Spartak seeking its first win of the season against Lokomotiv!

The Railwaymen have achieved three straight wins over the Red-and-Whites as the Muscovites today have a chance to revert the trend in the lone game of the matchday.

Only one game is on tap today, but it will be an exciting confrontation, with Spartak visiting Yaroslavl seeking its first win over Lokomotiv this season. Previously, Lokomotiv won three games against Spartak. Defeats to Admiral (1:2) and Severstal (2:3 OT) prevented Lokomotiv from reclaiming the lead in the Western Conference as SKA jumped forward after yesterday’s large win over HC Sochi (8:1). Igor Nikitin’s team is in second place with 85 points, and the next opponent trails the Railwaymen by just three points. If the Yaroslavl team remains in the same position, it is highly likely that they will have to play against the defending Gagarin Cup holder CSKA already in the first round of the playoffs, as CSKA currently occupies the seventh spot in the West. Spartak is finishing the regular season with an excellent streak, having won three games in a row with a total score of 12:4 against Avtomobilist, Avangard, and Barys. Alexei Zhamnov’s squad remains the top scorer in the league this season (212 goals in 62 matches). Lokomotiv, who played the same number of games, scored 158 goals for comparison. At the same time, Yaroslavl has the most reliable defense – only 124 goals conceded compared to 171 for the Red-and-Whites.

19:30: Lokomotiv (40-17-5, 2^nd W) vs Spartak (37-17-8, 4^th W)

About the game

Lokomotiv starts a three-game home series on a two-match losing streak.

Spartak enters the third game of a four-match road trip following three straight victories.

Lokomotiv has defeated Spartak three times this season (4:2, 2:1, 2:1).

Lokomotiv’s forward Grigory Ivanov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that span.

Spartak’s forward Ivan Morozov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (2+6) points.

Spartak’s forward Alexander Pashin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.

Injury list

Lokomotiv: Yegor Averin, Maxim Beryozkin.

Spartak: Joey Keane, Timur Khairullin, Andrei Loktionov, Patrik Rybar.