Avangard on the wrong side of the abyss

The Hawks may end their season today if they don’t defeat Lokomotiv. Spartak will try and tie things up with Metallurg in game four – rescheduled from Sunday to today after the terrorist attacks in Moscow.

16:30: Avangard vs Lokomotiv

Series stand
1-3 (1:2 2ОТ, 0:7, 2:1 ОТ, 1:3)

About the game
Lokomotiv rebounded from Wednesday’s OT loss with a 3-1 victory over the Hawks. The team returns to Siberia today holding a 3-1 lead in the series and could potentially clinch the win at the G-Drive Arena. Avangard injected fresh energy into the series with a win on Wednesday. However, the game was overshadowed by the decision to dismiss head coach Mikhail Kravets and appoint Sergei Zvyagin as interim coach. In game four, Lokomotiv aimed to demonstrate that the boost from the new coach would be short-lived – and they succeeded with three different scorers and 22 saves by Daniil Isayev, who his confirming his status as one of the top goalies in this year’s elimination stage.
Lokomotiv’s forward Stepan Nikulin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.

Injury list
Avangard: Ivan Telegin.

Milestone alert
Avangard’s forward Reid Boucher may reach 250 points in the KHL (currently at 248), while defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich may get to 200 (currently at 198).
Avangard’s forward Damir Zhafyarov may record his 200^th helper in the league (currently at 199).
Lokomotiv’s forward Sergei Andronov may line up for his 800^th league appearance.

19:30: Spartak vs Metallurg

Series stand
Spartak reopened the series in game three with a convincing performance and an excellent offensive play, leaving no chances to Magnitka after failing to score for two consecutive matches. Top scorer Nikolai Goldobin finally managed to get his first tallies of this year’s elimination stage as he potted a double, with usual suspects Maxim Tsyplakov, Ivan Morozov, and Pavel Poryadin finding the back of the net for the Red-and-Whites. 38 saves from Ilya Nabokov weren’t enough for Metallurg, which never seemed to be really able to take this game, differently from the matches on home soil. Game four will be interesting today, with both sides having a real chance after the series paused.

Injury list
Spartak: Patrik Rybar

Milestone alert
Metallurg’s defenseman Robin Press lines up for his 200^th KHL match. In his 199 career games he posted an impressive 116 (29+87) points for Severstal and Magnitka.
Metallurg’s forward Pavel Akolzin may score his 100^th career point (currently at 99).