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CSKA hosts Lokomotiv in Monday’s top match!
Today’s matchup between CSKA and Lokomotiv promises an exciting encounter as they meet for the fourth time this season. The Muscovites holds a slight advantage, having won two of the previous encounters, while Lokomotiv secured one victory. Both teams enter the game riding a two-game winning streak, adding an extra layer of anticipation to the clash. In the Western Conference standings, Lokomotiv holds the third position, while CSKA sits in sixth place. The coaching dynamic adds an intriguing element, with Lokomotiv’s coach Igor Nikitin having previously led CSKA and clinched the Gagarin Cup with the Mosow side in 2019. A notable subplot centers around CSKA’s head coach Sergei Fedorov, who may opt to start the young goaltender Dmitry Gamzin, coming off a shutout performance against Dinamo Minsk on Friday.
In the Eastern Conference, Sibir hosts Kunlun Red Star as the Novosibirsk side won two straight games as it’s having a strong playoff push. On Saturday, Anton Khudobin sat on the bench when Sibir defeated Neftekhimik (3:1) – maybe Khudobin will have his first start today. Then, in Kazakhstan, Barys welcomes Vityaz trying to build a new winning streak. Other two exciting encounters will see Traktor hosting Torpedo, and Avtomobilist facing Spartak. The Red-and-Whites lost their previous three matches, and they will be trying to return to victory. However, Spartak’s most recent win in Yekaterinburg is dated back Sep 21, 2019 (4:2).
15:30: Sibir (16-14-5, 8th E) vs Kunlun Red Star (12-20-5, 10th W)
About the game
Sibir enters the third game of an eight-match home series following two straight wins.
Kunlun Red Star, who has already defeated Sibir this season (3:2 OT), plays the lone road game coming off a two-match winning streak.
Kunlun Red Star’s goalie Jeremy Smith is on a 62:32 shutout streak.
Injury list
Sibir: Georgy Belousov, Trevor Murphy.
Kunlun Red Star: Corey Kane, Zach Yuen.
16:30: Barys (10-18-7, 11th E) vs Vityaz (12-19-4, 11th W)
About the game
Barys is in the middle of a three-game home series and defeated Neftekhimik on Thursday (4:3 OT).
Vityaz, who has already defeated Barys this season (3:2 OT), starts a three-game road trip after a loss to Ak Bars on Saturday (2:3).
Vityaz’s forward Scott Wilson is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.
Vityaz’s forward Vladislav Tsitsyura is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Barys: Samat Daniyar, Alex Grant.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
17:00: Traktor (18-13-4, 7th E) vs Torpedo (20-12-3, 4th W)
About the game
Traktor starts a five-game home series on a three-game losing streak.
Torpedo, whose latest win in Chelyabinsk is dated Nov 28, 2018 (5:3), ends a three-game road trip on a two-game losing streak.
Torpedo’s forward Vasily Atanasov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Torpedo’s forward Alexei Kruchinin is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Traktor: Viktor Antipin, Andrei Chibisov, Sergei Mylnikov, Vladimir Zharkov.
Torpedo: Sergei Goncharuk, Kirill Kirsanov, Igor Larionov, Bobby Lynch, Yu Sato.
17:00: Avtomobilist (19-13-4, 6th E) vs Spartak (23-10-3, 2nd W)
About the game
Avtomobilist ends a three-game home series and defeated Lada on Saturday (3:2 OT).
Spartak enters the fourth game of a six-match road trip on a three-game losing streak.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Maxim Denezhkin, Semyon Kizimov, Vladimir Kuznetsov.
Spartak: Dmitry Vishnevsky, Ivan Morozov.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s forward Pavel Poryadin may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 199).
19:30: CSKA (19-13-2, 6th W) vs Lokomotiv (21-10-2, 3rd W)
About the game
CSKA starts a two-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Lokomotiv starts a four-game road trip and has also won its previous couple of matches.
CSKA has defeated Lokomotiv twice this season (2:1, 3:0), while Lokomotiv recorded one win (1:2).
CSKA’s goalie Dmitry Gamzin is on a 67:15 shutout streak.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin, Yaroslav Likhachyov.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Stepan Nikulin lines up for his 100th KHL game.
Lokomotiv’s goalie Ivan Bocharov may record his 30th KHL shutout.
