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Avangard and Dynamo Moscow clash again tonight!
One of the most highly-anticipated matchups in Russian hockey takes an exciting new turn tonight. Dynamo Moscow will travel to Omsk, who currently sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Known for their stingy and organized defense, the Blue-and-Whites have established themselves as one of the strongest teams in the conference. Avangard, on the other hand, has overcome an early-season slump and is now flourishing in attack; the Hawks are now safely among the top 3 teams in the Eastern Conference in terms of goals scored. This is no small feat, especially considering the strong performances of Avangard’s neighbors in the standings such as Avtomobilist and Magnitka. The first match of the season between these teams left no doubt as to the outcome, with Dynamo emerging victorious with a solid 4:1 score. However, the game took place in September, and at that time Avangard was not at its best then. Now, Avangard presents itself as a better version of itself, and the upcoming battle promises to be one not to be missed.
But naturally, there will be much more on stakes tonight – especially in the Eastern Conference. Barys hosts Traktor with both teams desperately needing a win to keep pace with eighth-placed Amur, who face a tough test tonight when they take on CSKA in Moscow. Sergei Fedorov’s men have lost three in a row, including a rivalry game against CSKA on Wednesday, and will be looking to bounce back.
In the meantime, Avtomobilist hosts Neftekhimik, while Metallurg welcomes Ak Bars. There’s a lot here to see, with the first place in the Eastern Conference up for grabs and Neftekhimik also seeking points to return to the right side of the playoffs line.
But it’s also playoff qualifying time in the West, with Severstal visiting Ufa. Salavat Yulaev is coming off a well-deserved win in the Green Derby on Wednesday, so they will need to stay focused to avoid being caught out by a points-hungry Severstal, who will be looking to extend their lead over Dinamo Minsk as the eighth-placed team in the Western Conference.
With CSKA facing Amur, Lokomotiv will need to push the gas in tonight’s match against SKA should they want to stay in second place in the West, while a rematch of the Vityaz and HC Sochi’s matchup of yesterday closes an exciting and eventful KHL matchday.
16:30: Avangard (31-19-4, 5thE) vs Dynamo Moscow (32-15-8, 5thW)
About the game
Avangard ends a two-game home series coming off a three-match losing streak.
Dynamo Moscow, who has already downed the Hawks this season (4:1), enters the second game of a four-match road trip after a loss to Avtomobilist on Wednesday (1:4).
Injury list
Avangard: Stanislav Galimov, Nail Yakupov.
Dynamo Moscow: Jakub Lilja, Alexei Potapov.
16:30: Barys (24-27-6, 10thE) vs Traktor (23-24-8, 11thE)
About the game
Barys is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Traktor is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Avangard on Wednesday (4:2).
Barys has defeated Traktor three times this season (3:1, 4:1, 3:2 OT), and its goalie Julius Hudacek is on a 65:00 shutout streak.
Injury list
Barys: Kirill Savitsky, Linden Vey.
17:00: Avtomobilist (31-15-8, 1stE) vs Neftekhimik (25-26-4, 9thE)
About the game
Avtomobilist ends a three-game home series and defeated Dynamo Moscow on Wednesday (4:1).
Neftekhimik starts a two-game road trip coming off a loss to Amur also on Wednesday (1:2 SO).
The teams have equally traded wins this season so far (4:3, 3:4).
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Arsen Khisamutdinov.
Neftekhimik: Emil Garipov, Bulat Shafigullin.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s forward Grigory Belousov may reach 250 KHL points (currently at 249).
Neftekhimik’s goalie Alexander Sudnitsin may celebrate his 100thKHL win.
17:00: Metallurg (30-16-8, 2ndE) vs Ak Bars (30-16-9, 3rdE)
About the game
Metallurg ends a two-game home series and defeated Barys on Monday (2:1 OT).
Ak Bars ends a three-game road trip and lost to Salavat Yulaev on Wednesday (1:2 OT).
Magnitka has defeated Ak Bars three times this season so far (4:1, 2:1, 4:2), and lost once (2:3 OT).
Metallurg’s forward Denis Zernov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that span.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (28-18-9, 6thE) vs Severstal (22-21-12, 8thW)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev, who has already defeated Severstal this season (5:4), is in the middle of a three-game home series and defeated Ak Bars on Wednesday (2:1 OT).
Severstal is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous couple of matches.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Ivan Drozdov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Severstal’s goalie Dmitry Shugayev is on a 110:51 shutout streak.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Josh Ho-Sang.
Severstal: Yegor Morozov, Daniil Pylenkov, Mikhail Tikhonov.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Evgeny Biryukov becomes tonight the first player to reach the 950-game mark in the KHL history.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Artyom Pimenov lines up for his 100thKHL game.
Salavat Yulaev’s goalie Ilya Ezhov may reach 30 KHL shutouts.
19:00: Lokomotiv (33-15-8, 2ndW) vs SKA (43-9-4, 1stW)
About the game
Lokomotiv enters the third game of a four-match losing streak coming off a two-game winning streak.
SKA plays the lone road game of the series and won its previous three matches.
The teams have equally traded wins this season so far (3:1, 2:1 OT – 2:3, 3:4).
SKA’s forward Marat Khairullin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
SKA’s defenseman Alexander Nikishin had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
19:30: HC Sochi (6-39-9, 11thW) vs Vityaz (27-20-8, 6thW)
About the game
HC Sochi ends a two-game home series and lost its previous four matches.
Vityaz ends a four-game road trip and defeated HC Sochi yesterday (5:2).
Vityaz has defeated HC Sochi four times this season (6:2, 3:2, 3:2, 5:2). Its forward Nikita Goncharov had an assist in each of his previous three games.
19:30: CSKA (34-14-6, 3rdW) vs Amur (25-23-6, 8thE)
About the game
CSKA, who has already defeated Amur this season (3:2 SO), starts a five-game home series coming off a three-match losing streak.
Amur ends a four-game road trip and won its previous four matches.
Injury list
CSKA: Danil Yurtaikin.
