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Spartak to face Ak Bars in Kazan!
Spartak has suffered another defeat in its last game – hardly it can be said that their crisis is over. However, they are still on a good position in the Western Conference standings, and will be seeking a win today over Ak Bars. The Kazan side is also trying to improve its record – they’ve won their most recent encounter, but they were also most likely to think about something better than their current sixth place in the East. Alexander Radulov is on an active scoring streak as this is the first meeting between the two sides this year.
The matchday will feature several exciting encounters, starting with Torpedo hosting CSKA. The Nizhny Novgorod side has just renewed its ties with bench boss Igor Larionov for further three seasons, and they will face a motivated CSKA team who has already won a game against it this season, with a sound 7:2 score.
In the East, Metallurg faces Severstal. The Cherepovets side is on a hot streak, having won its previous seven matches, and they will be extra-motivated as the team faces its former coach Andrei Razin. Other than Razin, there are plenty of players who lined up for either team in the past – the temperature will be high on the Southern Urals, with the Steelers already defeating Magnitka this season. Moreover, Severstal’s hot streak is even more impressive if considering that they’ve lost their first two goalies along the way, with third-string netminder Alexander Samoilov off to a fantastic debut at the KHL level after winning two titles in Belarus – he had two consecutive shutouts in Severstal’s last couple of matches.
The battle for the playoffs in the East continues with Amur paying a visit to Salavat Yulaev and Neftekhimik hosting Admiral. Both teams have surpassed Sibir in the standings following Novosibirsk’s penalty, yet the battle is still open, with Barys sitting in eleventh place, but still having hope and a chance despite its seven-point gap. The Kazakhs will however rest today, recovering from a home loss to CSKA on Friday. Amur will need to return to victory, however, to cultivate any real hope for a playoff qualification. Today’s game against Salavat Yulaev, moreover, will see the hosts’ defenseman Evgeny Biryukov hitting an important milestone. Neftekhimik, on its hand, is on a better position and shape, and a win over Admiral today will be key for the team’s chances to reach the postseason.
The matchday ends with Lokomotiv hosting Avangard. The Railwaymen have recently booked a playoff spot, but they will certainly want to win as the postseason approach. Facing a strong team in excellent shape like Avangard can be considered an excellent preparation for the playoff battles. However, the Hawks will miss top scorer Vladimir Tkachyov.
13:00: Torpedo (30-19-3, 5th W) vs CSKA (27-21-4, 7th W)
About the game
Torpedo ends a three-game home series following a loss to Vityaz on Thursday (1:2).
CSKA, who has already defeated Torpedo this season (7:2), ends a four-game road trip and defeated Barys on Friday (5:2).
Torpedo’s forward Andrei Belevich is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
CSKA’s forward Konstantin Okulov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points.
Injury list
Torpedo: Vasily Atanasov, Nikolai Kovalenko.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s forward Sergei Plotnikov may score his 500th KHL point (currently at 499).
14:30: Metallurg (35-13-6, 1st E) vs Severstal (27-18-7, 6th W)
About the game
Metallurg ends a two-game home series following a win over Admiral on Friday (5:2).
Severstal, who has already defeated Metallurg this season (5:4 SO), ends a three-game road trip on a seven-match winning streak.
Metallurg’s forward Maxim Karpov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Metallurg’s forward Denis Zernov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points.
Severstal’s goalie Alexander Samoilov is on a 124:06 shutout streak.
Injury list
Severstal: Konstantin Shostak, Dmitry Shugayev.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s defenseman Vladislav Yeryomenko may line up for his 200th KHL game.
14:30: Salavat Yulaev (32-16-4, 3rd E) vs Amur (21-22-9, 9th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev, who has already defeated Amur this season (4:1), plays the lone home game of the series following a win over Sibir on Thursday (4:2).
Amur ends a three-game road trip on a five-game losing streak.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Ivan Drozdov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that span.
Injury list
Amur: Pyotr Khokhryakov, Cameron Lee, Yakov Rylov.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Evgeny Biryukov becomes today the first player in history to hit 1,000 appearances in the league.
17:00: Neftekhimik (22-23-9, 8th E) vs Admiral (15-26-11, 12th E)
About the game
Neftekhimik starts a five-game home series fresh off a win over Dynamo Moscow on Thursday (2:1).
Admiral ends a three-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Neftekhimik has defeated Admiral three times this season (4:3, 4:3, 5:2).
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Rafael Bikmullin, Emil Garipov, Ilya Khokhlov, Ruslan Petrishchev, Nail Yakupov, Artyom Zagidulin
Admiral: Pavel Shen.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s defenseman Alexei Solovyov may line up for his 100th KHL game.
17:00: Ak Bars (30-20-2, 6th E) vs Spartak (31-16-7, 4th W)
About the game
Ak Bars ends a two-game home series following a win over Lada on Thursday (5:1).
Spartak starts a two-game road trip and lost to Avangard on Friday (1:3).
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Radulov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward Maxim Tsyplakov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Dmitrij Jaskin.
Spartak: Andrei Loktionov, Mikhail Maltsev, Ivan Morozov, Daniel Usmanov.
17:00: Lokomotiv (35-13-4, 1st W) vs Avangard (36-13-3, 2nd E)
About the game
Lokomotiv enters the fourth game of a six-match home series on a two-game winning streak.
Avangard, who has already defeated Lokomotiv this season (4:1), is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous seven matches.
Lokomotiv’s forward Pavel Kraskovsky had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Avangard’s forward Reid Boucher is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (5+3) points over that span.
Avangard’s defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov had at least an assist in each of his previous four games, totaling five helpers.
Avangard’s forward Ivan Nikolishin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Avangard’s forward Tomas Jurco is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin, Nikita Cherepanov.
Avangard: Vladimir Tkachyov.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s goalie Ivan Bocharov may record his 30th league shutout.
