KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
CSKA in the Far East trying to stretch its winning streak!
The Muscovites are on a good shape and will try to make it a three-game winning streak as they visit Vladivostok today. Four games are on tap on an exciting KHL Sunday, with Amur facing Dynamo Moscow, Lada hosting Avtomobilist, and Ak Bars welcoming HC Sochi.
The Sunday matchday will start again early in the Far East, with Admiral facing CSKA. It’ll be the second encounter between the two sides for the season, with the Muscovites grabbing the early win helped by a hat-trick from Maxim Sorkin and a masterpiece tally by Ruslan Iskhakov. CSKA won its previous couple of matches, against Dynamo Moscow and Vityaz, respectively, just as Admiral, who defeated Kunlun Red Star and Dynamo following its loss to the Blue-and-Reds. Both sides have plenty of men in good shape, with Daniil Gutik having compiled nine assists so far in just five games for the Sailors, with CSKA’s Mikhail Abramov leading the league in scoring with 12 points in seven matches.
The Far East will see another game when Amur hosts another Moscow-based team, Dynamo. The Blue-and-Whites had a difficult start and gathered only two wins in seven matches. For Amur the situation isn’t the best either—both teams will be seeking a win to try and rebound back, possibly with the aim of starting a winning streak to climb up in the standings. The Tigers had one week to prepare for the game, and it will be interesting to see whether the time off has paid out or not.
There will be no Western Conference games today, with the following two matches being played in the Volga Region. Lada will host Avtomobilist, while Ak Bars welcomes HC Sochi. The Togliatti side’s latest home win over the Motormen is dated back to Aug. 25, 2017 (3:1), and they lost the latest couple of matches. Avtomobilist, on its hand, has most recently recorded a nice away win over Avangard, with Vladimir Galkin stopping 37 shots in a 3:0 victory and Stephane Da Costa stretching his scoring streak to four games.
In Kazan, Ak Bars will seek its third straight victory when they host Sochi. Goalie Amir Miftakhov had two straight shutouts and is currently leading the league also for goals-against average and saves percentage—for now, he won the starting goalie position over Timur Bilyalov, who had a slow start with two losses. Leading forwards Alexander Barabanov and Dmitrij Jaskin are on an active scoring streak. For HC Sochi, this will be another difficult game against a contending opponent—most recently, the Black Sea franchise lost at home to SKA (4:7) and will now start a road trip.
10:00: Admiral (3-1-1) vs CSKA (4-2-1)
About the game
Admiral is in the middle of a five-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
CSKA, who has defeated Admiral earlier in the season (6:2), starts a four-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Admiral’s forward Pavel Shen is on a five-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points over that span.
Admiral’s forward Stepan Starkov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+5) points.
Injury list
Admiral: Vyacheslav Osnovin.
CSKA: Christian Jaros, Colby Williams.
10:30: Amur (2-3-0) vs Dynamo Moscow (2-5-0)
About the game
Amur enters the second game of a five-match home series following a loss to Kunlun Red Star on Sunday (2:3).
Dynamo Moscow enters the third game of a four-match road trip on a two-game losing streak.
Amur’s forward Alexander Shevchenko had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Amur: Ilya Talaluyev.
Milestone alert
Amur’s defenseman Yakov Rylov may line up for his 800th KHL game, while forward Jan Drozg reaches 100.
Dynamo Moscow’s Pavel Kudryavtsev lines up for his 300th career game.
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Daniil Pylenkov may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev may score his 400th assist in the league (currently at 396).
16:00: Lada (2-3-1) vs Avtomobilist (4-2-1)
About the game
Lada starts a three-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Avtomobilist enters the second game of a four-match road trip following a win over Avangard on Friday (3:0).
Avtomobilist’s goalie Vladimir Galkin is on a 64:04 shutout streak.
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that span.
Injury list
Lada: Rafael Bikmullin, Danila Moiseyev.
17:00: Ak Bars (3-2-0) vs HC Sochi (2-3-0)
About the game
Ak Bars ends a three-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
HC Sochi starts a four-game road trip following a loss to SKA on Thursday (3:7).
Ak Bars’ goalie Amir Miftakhov is on a 164:07 shutout streak.
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitrij Jaskin is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Barabanov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Amir Garayev.
