KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
A tense KHL matchday this Thursday!
The intense KHL matchday will start in the Eastern Conference, another time in Novosibirsk, with Sibir hosting Traktor as the Chelyabinsk side is in good shape and has defeated Sibir twice this season, however both in extratime. Then, in Kazakhstan, Barys welcomes Avangard. The Hawks have been extremely active at the transfer deadline, yet most likely the fans will need to wait Avangard’s return to Omsk to see all the new recruits in action. Barys needs points, but Avangard defeated them twice this season and they looked in great shape of late.
Another interesting encounter is scheduled in Togliatti. The KHL newcomer, who achieved a huge 5:1 victory over Magnitogorsk on Monday, will welcome Dynamo Moscow as the Blue-and-Whites keep on chasing Spartak for the Western Conference leadership. In the meantime, the East will see a Russian hockey classic as Ak Bars hosts Metallurg, with Magnitka having won the first edition of the battle, blanking Kazan with a 3:0 score.
The battles in the West continue with another rivalry as Torpedo hosts Lokomotiv, then Severstal welcomes Kunlun Red Star. The Dragons are on a three-game losing streak as their playoff chances get thinner, with the Steelers having defeated them in their first two matchup this season. Talking about playoff chances, while Vityaz welcomes Avtomobilist, Dinamo Minsk hosts Spartak – newcomer Ilya Kovalchuk has been excellent in his first couple of games for the Red-and-Whites; will he manage to score again in his third match with his new team?
A showdown between HC Sochi and Salavat Yulaev closes an exciting KHL matchday. The Black Sea franchise is on an eight-game losing streak, while Salavat Yulaev is riding a good series in its latest matches.
15:30: Sibir (20-17-8, 8th E) vs Traktor (24-15-5, 6th E)
About the game
Sibir is in the middle of a five-game home series and lost to Avangard on Monday (2:3 OT).
Traktor, who has defeated Sibir twice this season (2:1 OT, 5:4 SO), enters the fifth game of a seven-match road trip on a two-game winning streak.
Sibir’s forward Vladimir Butuzov is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 8 (2+6) points over that span.
Sibirs’ forward Andy Andreoff is also on a seven-game scoring streak, with 8 (7+1) points.
Traktor’s forward Maxim Shabanov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points.
Traktor’s forward Anton Burdasov is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points.
Traktor’s forward Nikita Soshnikov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Traktor’s defenseman Albert Yarullin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points.
Injury list
Traktor: Andrei Chibisov.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Taylor Beck may record his 300th KHL point (currently at 299).
Traktor’s forward Anton Burdasov may net his 200th KHL tally (currently at 198).
16:30: Barys (13-23-7, 11th E) vs Avangard (28-11-3, 2nd E)
About the game
Barys is in the middle of a three-game home series and defeated HC Sochi on Saturday (3:2 OT),
Avangard, who has defeated Barys twice this season (4:1, 5:1), is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Sibir on Monday (3:2 OT).
Barys’ defenseman David Sklenicka is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Barys’ forward Anthony Camara had a tally in each of his previous four matches.
Injury list
Barys: Alex Grant.
Avangard: Roman Abrosimov.
18:00: Lada (23-13-9, 5th E) vs Dynamo Moscow (29-11-4, 2nd W)
About the game
Lada enters the seventh game of an eight-match home series following a win over Metallurg on Monday (5:1).
Dynamo Moscow, who has already defeated Lada this season (5:4 OT), starts a two-game road trip after a loss to SKA on Monday (2:3).
Lada’s forward Maxim Shumakov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Lada: Scott Kosmachuk, Danila Moiseyev, Nikita Popugayev, Nikita Vladimirov.
Dynamo Moscow: Yegor Bryzgalov, Maxim Dzhioshvili.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev lines up for his 600th league appearance.
19:00: Ak Bars (24-17-2, 5th E) vs Metallurg (27-12-5, 1st E)
About the game
Ak Bars starts a five-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Metallurg, who has already defeated Ak Bars this season (3:0), ends a three-game road trip following a loss to Lada on Monday (1:5).
Injury list
Ak Bars: Dmitrij Jaskin.
Metallurg: Danila Kvartalnov.
19:00: Torpedo (27-14-3, 5th W) vs Lokomotiv (28-11-3, 3rd W)
About the game
Torpedo is in the middle of a five-game home series and won its previous three matches.
Lokomotiv ends a two-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.
The season’s series is 2-1 (5:2, 0:1, 3:2 SO).
Lokomotiv’s forward Artur Kayumov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Torpedo: Kirill Kirsanov, Nikolai Kovalenko.
Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Alexei Kruchinin lines up for his 500th KHL game, while forward Dennis Yan reaches 100.
Lokomotiv’s goalie Ivan Bocharov may reach 30 KHL shutouts.
19:00: Severstal (19-17-7, 7th W) vs Kunlun Red Star (15-24-5, 9th W)
About the game
Severstal, who has defeated the Dragons twice this season (3:1, 4:3 SO), ends a four-game home series and lost to Traktor on Tuesday (3:5).
Kunlun Red Star starts a seven-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
Severstal’s forward Kirill Pilipenko is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that span.
Severstal’s forward Danil Aimurzin is also on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points.
Injury list
Severstal: Konstantin Shostak.
Kunlun Red Star: Corey Kane, Zach Yuen.
Milestone alert
Severstal’s forward Nikita Korostelyov may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
19:00: Vityaz (14-24-5, 11th W) vs Avtomobilist (24-16-5, 7th E)
About the game
Vityaz is in the middle of a three-game home series and defeated Dinamo Minsk on Sunday (4:6).
Avtomobilist, who has already defeated Vityaz this season (3:2 OT), enters the third game of a four-match road trip on a three-game winning streak.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Denis Barantsev, Semyon Kizimov, Denis Osipov.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th KHL shutout.
Avtomobilist’s forward Alexei Makeyev lines up for his 600th league appearance.
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (18-20-4, 8th W) vs Spartak (29-11-5, 1st W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk ends a two-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Spartak, who has already defeated Dinamo Minsk this season (4:2), enters the second game of a six-match road trip following a loss to Torpedo on Tuesday (1:2 SO).
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Sam Anas is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward Andrei Loktionov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Dmitry Deryabin, Vitaly Pinchuk, Alexander Suvorov.
Spartak: Ivan Morozov.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s forward Ilya Kovalchuk may record his 400th KHL point (currently at 398).
Spartak’s forward Pavel Poryadin may reach 100 league goals (currently at 99).
19:30: HC Sochi (14-25-5, 10th W) vs Salavat Yulaev (26-13-3, 3rd E)
About the game
HC Sochi enters the second game of a five-match home series on an eight-game losing streak.
Salavat Yulaev, who has already defeated HC Sochi this season (3:1), enters the second game of a five-match road trip following a win over CSKA on Monday (4:3 OT).
HC Sochi’s forward Kirill Rasskazov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Alexander Chmelevsky had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four points.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Alexander Sharov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 9 (5+4) points over that span.
