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Spartak and Dynamo meet again in a heated Moscow Derby!
It’s a fierce Moscow derby rematch tonight as Spartak and Dynamo face off for the fifth time this season. The match holds great significance for both teams, with Spartak needing points to boost their chances of reaching the playoffs, while Dynamo aims to extend their winning streak. In their most recent encounter, Dynamo Moscow claimed a thrilling 3:2 victory.
Spartak faces a daunting challenge in their bid to overturn Dynamo’s dominant form this season. With their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, they are determined to climb up the rankings. Meanwhile, Dynamo currently holds a comfortable fifth position and is keen to strengthen their position in the table.
Dynamo Moscow’s top scorer, Dmitry Rashevsky, has been in sensational form, with an active goal-scoring streak that presents a considerable challenge for the Red-and-Whites’ defense. In their last meeting, Rashevsky found the back of the net already in the first period, and Spartak will be determined to deny him any further chances.
However, the KHL matchday starts early in the Far East, with Amur and Admiral having a rematch against Avtomobilist and Ak Bars, respectively. In the first game, Amur collected a victory, while the Sailors surrendered to Kazan’s attack.
Another important game from a playoff point of view is Traktor facing HC Sochi. The Chelyabinsk side is currently tenth in the East, but they have still plenty of time to catch up – especially should Amur lose to the Motormen today.
The action then moves to the Western Conference. Vityaz hosts Kunlun Red Star trying to revert a trend of two consecutive losses, but the Dragons also had two straight defeats and won’t be happy to let their division rivals to win just because. Another team trying to revert the trend is Sibir. The Eastern team has lost its most recent three games and they will certainly want to return to victory – but it won’t be easy as they travel to St. Petersburg. SKA is currently leading the overall standings, and facing them is always a challenge.
12:00: Amur (29-25-9, 9th E) vs Avtomobilist (34-19-9, 3rd E)
About the game
Amur enters the second game of a four-match home series following a win over Avtomobilist on Monday (3:2).
Avtomobilist enters the second game of a four-match road trip and has lost to Amur on Monday.
Avtomobilist has defeated Amur twice this season (4:2, 4:2) and lost once (2:3).
Amur’s forward Ivan Nikolishin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Amur’s defenseman Ruslan Pedan is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Avtomobilist’s forward Patrice Cormier is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Amur: Nikita Grebyonkin, Igor Rudenkov.
Avtomobilist: Alexander Shchemerov.
Milestone alert
Amur’s defenseman Yakov Rylov may score his 250th KHL point (currently at 249).
12:30: Admiral (31-23-9, 7th E) vs Ak Bars (37-17-9, 1st E)
About the game
Admiral enters the second game of a five-match home series after losing to Ak Bars on Monday (2:3).
Ak Bars enters the second game of a four-match road trip coming off a four-game winning streak.
Ak Bars has defeated Admiral three times this season (2:1 OT, 2:1 SO, 3:2).
Injury list
Admiral: Alexander Gorshkov, Michal Kristof, Evgeny Lisovets.
Ak Bars: Nikita Yevseyev.
17:00: Traktor (27-26-10, 9th E) vs HC Sochi (8-45-9, 11th W)
About the game
Traktor, who has defeated HC Sochi this season (4:3), ends a three-game home series following a loss to Admiral on Saturday (2:3 OT).
HC Sochi starts a three-game road trip after a loss to Salavat Yulaev on Monday (1:4).
Traktor’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov had an assist in each of his last three games.
Traktor’s forward Maxim Shabanov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Traktor: Anton Burdasov.
19:00: Vityaz (32-23-8, 6th W) vs Kunlun Red Star (21-36-6, 10th W)
About the game
Vityaz starts a three-game home series after three straight losses.
Kunlun Red Star ends a four-match road trip coming off a two-game losing streak.
Vityaz has defeated Kunlun Red Star four times this season (5:3, 3:1, 2:1, 1:0), and lost once (0:4).
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Tomas Jurco is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Paris O’Brien.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s defenseman Vladislav Valentsov lines up for his 100th KHL game.
19:30: SKA (46-13-5, 1st W) vs Sibir (36-20-7, 2nd E)
About the game
SKA starts a three-game home series following a win over Barys on Monday (6:4).
Sibir, who has already defeated SKA this season (3:2), is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost its previous three matches.
SKA’s forward Dmitrij Jaskin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
SKA’s defenseman Igor Ozhiganov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points.
SKA’s forward Zakhar Bardakov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Sibir’s defenseman Trevor Murphy is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
SKA: Nikita Komarov, Danila Moiseyev, Nikolai Prokhorkin, Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi, Valentin Zykov.
19:30: Spartak (26-29-8, 9th W) vs Dynamo Moscow (36-17-10, 5th W)
About the game
Spartak enters the second game of a five-match home series after losing its previous couple of matches.
Dynamo Moscow is in the middle of a three-game road trip and has defeated Spartak on Tuesday (3:2).
Dynamo has defeated Spartak three times this season (2:1 SO, 5:2, 3:2) and lost once (2:3 SO).
Spartak’s forward Alexander Khokhlachyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward Shane Prince is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Spartak’s forward Phil Varone is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Dmitry Rashevsky is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points
Injury list
Spartak: Danila Kvartalnov, Kirill Kozhevnikov, German Rubtsov, Fyodor Svechkov, Mark Verba.
Dynamo: Sergei Boikov.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Anton Malyshev may line up for his 100th KHL game
