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Spartak and Dinamo Minsk face off amidst winning streaks
In today’s highly anticipated game between Spartak and Dinamo Minsk, both teams enter the clash with a pleasant three-match winning streak. This encounter holds particular significance as it could be considered a preview of the playoffs, with the sides having a good chance to end as the first and eighth seed in the West. Despite belonging to the same conference, this marks their first meeting of the season, adding an element of unpredictability to the matchup.
The spotlight is on Spartak’s Pavel Poryadin, who is on the verge of reaching a milestone—scoring his 100th goal in the league. Poryadin’s recent performance has been stellar, netting four goals in his last three games, showcasing his offensive prowess. On the opposing side, Dinamo Minsk’s Roman Gorbunov enters the game with a hot hand, riding a six-game scoring streak, adding an extra layer of excitement to this clash on the ice. Moreover, Spartak starts celebrating its annual folk festivities for its birthday, with the celebrations culminating on Sunday’s game against Kunlun Red Star, when most likely Ilya Kovalchuk will debut with the Red-and-White jersey.
The KHL matchday starts with two games in the East, with Metallurg facing Amur trying to return to victory after four losses – Avangard surpassed Magnitka on the top of the Conference standings – and Salavat Yulaev hosting Admiral. In Ufa, the game will be followed by a traditional Teddy Bear Toss to support local charities engaged in helping kids facing illnesses.
A showdown between Kunlun Red Star and Traktor closes the KHL Friday matchday. The Dragons are at the first game following the December pause, while Traktor played yesterday against Dynamo Moscow – they may be tired after a long game as Kunlun Red Star will seek its fourth straight victory.
17:00: Metallurg (25-11-5, 2nd E) vs Amur (17-17-7, 9th E)
About the game
Metallurg ends a four-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
Amur ends a five-game road trip and defeated Admiral on Wednesday (2:1 OT).
Injury list
Metallurg: Nikita Kvartalnov.
Amur: Janis Kalnins, Pyotr Khokhryakov, Kirill Panyukov.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (25-13-2, 4th E) vs Admiral (12-18-9, 11th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev ends a two-game home series following a win over Barys on Tuesday (5:4).
Admiral starts a three-game road trip following its loss to Amur on Wednesday (1:2 OT).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Alexander Sharov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (4+2) points over that span.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Sergei Shmelyov had at least an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Alexei Pustozyorov.
Admiral: Pavel Makhanovsky.
19:30: Spartak (27-11-4, 1st W) vs Dinamo Minsk (18-17-4, 8th W)
About the game
Spartak starts a three-game home series on a three-game winning streak.
Dinamo Minsk starts a two-game road trip and also won its previous three matches.
Spartak’s forward Pavel Poryadin had at least a goal in each of his previous three matches, totaling four tallies.
Spartak’s defenseman Dmitry Vishnevsky is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Roman Gorbunov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points.
Injury list
Spartak: Ivan Morozov.
Dinamo Minsk: Vitaly Pinchuk, Alexander Suvorov.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s forwards Andrei Loktionov and Pavel Poryadin may reach 100 KHL goals (currently at 99 and 98, respectively).
19:30: Kunlun Red Star (15-21-5, 10th W) vs Traktor (22-15-5, 7th E)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star ends a four-game home series and won its previous three matches.
Traktor, who has already defeated Kunlun Red Star this season (5:2), enters the third game of a seven-match road trip following its loss to Dynamo Moscow yesterday (3:4 SO).
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Tyler Wong is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Luke Lockhart is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points.
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Corey Kane, Zach Yuen.
Traktor: Andrei Chibisov.
Milestone alert
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Luke Lockhart may reach 100 KHL points.
