Derby in Moscow and at the Urals

The KHL matchday starts in the Eastern Conference, with Avangard hosting Neftekhimik and Barys welcoming Admiral. The Hawks had a nice start, despite a couple of stumbles, while Neftekhimik only achieved one victory so far. Barys, on the other hand, is the lone KHL team who is still seeking to get a W in the standings, and they will try to finally achieve it as they entertain Admiral at home in Astana.

Another three games are scheduled in the East, starting with unbeaten Torpedo paying a visit to Kazan. Ak Bars’ Vadim Shipachyov may tonight become the most prolific all-time KHL player in the regular season, as he had an assist on Thursday when the team lost the first Green Derby in the season (2:3). Tonight, Sergei Mozyakin’s record may be broken.

In the meantime, Traktor hosts Avtomobilist in an Eastern Conference classic, while Metallurg welcomes Lada – Magnitka has already achieved one win over the league newcomers earlier in the season.

In the Western Conference, the top game will be the Moscow Derby between Spartak and CSKA. The showdown promises intense rivalry and excitement. Despite being the reigning Gagarin Cup champions, CSKA’s season has had a rocky start, with only two wins in six games, a surprising performance given their pedigree. On the other hand, Spartak is on a high, having won two consecutive games and eager to build on this momentum. Will CSKA rebound from their slow start, or will Spartak continue their winning streak?

A showdown between Kunlun Red Star and Lokomotiv closes an intense KHL matchday.

13:30 Avangard (4-1-0) vs Neftekhimik (1-3-1)

About the game

Avangard ends a six-game home series following a win over Admiral on Thursday (4:3 OT).

Neftekhimik enters the second game of a four-match road trip after a loss to Avtomobilist also on Thursday (2:4).

The Hawks had six straight home wins over Neftekhimik in their most recent encounters.

Avangard’s forward Ryan Spooner is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that span.

Avangard’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points.

Injury list

Avangard: Valentin Pyanov.

Neftekhimik: Danila Popov.

Milestone alert

Avangard’s forwards Ivan Nikolishin and Ryan Spooner may line up for their 200^th league game tonight.

Avangard’s forward Igor Geraskin may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).

Avangard’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov may score his 100^th goal in the KHL (currently at 99). 

13:30 Barys (0-2-3) vs Admiral (1-2-2)

About the game

Barys starts a two-game home series and lost its first five matches this season.

Admiral ends a six-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.

Barys’ goalie Andrei Shutov is on a 65:00 shutout streak.

Admiral’s forward Danil Gutik is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.

Admiral’s forward Pavel Varfolomeyev is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.

Injury list

Barys: Alex Grant, Kirill Savitsky.

Admiral: Evgeny Lisovets, Ivan Yemets. 

14:00 Vityaz (1-5-0) vs Severstal (2-1-1)

About the game

Vityaz ends a seven-game home series and lost its previous three matches.

Severstal starts a three-game road trip following a loss to HC Sochi on Wednesday (4:5 OT).

Severstal’s forward Dmitry Moiseyev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.

Severstal’s forward Daniil Ilyin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.

Injury list

Vityaz: Scott Wilson. 

14:30 Traktor (3-2-1) vs Avtomobilist (4-1-1)

About the game

Traktor enters the third game of a four-match home series following a win over Dinamo Minsk on Thursday (3:2).

Avtomobilist starts a four-game road trip fresh off a win over Neftekhimik also on Thursday (4:2).

Injury list

Traktor: Andrei Chibisov, Maxim Marushev.

Avtomobilist: Nick Ebert, Anatoly Golyshev.

Milestone alert

Avtomobilist’s defenseman Yefim Gurkin may reach 100 league assists (currently at 99). 

15:00 Metallurg (5-0-1) vs Lada (2-3-1)

About the game

Metallurg, who has already defeated Lada this season (3:2 OT), enters the second game of a four-match home series on a five-game winning streak.

Lada enters the third game of a four-match road trip following a defeat to Magnitka in their Wednesday’s encounter.

Metallurg’s forward Yegor Korobkin is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that span.

Metallurg’s forward Semyon Koshelev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.

Metallurg’s forward Danila Yurov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.

Lada’s forward Scott Kosmachuk is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points.

Lada’s forward Troy Josephs is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (5+1) points.

Lada’s forward Dmitry Kugryshev had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling five points.

Injury list

Lada: Artyom Ivanyuzhenkov, Sergei Shumakov.

Milestone alert

Lada’s forward Dmitry Kugryshev lines up for his 700^th KHL appearance. 

16:00 Kunlun Red Star (4-3-0) vs Lokomotiv (3-2-0)

About the game

Kunlun Red Star plays the lone home game of the series and lost its previous couple of matches.

Lokomotiv starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over Kunlun Red Star on Tuesday (2:1 OT).

Injury list

Kunlun Red Star: Parker Foo, Corey Kane, Alexander Lazushin. 

17:00 Ak Bars (4-2-0) vs Torpedo (5-0-0)

About the game

Ak Bars starts a three-game home series following a loss to Salavat Yulaev on Thursday (2:3).

Torpedo starts a two-game road trip and won its first five game of the season.

Ak Bars’ defenseman Daniil Zhuravlyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Torpedo’s forward Nikolai Kovalenko is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points.

Torpedo’s forward Nikolai Artamonov had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four points.

Injury list

Ak Bars: Artyom Galimov, Vyacheslav Voynov.

Torpedo: Sergei Goncharuk, Alexei Kruchinin, Dennis Yan.

17:00 CSKA (2-3-1) vs Spartak (4-2-0)

About the game

CSKA is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.

Spartak enters the third game of a four-match road trip on a two-game winning streak.

CSKA’s defenseman Nikita Nesterov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.

Spartak’s forward Ivan Morozov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.

Milestone alert

CSKA’s forward Anton Slepyshev may reach 250 league points (currently at 249).

CSKA’s goalie Alexander Sharychenkov may line up for his 250^th career game.