KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
CSKA with a chance to book a playoff ticket!
Before the season started, probably CSKA didn’t expect to be in sixth place in the West by the end of January, but for the Sergei Fedorov’s guys it is what it is, and they now have a chance to get to the playoffs yet another time as the Red-and-Blues only once missed this achievement, back in the 2010-2011 season. Today, CSKA hosts Torpedo as the teams meet for the third time this year, and they can clinch their playoff spot in case of a victory, but also if Vityaz loses to Kunlun Red Star in regulation. Moreover, the Igor Larionov young guns have lost their previous couple of matches.
The matchday will however start earlier in the Eastern Conference, with Barys hosting Avangard as the Kazakhs seek their first victory after five straight losses. Then, in Chelyabinsk, the next round of the Ural Derby will take place. Traktor and the Motormen are very close in the standings – and so are Lada and Ak Bars – so this rivalry match will become even more intense due to the necessity of gaining points at all costs to break out of this tight group.
Special attention in the lineup of Traktor should be paid to Maxim Shabanov. He is having an excellent season, and his lacrosse goal, which was also the game-winner in the game against Avangard was something extraordinary. Throughout the season, Traktor has won three out of five meetings against Avtomobilist. However, in the last game, it was the Motormen who secured victory with a 4:3 score.
The action then moves to the Western Conference. HC Sochi welcomes Dinamo Minsk. The Bisons lost several players down the road, yet they won their latest two matches and have also defeated HC Sochi twice this season. In another exciting game, Spartak hosts Lokomotiv as the teams face for the third time in the 2023-2024 campaign, with the Railwaymen taking both games so far. However, the Red-and-Whites found back a couple of key players recovering from injuries, and it will be a nice battle in Moscow. A showdown between Kunlun Red Star and Vityaz will close an exciting KHL Wednesday.
16:30: Barys (19-31-6, 11th E) vs Avangard (38-15-3, 2nd E)
About the game
Barys enters the second game of a six-match home series following five straight losses.
Avangard starts a two-game road trip after a defeat to Traktor on Monday (4:5).
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (1:4, 1:5, 5:1).
Avangard’s forward Reid Boucher is on a ten-game scoring streak, with 15 (8+7) points over that span.
Avangard’s defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 9 (1+8) points.
Avangard’s defenseman Yegor Chistyakov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Barys: Alex Grant, Joseph Labate, Roman Starchenko.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s forward Mark Verba may line up for his 100th KHL game.
17:00: Traktor (32-19-6, 5th E) vs Avtomobilist (32-20-6, 7th E)
About the game
Traktor starts a three-game home series on a four-match winning streak.
Avtomobilist starts a four-game road trip fresh off a victory over Torpedo on Friday (2:1 SO).
The season series between the two teams is 3-2 (2:1, 1:2, 4:2, 3:2 ОТ, 3:4).
Traktor’s forward Anton Burdasov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (5+1) points over that span.
Avtomobilist’s forward Brooks Macek is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Avtomobilist’s forward Curtis Valk is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Traktor: Andrei Chibisov.
Avtomobilist: Semyon Kizimov, Maxim Osipov, Kirill Vorobyov.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s defenseman Viktor Antipin lines up for his 700th KHL game, while defenseman Ilya Nikolayev reaches 100.
Traktor’s forward Anton Burdasov may reach 400 league points (currently at 397), while forward Nikita Soshnikov may score his 100th KHL helper (currently at 99).
19:30: HC Sochi (18-33-7, 10th W) vs Dinamo Minsk (26-25-5, 8th W)
About the game
HC Sochi ends a three-game home series following two straight losses.
Dinamo Minsk starts a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Dinamo Minsk has defeated HC Sochi three times this season so far (2:1, 6:2, 7:4).
HC Sochi’s forward Artur Tyanulin is on a six-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that span.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Timur Khafizov, Kirill Rasskazov.
Dinamo Minsk: Dmitry Deryabin, Roman Gorbunov, Vitaly Pinchuk, Brett Ritchie, Ivan Sekerin, Nikita Smirnov, Alexander Suvorov.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s defenseman Gleb Koryagin lines up for his 500th KHL game.
19:30: Kunlun Red Star (19-33-6, 9th W) vs Vityaz (18-31-7, 11th W)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star starts a two-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Vityaz, who has already defeated Kunlun Red Star this season (2:1), ends a two-game road trip following a win over Dynamo Moscow on Monday (2:1).
Vityaz’s forward Derek Barach had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Vityaz: Ilya Arkalov, Ivan Vorobyov, Ivan Yezhov, Scott Wilson.
Disqualifications
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Devin Brosseau serves a one-game ban.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s defenseman Yaroslav Busygin lines up for his 100th KHL game.
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th KHL shutout.
19:30: CSKA (29-22-5, 6th W) vs Torpedo (32-20-4, 5th W)
About the game
CSKA starts a three-game home series fresh off a win over Severstal on Sunday (6:2).
Torpedo ends a four-game road trip following two straight losses.
The teams have already defeated each other this season (7:2, 2:3 OT).
Injury list
CSKA: Yaroslav Dyblenko, Marsel Ibragimov.
Torpedo: Vasily Atanasov.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s forward Sergei Plotnikov may reach 500 KHL points (currently at 499).
19:30: Spartak (34-16-8, 4th W) vs Lokomotiv (36-16-4, 1st W)
About the game
Spartak enters the third game of a four-match home series on a three-game winning streak.
Lokomotiv, who has defeated Spartak twice this season (4:2, 2:1), enters the second game of a four-match road trip on a three-game losing streak.
Spartak’s forward Nikolai Goldobin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward Maxim Tsyplakov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 11 (7+4) points.
Injury list
Spartak: Joey Keane, Yegor Filin, Timur Khairullin, Andrei Loktionov, Mikhail Maltsev, Patrik Rybar.
Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s goalie Ivan Bocharov may record his 30th KHL shutout.
