KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
Second showdown between Avangard and CSKA
The Hawks will have to face some of the Western leaders, and today the opponent will be CSKA. The rivals, who have clashed multiple times in the Gagarin Cup finals, approach the week in different situations. Avangard won its previous five games, while CSKA lost its last couple of games. The two sides have already faced earlier this season, with Avangard taking the last laugh in a high-scoring game – the Hawks took the game 6:4 courtesy of a hat-trick by the top KHL sniper, Reid Boucher.
There will be other two games set in the Eastern Conference, with Traktor hosting Severstal and Avtomobilist welcoming Admiral. The Chelyabinsk side will have to try hard to halt Severstal’s run – currently on a five-game winning streak, but they will be determined to please the home crowd as they start a new series on home ice. The Motormen, on their hand, will seek a fourth win over Admiral this season – the Sailors are yet to record a win against Avtomobilist, and their chances to get to the playoffs are running thinner and thinner.
The action then moves to the Western Conference, with two games on tap. SKA hosts Amur as the Tiges need to return to victory following their last three games, and also to get closer to the eighth seed. Moreover, Amur doesn’t achieve a win in St. Petersburg since Jan 15, 2015 – nine years ago.
In the last game of the matchday, Dinamo Minsk and Kunlun Red Star face again. Yesterday, the Belarusian achieved a commanding, 5:1 win, courtesy of a hat-trick by Sam Anas. Today, the team will go for a rematch.
16:30: Avangard (34-13-3, 2nd E) vs CSKA (26-20-4, 7th W)
About the game
Avangard, who has already defeated CSKA this season (6:4), plays the lone home game of the series and won its previous five matches.
CSKA enters the second game of a four-match road trip on a two-game losing streak.
Avangard’s forward Reid Boucher is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (4+2) points over that span.
CSKA’s forward Vladislav Kamenev is on a six-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points.
Injury list
Disqualifications
Avangard’s forward Mark Verba and defenseman Artyom Chmykhov serve a one-game ban.
17:00: Traktor (28-19-5, 6th E) vs Severstal (25-18-7, 6th W)
About the game
Traktor, who has already defeated Severstal this season (5:3), starts a three-game home series following a loss to Dinamo Minsk on Sunday (1:3).
Severstal starts a three-game road trip on a five-match winning streak.
Traktor’s forward Vitaly Kravtsov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Severstal’s forward Alexander Skorenov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Severstal’s forward Nikita Korostelyov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 9 (6+3) points.
Severstal’s forward Adam Liska is also on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Traktor: Andrei Chibisov.
Severstal: Daniil Aimurzin, Konstantin Shostak, Dmitry Shugayev.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Anton Burdasov may reach 200 KHL goals (currently at 199).
17:00: Avtomobilist (29-18-6, 4th E) vs Admiral (15-24-11, 11th E)
About the game
Avtomobilist enters the third game of a four-match home series following a win over CSKA on Monday (3:2).
Admiral starts a three-game road trip after defeating Sibir also on Monday (5:2).
Avtomobilist has defeated Admiral three times this season (3:1, 4:3 SO, 3:0).
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Semyon Kizimov, Maxim Osipov, Kirill Vorobyov.
Admiral: Pavel Makhanovsky, Alexander Shen.
19:30: SKA (33-16-2, 3rd W) vs Amur (21-21-8, 10th E)
About the game
SKA, who has already defeated Amur this season (4:0), starts a six-game home series after a loss to Severstal on Monday (2:3).
Amur starts a three-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
SKA’s forward Arseny Gritsyuk is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 10 (6+4) points over that span.
Injury list
SKA: Vadim Alistrov, Stepan Falkovsky, Andrei Pedan.
Amur: Alex Broadhurst, Alexander Khokhlachyov, Pyotr Khokhryakov, Cameron Lee, Yakov Rylov.
Disqualifications
Amur’s forward Sergei Kolesnikov serves a one-game ban.
19:30: Dinamo Minsk (23-22-5, 8th W) vs Kunlun Red Star (16-31-6, 10th W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk ends a five-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Kunlun Red Star is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost its previous three matches.
The season series between the two teams is 2-2 (3:4, 4:0, 3:4 SO, 5:1).
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Vitaly Pinchuk, Brett Ritchie, Ivan Sekerin, Alexander Suvorov.
Kunlun Red Star: Zach Yuen.
