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Spartak faces SKA seeking a return to victory!
It isn’t the best period for Spartak, with their four straight losses. Now, the situation for the Red-and-Whites is going from bad to worse, as another giant is visiting them, and moreover, this opponent has gained momentum. SKA has overcome most of its issues, and at this stage of the season, the St. Petersburg team is seriously competing not only for a place in the top 4 of the West but also for leadership in the conference.
It will be the fourth encounter between the two teams this season. So far, Spartak is ahead (2-1), but the last meeting between the teams ended in SKA’s favor with a 3:2 score, with former Red-and-White defenseman Alexander Nikishin netting the game-winner.
The KHL matchday will however start early in the Far East, with the battle for a place in the top four getting hotter and hotter. Following a Sibir win, bot Amur and Novosibirsk will hit the ice today. Amur has a home game against Avangard ahead, while Sibir will travel to Vladivostok to face a struggling Admiral side. Amur and Sibir met twice last year, with one win for either side – the Tigers didn’t overcome Sibir in the eighth place, and today the battle goes on, even if on different arenas.
In tenth place – at just one point from Amur – is Neftekhimik. The Wolves host Salavat Yulaev today. Both teams lost their previous game, so will be eager to return to victory. Neftekhimik is up in the season series 2-1.
In the last game in the East, Traktor welcomes Ak Bars. The teams will battle out for the fifth place in the East, while the Kazan side seeks its fifth straight win. Then, in the remaining game of the matchday, Severstal hosts Kunlun Red Star. The Dragons will need points to keep on hoping on a postseason qualification, but it won’t be easy. Kunlun Red Star is currently the ninth seed in the Western Conference, but they have a nine-point gap from Dinamo Minsk, and lost its previous three games to Severstal.
12:00: Amur (21-19-8, 9th E) vs Avangard (32-13-3, 2nd E)
About the game
Amur enters the third game of a four-match home series following a loss to Sibir on Wednesday (1:4).
Avangard enters the third game of a four-match road trip on a three-game winning streak.
The teams have already defeated each other this season (5:1, 1:2).
Avangard’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Avangard’s forward Reid Boucher is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Avangard’s forward Ryan Spooner is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Amur: Alexander Khohklachyov, Pyotr Khokhryakov, Cameron Lee, Yakov Rylov.
12:30: Admiral (14-23-11, 12th E) vs Sibir (22-19-9, 8th E)
About the game
Admiral enters the third game of a four-match home series and lost its previous six matches.
Sibir enters the third game of a four-match road trip following a win over Amur on Wednesday (4:1).
The teams have already defeated each other this season (3:2 OT, 1:4).
Injury list
Admiral: Pavel Makhanovsky.
17:00: Traktor (27-18-5, 5th E) vs Ak Bars (28-18-2, 6th E)
About the game
Traktor ends a four-game home series and defeated Neftekhimik on Tuesday (5:3).
Ak Bars, who has already defeated Traktor this season (5:3), starts a three-game road trip on a four-game winning streak.
Traktor’s forward Maxim Shabanov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Traktor’s forward Anton Burdasov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov is on a 120:35 shutout streak.
Injury list
Traktor: Andrei Chibisov.
Ak Bars: Dmitrij Jaskin.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Anton Burdasov may record his 200th KHL tally (currently at 199).
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Radulov may get to 450 assists in the league (currently at 448).
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov may record his 30th KHL shutout.
19:00: Neftekhimik (20-21-9, 10th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (30-15-3, 3rd E)
About the game
Neftekhimik starts a two-game home series following a loss to Traktor on Tuesday (3:5).
Salavat Yulaev starts a four-game road trip after a loss to Kunlun Red Star also on Tuesday (1:2).
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (2:4, 4:3, 3:2).
Neftekhimik’s forward Dmitry Zhukenov had at least an assist in each of his previous four matches, totaling five points.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Ivan Drozdov is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 10 (6+4) points over that span.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Rafael Bikmullin, Emil Garipov, Ilya Khokhlov, Ruslan Petrishchev, Nail Yakupov, Artyom Zagidulin.
Salavat Yulaev: Sergei Shmelyov.
19:00: Severstal (23-18-7, 7th W) vs Kunlun Red Star (16-28-6, 9th W)
About the game
Severstal, who has defeated Kunlun Red Star three times this season (3:1, 4:3 SO, 3:1), enters the fourth game of a five-match home series on a three-game winning streak.
Kunlun Red Star ends a three-game road trip following a win over Salavat Yulaev on Tuesday (2:1).
Severstal’s goalie Alexander Samoilov is on an 84:27 shutout streak.
Severstal’s forward Kirill Pilipenko is on a three-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that span.
Severstal’s forward Danil Aimurzin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Severstal’s forward Nikita Korostelyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 7 (4+3) points.
Injury list
Severstal: Dmitry Moiseyev, Konstantin Shostak.
Kunlun Red Star: Ryan Sproul, Zach Yuen.
19:30: Spartak (30-13-7, 3rd W) vs SKA (32-15-2, 4th W)
About the game
Spartak starts a four-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
SKA is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Vityaz on Wednesday (4:0).
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (3:0, 3:2, 2:3).
SKA’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov is on a 161:35 shutout streak.
SKA’s forward Arseny Gritsyuk is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that span.
Injury list
Spartak: Ivan Morozov.
SKA: Vadim Alistrov, Andrei Pedan.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s forward Ilya Kovalchuk may reach 400 KHL points (currently at 399).
Spartak’s forward Nikolai Goldobin and SKA’s defenseman Artyom Zemchyonok may record their respective 100th assist in the league (currently both are at 99).
SKA’s forward Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi may line up for his 300th league appearance.
