four-game winning streak and Salavat Yulaev having lost four in a row. The game promises to be an intense battle, with both teams looking to gain an edge in the standings. Furthermore, Alex Radulov and Kirill Semyonov are currently on scoring streaks, adding another layer of excitement to the game. Expect a thrilling matchup as these bitter rivals take to the ice in Ufa.
If the night wasn’t enough exciting, SKA and CSKA clash again in St. Petersburg – for the sixth time this season. SKA, currently sitting at the top of the standings, will be looking for revenge after losing the last two encounters to CSKA. Both teams will be bringing their A-game as they fight for dominance on the ice. Additionally, CSKA’s forward Vladislav Kamenev will be celebrating a milestone, as he plays in his 200th KHL game. This promises to be an intense and exciting game between two of the league’s top teams.
But the battle will be no less intense in the other games, with teams battling hard to get an advantage in sight of the playoffs. Traktor will be hunger for points while traveling to Omsk as they slipped down to last place, while Severstal flies to Kazakhstan seeking to enlarge the gap over Dinamo Minsk – but they should be cautious, as Barys is in a similar position in the Eastern Conference.
On another high-stakes matchup, Neftekhimik hosts Amur. After a win in a crazy game against Sibir on Monday, the Tigers returned on the top of the playoffs line, but Neftekhimik is just one point shy.
A showdown between Avtomobilist and Dynamo Moscow closes an exciting KHL matchday.
16:30: Avangard (31-18-4, 5th E) vs Traktor (22-24-8, 11th E)
About the game
Avangard starts a two-game home series coming off a two-match losing streak.
Traktor starts a three-game road trip after losing three straight times.
Avangard has defeated Traktor twice this season (3:1, 5:1), and lost once (0:1).
Injury list
Avangard: Stanislav Galimov, Nail Yakupov.
16:30: Barys (24-27-5, 10th E) vs Severstal (21-21-12, 8th W)
About the game
Barys starts a three-game home series after a loss to Metallurg on Monday (1:2 OT):
Severstal, who has already defeated Barys this season (5:2), starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over Dinamo Minsk on Sunday (2:1).
Injury list
Barys: Kirill Savitsky, Linden Vey.
Severstal: Daniil Pylenkov, Mikhail Tikhonov.
Milestone alert
Barys’ forward Nikita Mikhailis lines up for his 400th KHL game.
17:00: Avtomobilist (30-15-8, 3rd E) vs Dynamo Moscow (32-14-8, 5th W)
About the game
Avtomobilist is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Dynamo Moscow, who has already defeated Avtomobilist this season (3:0), starts a four-game road trip coming off a four-match winning streak.
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Konstantin Volkov is on a 115:48 shutout streak.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Jakub Lilja, Alexei Potapov.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s head coach Nikolai Zavarukhin may celebrate his 100th KHL win.
Avtomobilist’s forward Georgy Belousov may reach 250 KHL points (currently at 249).
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (27-18-9, 6th E) vs Ak Bars (30-16-8, 4th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev starts a three-game home series after a four-match losing streak.
Ak Bars is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous four matches.
Ak Bars has defeated Salavat Yulaev three times this season (3:0, 2:1 SO, 2:1), and has lost twice (2:3, 1:4).
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Radulov is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Josh Ho-Sang.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s goalie Ilya Ezhov may reach 30 KHL shutouts.
19:30: Neftekhimik (25-26-3, 9th E) vs Amur (24-23-6, 8th E)
About the game
Neftekhimik ends a three-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
Amur enters the third game of a four-match road trip coming off a three-game winning streak.
Neftekhimik has defeated Amur twice this season (4:3 OT, 1:0), and has lost once (1:5).
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Emil Garipov.
Amur: Vasily Sredin.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik’s goalie Alexander Sudnitsin may celebrate his 100th KHL win.
19:30: SKA (42-9-4, 1st W) vs CSKA (34-13-6, 2nd W)
About the game
SKA plays the lone home game of the series coming off two consecutive wins.
CSKA ends a three-game road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.
SKA has defeated CSKA twice this season (3:2 OT, 6:2) and lost three times (1:2, 1:3, 2:4).
CSKA’s forward Konstantin Okulov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that span.
Injury list
SKA: Evgeny Ketov, Danila Moiseyev, Nikolai Prokhorkin, Roman Rukavishnikov, Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi, Vladislav Tsitsyura.
CSKA: Danil Yurtaikin.
Milestone alert
SKA’s forward Emil Galimov may reach 100 KHL goals (currently at 99).
CSKA’s forward Vladislav Kamenev lines up for his 200th KHL game.
