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Will Avangard score a victory today?
The Hawks lost five games in a row and today they will pay a visit to Yaroslavl in a difficult away game. Four games are on tap tonight, with Lokomotiv facing Avangard in the lone Western Game of the matchday.
Traktor and Salavat Yulaev will be both trying to return to victory after losing their most recent game, after losing to Spartak (2:3 SO) and Metallurg (3:5), respectively. Despite the recent loss, both sides are on a good place in the Eastern Conference’s standings, being now third and fourth. Earlier this season, the two teams have already clashed, with Salavat Yulaev emerging as the winner after SO, with Maxim Shabanov and Joshua Leivo scoring in regulation. Considering last year’s playoff games, Leivo is currently on an impressive thirteen-game scoring streak. Moreover, several players can reach significant milestones in today’s game.
After losing five contests in a row, Metallurg seems to have found some touch back as the Andrei Razin’s men won two straight matches, against Neftekhimik (1:0 SO) and Salavat Yulaev (5:3). Magnitka has still a long way in front if the Magnitogorsk squad will want to return to leading positions, but two consecutive wins are still a good starting point. On the other side of the rink, Spartak ends a road trip after a win over Traktor, but has only won once in Magnitogorsk in the KHL, on Dec. 6, 2021. Considering the two teams’ style of play, this may be one of the best games to watch in the matchday.
In the Volga region, Ak Bars will try to stretch its winning streak to four games when the Kazan side pays a visit to Togliatti, with Lada currently on a three-game losing streak. Another team with a long-standing losing streak is Avangard. The Hawks lost their latest five matches, and will be traveling to Yaroslavl for today’s game to face the league-leading Railwaymen. Reid Boucher has returned to Avangard’s lineup, but it wasn’t enough to finally return to victory as the team lost to SKA 1:4 on Monday, with Alexei Makeyev netting his first goal of the season.
17:00: Traktor (4-1-2, 4th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (5-2-0, 3rd E)
About the game
Traktor enters the third game of a four-match home series following a home loss to Spartak on Monday (2:3 SO).
Salavat Yulaev, who has defeated Traktor earlier this season (2:1 SO), ends a three-game road trip and most recently lost to Metallurg also on Monday (3:5).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Joshua Leivo is on a thirteen-game scoring streak, with 19 (8+11) points over that span.
Injury list
Traktor: Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, Yegor Popov, Dylan Sikura.
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Vladimir Zharkov lines up for his 700th KHL game, while Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Dinar Khafizulin reaches 750.
Traktor’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov may reach 350 points in the KHL (currently at 348), forward Andrei Svetlakov may reach 200 (currently at 199), and defenseman Artyom Blazhiyevsky may reach 100 (currently at 99).
Traktor’s forward Alexander Kadeikin will seek his 100th league tally (currently at 99).
17:00: Metallurg (3-5-0, 9th E) vs Spartak (5-1-1, 4th W)
About the game
Metallurg is in the middle of a five-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
Spartak ends a three-game road trip after its victory over Traktor on Monday (3:2 SO).
Injury list
Metallurg: Artyom Minulin.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s defenseman Dmitry Vishnevsky and forward Ansel Galimov may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 199 and 198, respectively).
18:00: Lada (2-4-1, 10th E) vs Ak Bars (4-2-0, 7th E)
About the game
Lada is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous three matches.
Ak Bars starts a three-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.
Ak Bars’ forward Amir Miftakhov is on a 164:07 shutout streak.
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitrij Jaskin is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 8 (4+4) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ forward Artyom Galimov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Injury list
Lada: Rafael Bikmullin.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ defenseman Kirill Lyamin lines up for his 500th KHL game.
19:30: Lokomotiv (6-1-1, 1st W) vs Avangard (3-4-1, 8th E)
About the game
Lokomotiv enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following a win over Severstal on Monday (4:1).
Avangard is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost its previous five matches.
Lokomotiv’s forward Stepan Nikulin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Denis Alexeyev, Dmitry Simashev.
Avangard: Mikhail Berdin, Vladimir Tkachyov.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov may net his 250th KHL tally (currently at 248).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev may record his 20th career shutout.
