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Neftekhimik, Sibir battle at a distance for eighth spot!
Only two games are on tap today, but what intrigue do they bring with them. Yesterday, Amur achieved a key victory in Astana, getting at only one point to Neftekhimik in ninth place in the East. This means that the Wolves are still in eighth place, but just one point separates them from the Tigers, and a win today will be of paramount importance for their positioning in the Conference. Today’s opponent will be Lada. The KHL newcomer has lost its previous couple of matches, but in the regular season’s last month everyone will be looking for points, and it won’t be easy for Neftekhimik to gain a victory. That said, the season series between the two sides sees the Wolves up three games against two – Neftekhimik needs a victory to stay clear of danger as the competition tightens up. The two sides have already met recently, on Jan 30, with the Wolves taking home the game 4:3 OT.
In the second game of the matchday, Sibir pays a visit to Kazan. Despite Ak Bars being up in the standings, Sibir has taken two games off them, with one win for today’s hosts. However, the Kazan side is in an excellent shape, with three straight victories and some players on a hot streak, while Sibir has recently defeated Amur (4:3 SO on Friday), but has lost three straight matches earlier. The Novosibirsk side will need a win to catch up with Amur and Neftekhimik in its hunt for the Eastern Conference’s eighth spot. The rest of the pack is at this point too far away to realistically think it can be reached, with the seventh seed at more than ten points away from the Wolves. It’s to be noted that Sibir will face Lokomotiv in Yaroslavl on Wednesday, while Amur faces Lada in Togliatti on Thursday. Then, on Friday, Neftekhimik will host Sibir on a key match.
18:00: Lada (29-18-3, 7th E) vs Neftekhimik (24-24-11, 8th E)
About the game
Lada starts a two-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Neftekhimik plays the lone road game of the series following a win over Lada on Jan 30 (4:3 OT).
The season series between the two teams is 2-3 (0:4, 3:0, 3:4 ОТ, 2:0, 3:4 OT).
Injury list
Lada: Artyom Ivanyuzhenkov, Pavel Koltygin, Alexei Ozhgikhin, Nikolai Vladimirov.
Neftekhimik: Nail Yakupov.
19:00: Ak Bars (35-21-2, 4th E) vs Sibir (23-27-9, 10th E)
About the game
Ak Bars starts a two-game home series on a three-match winning streak.
Sibir starts a four-game road trip following a win over Amur on Saturday (4:3 SO).
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (2:3 OT, 2:4, 4:0).
Ak Bars’ goalie Amir Miftakhov is on a 100:14 shutout streak.
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ defenseman Mitchell Miller is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Ak Bars’ forward Semyon Koshelev is on a five-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Dmitrij Jaskin.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Artyom Lukoyanov may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 199).
