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Moscow derby between Spartak and Dynamo, Ak Bars hosts SKA!
In tonight’s Moscow derby between Spartak and Dynamo, the stakes are high as the teams vie for Western Conference supremacy. Dynamo currently sits atop the standings with 44 points, closely trailed by Spartak at 43. Both squads are in excellent form, with Dynamo victorious in 10 of their last 11 games. The match features two teams with leaders in active scoring streaks, promising a thrilling offensive showdown. Additionally, both sides boast minimal injury concerns, ensuring a battle of full-strength squads. The Blue-and-Whites hold a notable advantage, having previously defeated Spartak 6:3 earlier in the season.
In the Eastern Conference, Sibir welcomes Torpedo. For the head coach of the hosts, David Nemirovsky, the Nizhny Novgorod side is far from unfamiliar – he worked there from 2018 to 2022 (245 games in the KHL) and instilled in Torpedo a vibrant attacking style even before Igor Larionov’s era. Currently, Nemirovsky is engaged in the same role in Novosibirsk. While the process is not without its challenges, it looks like Sibir can show its best game against a team like Torpedo. Moreover, the Novosibirsk side has already prevailed over Nizhny Novgorod this season, and will be determined to return to the right side of the playoffs line after slipping down to tenth place.
The KHL matchday starts in Vladivostok, with Admiral welcoming Avtomobilist for the second time in three days – on Sunday, the Motormen prevailed after SO and they climbed up to the fifth place in the East. Then, Avangard hosts Severstal, while Traktor faces Salavat Yulaev for the third time this season. Salavat Yulaev has defeated Traktor both times, and they have a chance to go 3-0 in the series.
Another exciting match is Ak Bars facing SKA. The Kazan side has already defeated SKA in St. Petersburg earlier this season, and Ak Bars will host the game today – it will be a good chance to prove its prowess against a good-rated team and please the home crowd.
The action then moves to the Western Conference. Dinamo Minsk hosts Metallurg, with the guests riding a four-game winning streak. It won’t be an easy game for the Belarusians, who will try to keep on accumulating points on their playoffs push. Then, a revenge match between HC Sochi and Vityaz closes an intense KHL matchday. The teams have already faced off yesterday, with Vityaz grabbing a critical away win with a 3:2 score.
12:30: Admiral (7-15-5, 12th E) vs Avtomobilist (17-11-4, 5th E)
About the game
Admiral ends a four-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Avtomobilist, who has defeated Admiral twice this season (3:1, 4:3 SO), enters the fourth game of a five-match road trip following two straight wins.
Injury list
Admiral: Danil Faizullin, Kirill Maksimov.
Avtomobilist: Semyon Kizimov, Vladimir Kuznetsov.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s goalie Evgeny Alikin may reach 20 KHL shutouts.
15:30: Sibir (13-13-3, 10th E) vs Torpedo (18-10-2, 4th W)
About the game
Sibir, who has already defeated Torpedo this season (5:4 SO), is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Torpedo ends an eight-game road trip and lost to Amur on Sunday (3:4).
Torpedo’s forward Maxim Letunov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Sibir: Trevor Murphy.
Torpedo: Nikita Artamonov, Kirill Kirsanov, Igor Larionov, Yu Sato.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Nikita Shashkov lines up for his 200th KHL game.
Sibir’s forward Vladimir Butuzov may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
16:30: Avangard (18-8-3, 3rd E) vs Severstal (13-11-4, 8th W)
About the game
Avangard is in the middle of a three-game home series and won its previous six matches.
Severstal ends a seven-game road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.
Avangard’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 17 (4+13) points over that span.
Avangard’s forward Ryan Spooner is also on a seven-game scoring streak, with 19 (6+13) points.
Avangard’s forward Reid Boucher is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 15 (9+6) points.
Injury list
Avangard: Maxim Belyayev, Sergei Boikov, Ilya Proskuryakov, Ivan Telegin.
Disqualifications
Severstal’s defenseman Ivan Podshivalov serves the second game of a two-match ban.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may reach 20 KHL shutouts.
Severstal’s forward Ilya Ivantsov lines up for his 100th league appearance.
17:00: Traktor (16-10-3, 7th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (17-11-1, 6th E)
About the game
Traktor starts a four-game home series and lost to SKA on Friday (3:4 OT).
Salavat Yulaev, who has already defeated Traktor twice this season (5:3, 4:0), starts a four-game road trip after a loss to Lokomotiv on Sunday (1:3).
Traktor’s forward Maxim Shabanov is on a nine-game scoring streak, with 13 (7+6) points over that span.
Injury list
Traktor: Andrei Chibisov, Sergei Mylnikov, Vladimir Zharkov.
Salavat Yulaev: Evgeny Timkin.
19:00: Ak Bars (18-9-2, 4th E) vs SKA (15-10-0, 6th W)
About the game
Ak Bars, who has already defeated SKA this season (3:2), starts a three-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
SKA starts a three-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
SKA’s goalie Pavel Moisevich is on a 131:55 shutout streak.
SKA’s forward Sergei Tolchinsky is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that span.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Dmitry Bykov, Amir Miftakhov, Sergei Terekhov.
SKA: Zakhar Bardakov, Brendan Leipsic, Andrei Pedan.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Vadim Shipachyov may score his 900th KHL point (currently at 899).
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (14-10-4, 5th W) vs Metallurg (18-8-4, 3rd E)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk enters the fifth game of a six-match home series following a defeat to Dynamo Moscow on Sunday (1:2).
Metallurg, who has already defeated Dinamo Minsk this season (5:1), starts a two-game road trip on a four-match winning streak.
Metallurg’s goalie Artyom Zagiulin is on a 59:22 shutout streak.
Metallurg’s forward Maxim Karpov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that span.
Metallurg’s forward Denis Zernov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Metallurg’s forward Semyon Koshelev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Metallurg’s forward Luke Johnson is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Roman Gorbunov, Oleg Pozhigan, Ivan Sekerin, Alexander Suvorov.
Metallurg: Jean-Sebastian Dea, Nikita Kvartalnov, Vladislav Yeryomenko.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Alexei Kolosov and forward Nick Merkley may reach 100 league appearances.
19:30: HC Sochi (12-16-2, 9th W) vs Vityaz (9-17-4, 11th E)
About the game
HC Sochi enters the second game of a four-match road trip on a seven-game losing streak.
Vityaz, who has defeated HC Sochi yesterday (3:2), enters its second game of a five-match road trip.
HC Sochi’s forward Artur Tyanulin is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that span.
HC Sochi’s forward Matvei Michkov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Michal Kristof.
Vityaz: Kirill Ustimenko.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th KHL shutout.
19:30: Spartak (20-7-3, 2nd W) vs Dynamo Moscow (21-6-2, 1st W)
About the game
Spartak starts a three-game home series and lost to Lada on Saturday (4:3 SO).
Dynamo Moscow, who has already defeated Spartak this season (6:3), enters the second game of a four-match road trip following a win over Dinamo Minsk on Sunday (2:1).
Spartak’s forward Nikolai Goldobin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward Ansel Galimov is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Jordan Weal is on a nine-game scoring streak, with 17 (4+13) points over that span.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev is also on a nine-game scoring streak, with 15 (4+11) points.
Injury list
Spartak: German Rubtsov, Daniel Usmanov.
Dynamo Moscow: Yegor Bryzgalov, Yegor Martynov.
