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Eight games on tap as the battle for the playoffs intensifies!
The KHL matchday will start in the Far East, with Amur still having a chance at the eighth spot in its Conference as they are just three points shy of Neftekhimik, with the Wolves having played two games more. Both teams will hit the ice today as today’s games will feature plenty of emotions. The Tigers’ opponent today will be Salavat Yulaev, who has already defeated Amur twice this season – it won’t be easy today for the Khabarovsk side, who has lost its latest six games.
Admiral has fewer chances to reach the top eight in the East, but the Vladivostok side will be looking to please its fans at home as Metallurg comes to town. Magnitka today has a chance to book a playoff spot – the first in the East – should the team achieve a win over the Sailors and Neftekhimik lose to Torpedo in regulation. The Wolves are on a two-game winning streak and will be looking to win a third one to retain their spot in the top eight, despite having several players sitting on the injury list.
Today’s last game in the East will be Avtomobilist facing Ak Bars. The Motormen are higher in the standings, but Ak Bars defeated them twice, against only one victory by Avto. Uncertainty will be once again high in this game in Yekaterinburg.
The action then moves to the West, with Lokomotiv hosting HC Sochi. The Railwaymen were the first to book a playoff ticket this season, and they should avoid underrating the opposition – Sochi has already defeated them once this year.
Another game with a strong playoff scent will be Vityaz hosting Sibir. The Moscow Region team still has hopes – especially if Dinamo Minsk loses to CSKA today – but they will be needing a win and a strong game in the next games as they have twelve points to recover on the Belarusians. Moreover, a loss by Vityaz can help Spartak getting closer to clinch the fourth playoff ticket in the West.
As said, CSKA hosts Dinamo Minsk, with the Muscovites already defeating the Bisons twice this season, while SKA welcomes Barys. It will be the first encounter between SKA and the Kazakhs this season, with Barys only achieving seven victories over SKA in 29 matches between the two sides in the KHL history.
12:00: Amur (21-22-10, 9th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (33-16-4, 3rd E)
About the game
Amur starts a four-game home series on a six-match losing streak.
Salavat Yulaev, who has defeated Amur twice this season (4:1, 3:2 OT), starts a four-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Amur’s forward Yegor Korshkov had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Amur’s forward Vladislav Barulin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Alexander Chmelevsky is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Amur: Pyotr Khokhryakov, Cameron Lee, Yakov Rylov.
12:30: Admiral (15-27-11, 12th E) vs Metallurg (36-13-6, 1st E)
About the game
Admiral starts a four-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Metallurg, who has already defeated Admiral this season (5:2), starts a four-game road trip following two straight wins.
Metallurg’s forward Maxim Karpov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that span.
Metallurg’s forward Nikita Mikhailis is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points.
Injury list
Admiral: Pavel Shen.
Metallurg: Yegor Korobkin.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s defenseman Yegor Yakovlev lines up for his 700th league appearance.
17:00: Avtomobilist (31-19-6, 4th E) vs Ak Bars (31-20-2, 7th E)
About the game
Avtomobilist starts a two-game home series fresh off a win over Barys on Monday (3:2).
Ak Bars starts a five-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (2:3, 2:1, 1:2).
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Radulov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that span.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Semyon Kizimov, Maxim Osipov, Kirill Vorobyov.
19:00: Neftekhimik (23-23-9, 8th E) vs Torpedo (31-19-3, 5th W)
About the game
Neftekhimik enters the second game of a five-match home series on a two-game winning streak.
Torpedo starts a four-game road trip fresh off a victory over CSKA on Sunday (3:2 OT).
Neftekhimik’s forward Dmitry Sokolov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Rafael Bikmullin, Emil Garipov, Ilya Khokhlov, Ruslan Petrishchev, Nail Yakupov.
Torpedo: Vasily Atanasov.
19:00: Lokomotiv (36-13-4, 1st W) vs HC Sochi (16-32-6, 11th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv enters the fifth game of a six-match home series on a three-game winning streak.
HC Sochi enters the third game of a four-match road trip following a win over Lada on Monday (4:3 SO).
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (0:5, 2:0, 3:2 OT).
Lokomotiv’s forward Pavel Kraskovsky is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin, Nikita Cherepanov.
HC Sochi: Timur Khafizov, Kirill Rasskazov, Anton Sagadeyev.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s defenseman Alexander Yelesin lines up for his 300th KHL game.
Lokomotiv’s goalie Ivan Bocharov may record his 30th league shutout.
19:30: Vityaz (17-29-7, 9th W) vs Sibir (21-24-9, 10th E)
About the game
Vityaz starts a two-game home series following a loss to Lada on Saturday (1:2 SO).
Sibir, who has already defeated Vityaz this season (3:2 SO), enters the second game of a four-match road trip on a three-game losing streak.
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin is on a 62:21 shutout streak.
Sibirs’ forward Taylor Beck is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Sibir’s forward Andy Andreoff is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points.
Injury list
Vityaz: Scott Wilson.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may celebrate his 10th KHL shutout.
19:30: CSKA (27-21-5, 7th W) vs Dinamo Minsk (24-24-5, 8th W)
About the game
CSKA, who has defeated Dinamo Minsk twice this season (4:0, 5:3), plays the lone home game of the series after a loss to Torpedo on Sunday (2:3 OT).
Dinamo Minsk enters the third game of a four-match road trip and defeated SKA on Monday (2:1 OT).
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Vitaly Pinchuk, Brett Ritchie, Ivan Sekerin, Andrei Stas, Alexander Suvorov.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s forward Sergei Plotnikov may reach 500 KHL points (currently at 499).
19:30: SKA (35-16-3, 3rd W) vs Barys (19-28-6, 10th E)
About the game
SKA enters the fourth game of a six-match home series following a loss to Dinamo Minsk on Monday (1:2 OT).
Barys starts a two-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
SKA’s forward Borna Rendulic is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
SKA: Vladimir Alistrov, Stepan Falkovsky, Andrei Pedan.
Barys: Alikhan Asetov, Alex Grant, Joseph Labate, Roman Starchenko.
Milestone alert
SKA’s forward Vasily Glotov may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
