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Will Kunlun Red Star continue its run?
Tonight’s matchup will be a tale of contrasting fortunes as the league leaders, Kunlun Red Star, take on Ak Bars. The Dragons have soared to the top with three consecutive victories, and their netminders have been nothing short of exceptional. Their strong start to the season marks a historic achievement for Kunlun in the KHL.
On the other side, Ak Bars, despite boasting the scoring prowess of Shipachyov, faced an unexpected setback in their previous game when they fell to HC Sochi at home, much to the surprise of fans. It was a match that raised eyebrows, given Shipachyov’s three-game scoring streak.
In meantime, the Gagarin Cup champion CSKA pays a visit to Nizhnekamsk. The Muscovites didn’t have their best start, but traditionally, they have a slow first part of the season to start gaining form as the months go by.
Another team who’s yet to lose is Torpedo, who most recently had a convincing victory over SKA. Igor Larionov’s men will face Dinamo Minsk, who also had a nice start but fell in front of the Dragons on Wednesday.
The St. Petersburg franchise goes on with its road trip with a stop in Yaroslavl. The team suffered from its first loss this season in Nizhny Novgorod, and a rebound is to be expected. But Yaroslavl shouldn’t be crossed off either after their OT win over a determined Traktor squad, that will face Vityaz tonight. The Moscow Region team has collected their first of the win after an embarrassing 0:7 loss to Dinamo Minsk on Monday and will try to build a winning streak after a disappointing start.
In the closing game of the matchday, Spartak hosts Admiral. The Sailors are yet to record their first win in the new season, but they only had two games thus far, and it’s too early to draw any conclusion. Spartak looks in better shape – forward Nikolai Goldobin recorded a hat-trick in their last showdown – but Nikita Serebryakov can give Admiral a chance even when the forwards don’t deliver.
19:00 Neftekhimik (0-1-1) vs CSKA (1-2-0)
About the game
Neftekhimik enters the third game of a four-match home series following two consecutive losses.
CSKA starts a two-game road trip after losing to Metallurg (2:4) on Tuesday.
CSKA’s forward Pavel Karnaukhov scored at least a point in all three first game of the new season, totaling 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Sergei Popov.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s forward Anton Slepyshev may reach 250 KHL points (currently at 249).
19:00 Ak Bars (2-1-0) vs Kunlun Red Star (3-0-0)
About the game
Ak Bars enters the third game of a four-match home series and lost to HC Sochi on Tuesday (1:3).
Kunlun Red Star plays the lone road game of the series and is on a three-match winning streak.
Ak Bars’ forward Vadim Shipachyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ defenseman Kirill Lyamin had four assists over the latest three matches.
Kunlun Red Star’s goalie Jeremy Smith is on a 61:17 shutout streak.
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Devin Brosseau is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Tyler Wong had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Artyom Galimov, Vyacheslav Voynov.
Kunlun Red Star: Corey Kane, Alexander Lazushin, Parker Foo.
19:00 Torpedo (2-0-0) vs Dinamo Minsk (2-1-0)
About the game
Torpedo enters the second game of a four-match home series and won its previous couple of matches.
Dinamo Minsk enters the fourth game of a six-game road trip following a loss to Kunlun Red Star on Tuesday (3:4).
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Alexei Kolosov is on a 60:38 shutout streak.
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Kodie Curran is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points over that span.
Injury list
Torpedo: Sergei Goncharuk.
19:00 Lokomotiv (1-1-0) vs SKA (2-1-0)
About the game
Lokomotiv is in the middle of a five-game home series and defeated Traktor on Tuesday (3:2 OT).
SKA ends a four-game road trip and lost to Torpedo also on Tuesday (3:4).
SKA’s goalie Sergei Ivanov is on a 60:00 shutout streak.
SKA’s defenseman Alexander Nikishin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Yegor Averin becomes the ninth player in the KHL history to reach the 800-game mark.
SKA’s defenseman Maxim Fedotov lines up for his 100th KHL game.
SKA’s forward Mikhail Vorobyov may reach 100 points in the KHL (currently at 99).
19:00 Vityaz (1-2-0) vs Traktor (1-1-1)
About the game
Vityaz enters the fourth game of a seven-match home series following a win over Admiral on Wednesday (2:1 SO).
Traktor ends a four-game road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.
Traktor’s forward Semyon Der-Arguchintsev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Traktor’s forward Anton Burdasov is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 10 (4+6) points.
Injury list
Vityaz: Scott Wilson.
Traktor: Andrei Chibisov, Maxim Marushev.
19:30 Spartak (2-1-0) vs Admiral (0-1-1)
About the game
Spartak ends a four-game home streak on a two-game winning streak.
Admiral enters the third game of a four-match road trip and lost its previous couple of games.
Spartak’s forward Nikolai Goldobin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (5+1) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward Pavel Poryadin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Spartak’s defenseman Michal Cajkovsky is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Admiral’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov is on a 62:11 shutout streak.
