Will CSKA stop HC Sochi’s run?
Tonight’s matchup between CSKA and HC Sochi promises to be an intriguing. The Muscovites has had a disappointing start to the season, struggling to find its footing. On the other hand, Sochi has emerged as a delightful surprise, riding a six-game winning streak. The odds seem stacked against the Gagarin Cup reigning champion, but history tells a different story. The team has a remarkable track record, boasting 21 consecutive victories over Sochi, with their last defeat dating back to Jan 4, 2016, when Andre Pettersson netted the game-winner for the Black Sea franchise. Despite CSKA’s current low standing, this game could be an opportunity for a turnaround, or Sochi may continue to shine as the underdog in the West.
In the lone Eastern Conference’s game of the night, Barys welcomes Admiral. The Kazakhs’ top forwards are in great shape, and it will be hard for the Sailors to contain them, but never say never.
Another exciting game is in Nizhny Novgorod, where Torpedo hosts Ak Bars. Igor Larionov’s young guns are keeping on dazzling through their opponents winning a game after another, but defeating this year’s Ak Bars squad is very hard. Kazan also had the upper hand in the two team’s only clash of the current season.
Another two games are on tap today, with Severstal entertaining Spartak and Vityaz welcoming Lada. The Moscow Region team will try to end its skid of eight straight losses, but Lada is in good shape and will try to gain full advantage from the match. Spartak has already defeated Severstal this season, but in the most recent times, the team has lost a bit of brilliancy – they may use tonight’s game for a reset and a start of a new winning streak.
With five games on the schedule for tonight, ten teams will hit the ice on another exciting KHL Thursday.
16:30: Barys (3-4-3, 9th E) vs Admiral (2-5-2, 10th E)
About the game
Barys, who has already defeated Admiral this season (4:3), starts a two-game home series fresh off a win over Neftekhimik on Monday (6:5 OT).
Admiral starts a two-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Barys’ forward Riley Barber is on a five-game scoring streak, with 12 (4+8) points over that span.
Barys’ defenseman David Sklenicka is also on a five-game scoring streak, having dealt 10 assists.
Admiral’s forward Alexander Shevchenko is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Barys: Alex Grant, Dmitry Gurkov, Batyrlan Muratov.
Admiral: Anton Berlyov, Evgeny Lisovets.
Milestone alert
Barys’ forward Roman Starchenko may reach 400 KHL points (currently at 398).
19:00: Torpedo (8-1-1, 1st W) vs Ak Bars (7-3-0, 3rd E)
About the game
Torpedo starts a three-game home series on a three-match winning streak.
Ak Bars, who has already defeated Torpedo this season (4:3), ends a two-game road trip following a defeat to Dinamo Minsk on Tuesday (2:3).
Torpedo’s forward Maxim Letunov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Torpedo: Sergei Goncharuk, Alexei Kruchinin.
Ak Bars: Artyom Galimov, Evgeny Svechnikov, Vyacheslav Voynov.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ defenseman Dmitry Yudin lines up for his 500th KHL game.
19:00: Severstal (5-3-1, 6th W) vs Spartak (6-4-1, 5th W)
About the game
Severstal starts a two-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Spartak, who has already defeated Spartak this season (6:4), starts a two-game road trip after losing to HC Sochi on Tuesday (2:3).
Spartak’s forward Nikolai Goldobin had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling seven points.
Injury list
Severstal: Dmitry Moiseyev, Nikita Rozhkov, Vasily Tokranov, Alexander Zhabreyev.
Spartak: German Tochilkin, Daniel Usmanov.
Miletone alert
Spartak’s forward Matvei Zaseda lines up for his 100th league appearance.
19:00: Vityaz (1-9-1, 11th W) vs Lada (6-3-2, 2nd E)
About the game
Vityaz ends a two-game home series and lost its previous eight games.
Lada starts a two-game road trip after a loss to Traktor on Monday (0:1 OT).
Injury list
Vityaz: Vladimir Galuzin, Scott Wilson.
Lada: Mikhail Fisenko, Artyom Ivanyuzhenkov, Nikita Popugayev, Sergei Shumakov, Nikolai Vladimirov.
19:30: CSKA (4-6-1, 10th W) vs HC Sochi (7-3-0, 4th W)
About the game
CSKA enters the second game of a five-match home series following a loss to Severstal on Tuesday (1:2).
HC Sochi is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous six matches.
HC Sochi’s defenseman Jesse Graham had an assist in each of his previous three games.
HC Sochi’s forward Amir Garayev is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Injury list
CSKA: Vsevolod Skotnikov.
