KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
SKA faces Ak Bars in today’s top game!
Today’s clash will be the first meeting between the teams in the 2023-2024 campaign. In the previous season, the clubs exchanged impressive home victories: in Kazan, Ak Bars posted a 5:2 victory, while in February, SKA took revenge with a 7:4 score. Dmitrij Jaskin scored one of the goals for SKA back then, and one of the intrigues of the upcoming match is how the sniper will perform against his former team. Right now, Jaskin is among the top three goal scorers of the season, trailing only behind Nikolai Goldobin and Reid Boucher. Additionally, he holds a spot in the top three for the most hits.
However, there will also be plenty of exciting matches in this busy KHL matchday. First, Avangard hosts Torpedo. The Hawks have already blanked the Igor Larionov’s young guns earlier in the season, and they will be on the lookout for a second win. Another three games are on tap in the East with Avtomobilist entertaining Kunlun Red Star, Metallurg hosting Barys, and Salavat Yulaev facing Amur. In particular, Magnitka will be seeking a home win over the Kazakhs following an unusual series of five straight losses.
In the West, Dinamo Minsk will host Severstal in a key game for both squads as they are direct competitors for a playoffs spot. Both sides showcased some fine hockey of late, so it’s yet another game which can really go either way. Table-topping Spartak will host Neftekhimik with both sides eager for points, while in Sochi, the hosts will face Dynamo Moscow again after yesterday’s showdown won by the Blue-and-Whites.
16:30: Avangard (12-8-3, 7th E) vs Torpedo (15-7-2, 3rd W)
About the game
Avangard, who has already defeated Torpedo this season (1:0), ends a three-game home series following a loss to Dinamo Minsk on Sunday (3:4).
Torpedo enters the second game of an eight-match road trip on a two-game winning streak.
Injury list
Avangard: Sergei Boikov, Ivan Telegin.
Torpedo: Sergei Goncharuk, Nikolai Kovalenko, Igor Larionov.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s forward Ivan Igumnov lines up for his 400th KHL game.
Avangard’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may record his 20th league shutout.
17:00: Avtomobilist (13-10-2, 4th E) vs Kunlun Red Star (8-16-3, 10th W)
About the game
Avtomobilist starts a four-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Kunlun Red Star ends a three-game road trip following a loss to Traktor on Sunday (2:5).
Kunlun Red Star’s last win in Yekaterinburg is dated back to Sep 1, 2017 (2:1). Its defenseman Ryan Merkley is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that span.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Denis Barantsev, Maxim Denezhkin, Nick Ebert, Semyon Kizimov.
Kunlun Red Star: Corey Kane, Alexander Lazushin, Austin Wang.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s forward Denis Romantsev may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Avtomobilist’s goalie Evgeny Alikin may record his 20th league shutout.
17:00: Metallurg (14-8-4, 2nd E) vs Barys (7-11-7, 11th E)
About the game
Metallurg, who has already defeated Barys this season (4:3 OT), starts a four-game home series on a five-match losing streak.
Barys starts a three-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
Injury list
Metallurg: Jean Sebastian Dea, Vladislav Yeryomenko.
Barys: Samat Daniyar, Alex Grant, Roman Starchenko.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (13-9-1, 6th E) vs Amur (9-8-6, 10th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev enters the second game of a seven-match home series on a two-game losing streak.
Amur starts a two-game road trip fresh off a win over Vityaz on Saturday (4:2).
Amur’s forward Evgeny Grachyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Daniil Alalykin, Josh Leivo.
Amur: Alex Broadhurst, Pyotr Khokhryakov.
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (11-7-3, 8th W) vs Severstal (9-9-4, 9th W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk plays the lone home game of the series and won its previous three matches.
Severstal starts a seven-game road trip fresh off a win over Avtomobilist on Sunday (4:2).
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Alexander Volkov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that span.
Severstal’s forward Kirill Pilipenko is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 8 (4+4) points.
Severstal’s forward Adam Liska is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points. The Slovak can reach 100 KHL points tonight (currently at 99).
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Roman Gorbunov, Oleg Pozhigan, Nikita Pyshkailo, Ivan Serekin, Alexander Suvorov.
Severstal: Nikita Guslistov.
19:30: HC Sochi (12-10-1, 6th W) vs Dynamo Moscow (17-6-1, 1st W)
About the game
HC Sochi enters the sixth game of an eight-match home series and lost to Dynamo Moscow yesterday (1:6).
Dynamo Moscow, who has defeated HC Sochi twice this season (4:0, 6:1), is in the middle of a five-game road trip and won its previous six games.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev had at least an assist in his previous four games, totaling six points.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Jordan Weal is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 9 (2+7) points over that span.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Eric O’Dell is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (4+4) points.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Yegor Bryzgalov, Igor Martynov.
19:30: Spartak (16-6-2, 1st W) vs Neftekhimik (10-8-5, 9th E)
About the game
Spartak starts a four-game home series following a loss to Sibir on Thursday (3:4).
Neftekhimik plays the lone road game of the series and won against Ak Bars on Sunday (2:1).
Spartak’s goalie Patrik Rybar is on a 68:49 shutout streak.
Spartak’s defenseman Yegor Savikov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Neftekhimik’s forward Nikita Setdikov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Neftekhimik’s forward Bulat Shafigullin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Spartak: Ilya Talaluyev, Daniel Usmanov.
Neftekhimik: Emil Garipov.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s forward Pavel Poryadin may celebrate 100 KHL assists (currently at 99) and 400 league appearances.
Spartak’s defenseman Yegor Savikov lines up for his 100th KHL game.
19:30: SKA (12-10-0, 8th W) vs Ak Bars (15-6-2, 3rd E)
About the game
SKA starts a two-game home series following a loss to HC Sochi on Friday (4:5).
Ak Bars is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.
SKA’s defenseman Alexander Nikishin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 8 (2+6) points over that span.
Injury list
SKA: Stepan Falkovsky, Marat Khairullin, Brendan Leipsic, Andrei Pedan, Mikhail Vorobyov.
Ak Bars: Amir Miftakhov.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Damir Zhafyarov may line up for his 600th KHL game.
Ak Bars’ forward Vadim Shipachyov may reach 900 KHL career points.
