KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
Spartak faces Lada in another top contest, fourth Green Derby tonight!
In tonight’s highly anticipated showdown, Spartak squares off against Lada in a clash of titans, both perched high in the standings of their respective conferences. Just one week ago, these teams faced off, with Lada emerging victorious in a thrilling 4:3 SO contest. Ivan Morozov played a pivotal role for Spartak back then, but his potential absence due to an injury sustained in their recent game against Salavat Yulaev adds an element of uncertainty to the Red-and-Whites’ lineup.
In a dynamic shift, Spartak has ascended to the top of the Western Conference since their previous encounter, while Lada, following a setback against Sochi, now occupies the third spot in the East as yesterday Avangard defeated Admiral. Notably, Lada continues to perform strong even in the absence of Scott Kosmachuk and Andrei Altybarmakyan, who are currently sitting on injured list.
In the much-anticipated fourth Green Derby of the season, Ak Bars plays host to Salavat Yulaev, adding another chapter to their intense rivalry. With Salavat Yulaev clinching two victories and Ak Bars securing one in the previous encounters, the stakes are high for both teams in this heated matchup. Currently positioned at fourth in the standings, Ak Bars aims to maintain its position, while Salavat Yulaev, just three points behind in sixth place, eyes an opportunity to narrow the gap.
Earlier in the East, the temperature will be equally hot in Chelyabinsk, with Traktor hosting Avtomobilist on another round in the Ural Mountains rivalry – the fans will be once again treated with the teams’ special uniforms in the third installment of the series, with both sides claiming one victory so far. In the meantime, Metallurg welcomes Barys as Magnitka tries to keep the Eastern Conference leadership.
The action then moves to the Western Conference, with Kunlun Red Star welcoming Sibir in Mytishchi as the Dragons vie a return to victory following two consecutive losses – and Finnish scorer Teemu Pulkkinen celebrating 300 league appearances. The forward, however, isn’t the only player to celebrate milestones, with several other players reaching significant achievements, in particular with regards to played games.
Things will be interesting in other games as well – Torpedo hosts Dynamo Moscow, Lokomotiv welcomes SKA (at their fourth challenge this season – all ended with the same 3:2 score), and HC Sochi entertains CSKA as the consequences in the standings will be profound as only so many points separate the teams. The KHL matchday ends with Severstal facing Vityaz. The Moscow Region team won four straight games, while the Steelers lost as many – Vityaz is back now into postseason qualification contention as they have recently surpassed the Dragons in the Western Conference standings.
14:00: Spartak (22-7-3, 1st W) vs Lada (18-8-6, 3rd E)
About the game
Spartak ends a three-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Lada, who has already defeated Spartak this season (4:3 SO), ends a two-game road trip and lost to HC Sochi on Thursday (4:5 SO).
Lada’s forward Ostap Safin and defenseman Georgy Solyannikov are both on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that span.
Lada’s forward Sergei Shumakov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 7 (5+2) points.
Lada’s forward Mikhail Fisenko had an assist on each of his last four matches.
Injury list
Lada: Andrei Altybarmakyan, Pavel Koltygin, Scott Kosmachuk, Danila Moiseyev, Nikita Popugayev, Nikolai Vladimirov.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s forward Maxim Tsyplakov may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 98).
14:30: Traktor (17-11-3, 7th E) vs Avtomobilist (18-11-4, 5th E)
About the game
Traktor enters the third game of a four-match home series and defeated Barys on Thursday (2:0).
Avtomobilist ends a five-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.
The teams have already defeated each other once this season (2:1, 1:2).
Traktor’s goalie Zach Fucale is on a 60:01 shutout streak, while forward Maxim Shabanov is on an eleven-game scoring streak, with 16 (8+8) points over that span.
Avtomobilist’s goalie Evgeny Alikin is on an 89:45 shutout streak.
Avtomobilist’s forward Brooks Macek is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Injury list
Traktor: Andrei Chibisov, Sergei Mylnikov, Vladimir Zharkov.
Avtomobilist: Jessie Blacker, Semyon Kizimov, Vladimir Kuznetsov.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s defenseman Albert Yarullin lines up for his 600th KHL game, while defenseman Sergei Telegin reaches 200.
Avtomobilist’s forward Anatoly Golyshev reaches the 500-game mark.
Avtomobilist’s forward Alexei Makeyev may score his 300th career point (currently at 298).
14:30: Metallurg (20-8-4, 1st E) vs Barys (9-16-7, 10th E)
About the game
Metallurg, who has already defeated Barys twice this season (4:3 OT, 3:2), starts a four-game home series on a six-match winning streak.
Barys is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Traktor on Thursday (0:2).
Metallurg’s forward Maxim Karpov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 9 (2+7) points over that span.
Injury list
Metallurg: Jean-Sebastian Dea, Nikita Kvartalnov, Vladislav Yeryomenko.
Barys: Samat Daniyar, Alex Grant.
16:00: Kunlun Red Star (10-20-5, 11th W) vs Sibir (14-13-4, 8th E)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star starts a two-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Sibir starts a two-game road trip following a loss to Metallurg on Thursday (2:3 OT).
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Corey Kane.
Sibir: Georgy Belousov, Trevor Murphy.
Milestone alert
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Teemu Pulkkinen lines up for his 300th league appearance.
17:00: Ak Bars (19-10-2, 4th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (18-12-1, 6th E)
About the game
Ak Bars ends a three-game home series after a win over Dynamo Moscow on Thursday (4:1).
Salavat Yulaev enters the third game of a four-match road trip following a loss to Spartak also on Thursday (2:6).
Salavat Yulaev achieved two victories over Ak Bars this season (3:2, 3:1), with one Kazan win (4:2).
Injury list
Ak Bars: Dmitry Bykov, Amir Miftakhov, Semyon Terekhov.
Salavat Yulaev: Danil Alalykin, Artyom Pimenov, Sergei Shmelyov, Evgeny Timkin.
17:00: Torpedo (18-11-2, 4th W) vs Dynamo Moscow (21-7-3, 2nd W)
About the game
Torpedo, who has already defeated Dynamo Moscow this season (7:1), starts a two-game home series after losing its previous two matches.
Dynamo Moscow ends a four-game road trip and is also on a two-match losing streak.
Injury list
Torpedo: Nikita Artamonov, Kirill Kirsanov, Igor Larionov, Yu Sato.
Dynamo Moscow: Yegor Bryzgalov, Yegor Martynov.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Andrei Mironov lines up for his 600th KHL game.
17:00: Lokomotiv (19-9-2, 3rd W) vs SKA (17-13-0, 5th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv enters the second game of a four-match home series on a two-game winning streak.
SKA ends a three-game road trip on a four-match winning streak.
Lokomotiv has defeated SKA twice this season (3:2, 3:2), with SKA achieving one victory (3:2).
SKA’s forward Marat Khairullin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin, Yaroslav Likhachyov.
SKA: Zakhar Bardakov, Brendan Leipsic, Andrei Pedan.
17:00: HC Sochi (13-17-2, 9th W) vs CSKA (16-12-2, 6th W)
About the game
HC Sochi ends a four-game home series and defeated Lada on Thursday (5:4 SO).
CSKA, who has defeated three times Sochi this season (7:1, 3:2 OT, 2:1), starts a four-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
HC Sochi is yet to record a home win over CSKA in its history.
CSKA’s forward Mikhail Grigorenko is on a six-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points over that span.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Jesse Graham.
17:00: Severstal (13-12-5, 8th W) vs Vityaz (11-17-4, 10th W)
About the game
Severstal enters the second game of a four-match home series on a four-game losing streak.
Vityaz enters the fourth game of a five-match road trip on a four-game winning streak.
The teams have already defeated each other this season (3:0, 3:5).
Injury list
Severstal: Ruslan Abrosimov.
Vityaz: Kirill Ustimenko.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th KHL shutout.
