KHL press office
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Last day of the regular season!
On Saturday morning, many were convinced that Dynamo and CSKA would clash in the first round. However, CSKA’s victory in Nizhny Novgorod lifted them to sixth place, while Dynamo’s win over Admiral moved them to first place. But if Fedorov’s team gets points in today’s derby, it will start defending the title in Yaroslavl. If they lose, and Torpedo beats Lada, then the league will again see a series between SKA and CSKA.
Many have noticed that Lokomotiv seems to fear CSKA – nothing surprising, since in the three previous seasons, the Railwaymen were eliminated from the playoffs precisely after such an encounter. Most likely, CSKA will do everything to start their pursuit of the third consecutive Gagarin Cup precisely by facing off against Loko, and avoiding an early meeting with SKA also sounds like a good plan.
For this to happen CSKA needs to grab at least one point in the game against Dynamo, but isn’t a win better? For what concerns the Blue-and-Whites, they have already clinched the Continental Cup’s victory, but its holder has only once in history lifted the Gagarin Cup. It seems that the motivation for Fedorov’s team is still higher, and that may be the key.
The KHL matchday will however start in Kazakhstan, with Barys facing Sibir for a last chance for a win in front of its home crowd. Then, Traktor welcomes Amur as both teams gear up for the playoffs.
In Magnitogorsk, the battle will be as interesting as the Moscow Derby. Avangard could have already climbed to the top of the Eastern standings, yet the Hawks lost two straight games, as they couldn’t handle Lada at home (2:3 OT), and then lost to Traktor on the road (2:3 SO). Overall, Kravets’ team has long been unable to secure more than two victories in a row and produce a decent winning streak.
Lately, the Hawks have also often encountered problems with scoring and have only managed to score two goals at most. The squad places great hopes on its power play, as it remains one of the best in the league in this regard with a current rate of 25.6%. Metallurg currently holds the top spot in the East, narrowly edging out Avangard by just one point. The Foxes recently suffered three consecutive losses but turned the tide with a three-game winning streak.
The team has shifted its focus towards defense in preparation for the playoffs. Consequently, most of their recent matches have been low-scoring affairs. Goalie Ilya Nabokov has been particularly impressive lately, often making more than 25 saves per game. While Metallurg and Avangard struggle for Eastern supremacy, Salavat Yulaev hosts Severstal. The Ufa side won’t have much up for grabs, as they can’t already go any higher or lower in the standings, and the same is for the Steelers as well, who will face Spartak in the first round.
In Kazan, Ak Bars will be busy with a home game against Admiral. The Tatarstan franchise has already recorded three wins over the Sailors this year, and will also want to achieve a final home victory before the start of the postseason.
The action then moves to the Western Conference, with Torpedo seeking a return to victory after six straight losses. The Igor Larionov’s young guns have been on a deep crisis, with only two wins in their last thirteen matches, and a win in the regulation’s last day may be a good chance to start the elimination stage on a positive note. And Nikolai Khabibulin still has a game to be iced after being signed to a contract on the trade deadline.
Other than the Moscow Derby, the matchday will feature another two games. Spartak hosts Dinamo Minsk with Ansel Galimov hunting down two milestones for the Red-and-Whites, while Kunlun Red Star plays its second game in two days, this time welcoming Vityaz after their game in St. Petersburg yesterday.
16:30: Barys (20-39-8, 12th E) vs Sibir (28-28-11, 10th E)
About the game
Barys ends a three-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
Sibir ends a three-game road trip following a win over Salavat Yulaev on Saturday (2:1).
The season series between the two teams is 2-3 (+:-, +:-, 2:4, 1:2, 1:5).
Sibir’s forward Grigory Belousov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Sibir’s defenseman Trevor Murphy is on a four-game scoring streak, also with 5 (2+3) points.
Injury list
Barys: Alex Grant, Kirill Savitsky, Yegor Shalapov.
17:00: Traktor (36-25-6, 6th E) vs Amur (29-26-12, 8th E)
About the game
Traktor ends a three-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Amur ends a three-game road trip following two straight losses.
Amur has defeated Traktor three times this season (2:3, 3:5, 2:4).
Injury list
Traktor: Andrei Chibisov, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev.
Amur: Evgeny Grachyov, Pyotr Khokhryakov, Sergei Lapin, Cameron Lee.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Anton Burdasov may reach 400 league points (currently at 399), while defenseman Grigory Dronov can get to 100 (currently at 99).
Amur’s forward Vyacheslav Gretsky lines up for his 100th league appearance.
17:00: Metallurg (43-17-7, 1st E) vs Avangard (43-18-6, 2nd E)
About the game
Metallurg ends a four-game home series on a three-game winning streak.
Avangard ends a two-game road trip following two straight losses.
The season series between the two teams is 2-3 (1:4, 3:4 ОТ, 3:2, 4:3 ОТ, 0:3).
Injury list
Avangard: Roman Abrosimov, Ivan Telegin.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (41-20-6, 3rd E) vs Severstal (36-23-8, 5th W)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev, who has already defeated Severstal this season (4:3), ends a three-game home series following a loss to Sibir on Saturday (1:2).
Severstal ends a four-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Salavat Yulaev’s goalie Alexander Samonov is on a 60:32 shutout streak.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Alexei Pustozyorov, Yegor Suchkov.
Severstal: Timur Mukhanov, Konstantin Shostak, Dmitry Shugayev.
19:00: Ak Bars (40-25-2, 4th E) vs Admiral (21-34-12, 11th E)
About the game
Ak Bars ends a three-game home series following a win over Amur on Saturday (4:2).
Admiral ends a three-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Ak Bars has defeated Admiral three times this season so far (2:1, 3:0, 2:1 OT).
Injury list
Ak Bars: Dmitrij Jaskin.
Admiral: Evgeny Lisovets, Pavel Shen.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Radulov may reach 700 KHL points (currently at 696).
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitry Kagarlitsky may get to 500 (currently at 497).
Ak Bars’ forward Semyon Koshelev may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
19:30: Torpedo (34-27-6, 7th W) vs Lada (31-22-4, 7th E)
About the game
Torpedo, who has already defeated Lada this season (4:2), ends a two-game home series on a six-match losing streak.
Lada ends a six-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Lada’s last win in Nizhny Novgorod is dated back Jan 25, 2010 (2:1).
Injury list
Torpedo: Kirill Kirsanov.
Lada: Nikolai Demidov, Alexei Ozhgikhin, Nikolai Vladimirov.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s goalie Ivan Kulbakov may line up for his 100th KHL game.
Lada’s goalie Vladislav Podyapolsky may celebrate his 100th KHL victory.
19:30: Kunlun Red Star (24-37-6, 9th W) vs Vityaz (20-40-7, 11th W)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star ends a two-game home series after yesterday’s win over SKA (3:2).
Vityaz ends a four-game road trip following two straight losses.
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (1:2, 2:0, 4:2).
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Parker Foo is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Kyle Wood.
Vityaz: Ilya Arkalov.
19:30: Spartak (40-19-8, 4th W) vs Dinamo Minsk (31-31-5, 8th W)
About the game
Spartak ends a four-game home series on a two-game winning streak.
Dinamo Minsk plays the lone road game of the series and lost to SKA on Friday (1:5).
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (4:2, 4:1, 1:3).
Injury list
Spartak: Joey Keane, Patrik Rybar.
Dinamo Minsk: Dmitry Deryabin, Ivan Sekerin, Nikita Smirnov, Alexander Suvorov.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s forward Ansel Galimov lines up for his 600th KHL game and may celebrate with his 100th league tally (currently at 99).
Spartak’s forward Shane Prince may record his 100th KHL assist (currently at 99).
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (45-16-6, 1st W) vs CSKA (34-26-7, 6th W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow ends a four-game home series on an eight-match winning streak.
CSKA ends a two-game road trip and won two consecutive matches.
Dynamo Moscow has defeated CSKA three times this season so far (4:1, 4:1, 4:2).
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Cedric Paquette, Artyom Volchenkov.
CSKA: Marsel Ibragimov.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev may reach 600 league points (currently at 598)
