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SKA and CSKA collide tonight in St. Petersburg
Tonight's game pits SKA against CSKA in their third encounter of the season. SKA has emerged victorious in the two previous matches with scores of 3:2 and 2:1, showcasing their competitive edge. Borna Rendulic, currently on an active scoring streak, adds to SKA’s offensive prowess. The teams find themselves closely matched in the standings, with SKA holding the 4th position and CSKA trailing at 6th in the West. Both teams exhibit similar statistics in terms of goals scored and allowed, highlighting the parity between them. It will be an exciting match in St. Petersburg, and the arena will be packed.
The KHL matchday starts in Omsk, with Avangard hosting HC Sochi. The Hawks have already defeated Sochi this year, and they will be on a second hunt tonight – especially so after a disappointing 0:4 loss to Kazan on Tuesday. Then, in Yekaterinburg, Avtomobilist welcomes Ak Bars, while Lada entertains Sibir on their rematch after the latter claimed a 2:1, OT win on Tuesday. The Novosibirsk side is on a two-game winning streak, and they will be seeking a third victory. Lada is lacking some consistency of late, but the side will be on the lookout for a win.
In the last game of the night in the Eastern Conference, Neftekhimik welcomes Barys. The Nizhnekamsk side has lost its previous seven matches, and they will want to win again, but the Kazakhs have defeated them three times this season already, and will be trying to make it four.
The action then moves to the West. First, Lokomotiv hosts Vityaz – similarly to Neftekhimik, the Moscow Region team lost five games in a row, and they will want to rebound back. Moreover, Vityaz has already defeated the Railwaymen this season, adding motivation and intrigue to the encounter. As SKA takes on CSKA on today’s top match, Severstal welcomes Torpedo battling for key playoff points, while Dynamo Moscow hosts Traktor to try and return to the top of the Western Conference’s standings as Spartak is resting today.
16:30: Avangard (26-10-3, 2nd E) vs HC Sochi (14-23-4, 10th W)
About the game
Avangard, who has already defeated HC Sochi this season (3:2 OT), enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following a loss to Ak Bars on Tuesday (0:4).
HC Sochi enters the fourth game of a five-match road trip on a five-game losing streak.
17:00: Avtomobilist (21-16-5, 7th E) vs Ak Bars (24-15-2, 5th E)
About the game
Avtomobilist ends a four-game home series and has lost to Traktor on Tuesday (2:3 OT).
Ak Bars, who has already defeated Avtomobilist this season (3:2), enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following a win in Omsk on Tuesday (4:0).
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov is on a 68:06 shutout streak.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Denis Barantsev, Semyon Kizimov.
Ak Bars: Dmitrij Jaskin.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa may reach 400 KHL points (currently at 399), while forward Sergei Shirokov may get to 500 (currently at 497).
18:00: Lada (21-12-9, 4th E) vs Sibir (19-16-7, 8th E)
About the game
Lada enters the fourth game of an eight-match home series following a home loss to Sibir on Tuesday (1:2 OT).
Sibir ends a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
The teams have defeated each other earlier this season (3:2 SO, 1:2 OT).
Sibir’s forward Taylor Beck is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that span.
Sibir’s forward Vladimir Butuzov is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Sibir’s forward Andy Andreoff is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (5+1) points.
Injury list
Lada: Scott Kosmachuk, Danila Moiseyev, Nikita Popugayev.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Taylor Beck lines up for his 400th KHL game and may score his 300th league point (currently at 298).
19:00: Neftekhimik (14-18-8, 10th E) vs Barys (12-22-7, 12th E)
About the game
Neftekhimik starts a two-game home series on a seven-match losing streak.
Barys, who has defeated Neftekhimik three times this season (8:0, 6:5 OT, 4:3 OT), ends a five-game road trip and lost three straight games.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Emil Garipov, Nikita Petrishchev, Nail Yakupov.
Barys: Alex Grant.
Milestone alert
Barys’ forward Dmitry Gurkov lines up for his 200th league appearance, while defenseman Adil Beketayev reaches the 100-game mark.
19:00: Lokomotiv (25-11-3, 3rd W) vs Vityaz (13-23-5, 11th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv enters the third game of a four-match home series following a loss to Severstal on Tuesday (0:1).
Vityaz, who has already defeated the Railwaymen this season (2:1), ends a two-game road trip on a five-match losing streak.
Lokomotiv’s goalie Sergei Murashov is on a 76:43 shutout streak.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Georgy Ivanov may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Ivan Bocharov may record his 30th league shutout, while Vityaz’s Dmitry Shikin may reach 10.
19:00: Severstal (18-15-7, 7th W) vs Torpedo (24-14-3, 5th W)
About the game
Severstal starts a four-game home series fresh off a win in Yaroslavl on Tuesday (1:0).
Torpedo plays the lone road game of the series and lost to Spartak also on Tuesday (2:5).
The teams have already defeated each other this season (4:0, 3:4).
Torpedo’s goalie Ivan Kulbakov is on a 73:09 shutout streak, while Severstal’s Dmitry Shugayev is at 89:07.
Injury list
Torpedo: Kirill Kirsanov.
Milestone alert
Severstal’s forward Nikita Korostelyov may reach 100 league points (currently at 99).
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (27-10-4, 2nd W) vs Traktor (22-15-4, 6th E)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow, who has already defeated Traktor this season (4:2), ends a two-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Traktor enters the second game of a seven-match road trip following a win over Avtomobilist on Tuesday (3:2 OT).
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev is on a nine-game scoring streak, with 14 (2+12) points over that span.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Yegor Bryzgalov, Maxim Dzhioshvili.
Traktor: Andrei Chibisov.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Brennan Menell may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
19:30: SKA (26-13-1, 4th W) vs CSKA (22-16-2, 6th W)
About the game
SKA, who has defeated CSKA twice this season (3:2, 2:1), ends a two-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
CSKA enters the fifth game of a six-match road trip and lost to Dynamo Moscow on Tuesday (1:4).
SKA’s forward Brenda Rendulic is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
SKA’s goalie Pavel Moisevich is on a 180:25 shutout streak.
CSKA’s goalie Dmitry Gamzin is on a 67:15 shutout streak.
Injury list
SKA: Vladimir Alistrov, Zakhar Bardakov, Brendan Leipsic, Andrei Pedan.
CSKA: Darren Dietz, Maxim Sorkin.
