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It’s Avangard vs Ak Bars tonight!
The new week will treat us to a classic battle of Eastern powerhouses as Ak Bars hosts Avangard on home ice. Ak Bars is currently in excellent form. The Kazan team starts the new week as the highest-scoring team in the East (36 goals in 11 games), and when it comes to physical play, Ak Bars is one of the most effective teams in the league. If Avangard can withstand such pressure and overcome this formidable opponent, the Omsk team will fully redeem themselves for their less-than-stellar end to September. It will be the first clash between the two powerhouses this year.
The KHL matchday starts in the Far East, with Admiral hosting Lada. The Sailors have just lost their top goalie Nikita Serebryakov to SKA, but they’ve also received solid compensation in form of Nikita Anokhovsky and loan spells for goalie Sergei Ivanov and forward Dmitry Buchelnikov.
In the West, HC Sochi will try to stretch its winning streak welcoming Severstal. This showdown promises a high-octane game, with both teams playing a fast, offensive hockey. The Black Sea franchise has already downed Severstal twice this year, with the Steelers winning once as the sides will face for the fourth time.
Then, Kunlun Red Star faces Torpedo as the Dragons play another back-to-back game after yesterday’s road game against Vityaz. Kunlun Red Star lost its latest nine games to Torpedo, and is currently on a four-match losing streak.
12:30: Admiral (3-6-2, 11th E) vs Lada (8-3-3, 2nd E)
About the game
Admiral starts a four-game home series after a loss to Avtomobilist on Saturday (1:3).
Lada starts a four-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Injury list
Admiral: Anton Berlyov.
Lada: Mikhail Fisenko, Artyom Ivanyuzhenkov, Pavel Koltygin, Sergei Shumakov, Nikolai Vladimirov.
19:00: Ak Bars (8-4-1, 4th E) vs Avangard (7-4-1, 7th E)
About the game
Ak Bars ends a three-game home series and lost to Severstal on Tuesday (1:4).
Avangard ends a seven-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Avangard’s goalie Vitaly Demchenko is on a 60:00 shutout streak and may reach 20 KHL shutouts.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Evgeny Svechnikov, Vyacheslav Voynov.
Avangard: Ivan Telegin.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov may reach 300 points and 200 assists in the KHL (currently at 299 and 199, respectively).
19:30: HC Sochi (9-4-0, 4th W) vs Severstal (6-5-1, 7th W)
About the game
HC Sochi enters the second game of a four-match home series on a two-game winning streak.
Severstal is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Ak Bars on Tuesday (4:1).
HC Sochi has defeated Severstal twice this season (5:4 OT, 5:3), while the Steelers collected one victory (6:3).
Injury list
Severstal: Nikita Rozhkov, Yegor Stepanov, Daniil Vovchenko.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s forward Artur Tyanullin lines up for his 100th league appearance.
19:30: Kunlun Red Star (6-9-1, 9th W) vs Torpedo (9-3-1, 3rd W)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star starts a two-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
Torpedo, who has already defeated Kunlun this season (5:2), starts a four-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Corey Kane, Alexander Lazushin, Austin Wong.
Torpedo: Sergei Goncharuk.
