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SKA eyeing fifth straigth victory
The St. Petersburg powerhouse won its fourth consecutive game recently, and today will face Severstal at home. In the meantime, Avangard will seeking a return to victory, following six straight losses.
The KHL matchday starts in the East, with Traktor facing Avangard. Both teams are in losing streaks, although if the hosts lost twice in a row, the Hawks had a sensational six straight defeats that no one could anticipate, especially since the team easily won its first three matches. Reid Boucher’s return to the lineup after an injury in the preseason didn’t change the music and today Avangard will try again to reverse the trend in a road game in Chelyabinsk. Traktor is however also looking to bounce back after two straight home losses, against Spartak (2:3 SO) and Salavat Yulaev (3:5), respectively. After this game, Avangard will return to Omsk and perhaps changes will await the team should they capitulate to Traktor as well.
In the meantime, Metallurg hosts Ak Bars. The two Eastern giants have already clashed this season, with Ak Bars claiming a shutout, 2:0 victory less than two weeks ago. Moreover, the two teams are in a very different position. Metallurg had a brief streak with two wins following a longer series of losses, but then has again lost to Spartak. Ak Bars, instead, won its latest four matches, and has a long list of players on a scoring streak. It will be an exciting match to follow to see whether Magnitka can bounce back with a win over a contending team, or if Kazan will keep its marching pace with yet another road win, with leading forward Dmitrij Jaskin scoring points in all games this season.
The last game in the East is a showdown between Lada and Neftekhimik. Both teams are on a four-game losing streak and will try to bounce back and gain precious points for the standings. It’s the first clash between the two sides this season, with history smiling to Neftekhimik thanks to 17 wins against 11.
The action then moves to the Western Conference, with only one game today. SKA hosts Severstal—the St. Petersburg franchise has been in fine shape of late, with four straight victories, opposite to the Steelers’ two losses in a row. Severstal lost to Dinamo Minsk (1:3) and Lokomotiv (1:4), losing a few places in the standings, slipping down to sixth position. On its hand, SKA continues its balanced play – with the team on a four-win run, no player in the team has active scoring streaks, confirming that the team has many players who can solve the situation. In those four wins, SKA scored an impressive 19 goals.
17:00: Traktor (4-2-2, 6th E) vs Avangard (3-5-1, 8th E)
About the game
Traktor ends a four-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Avangard ends a three-game road trip on a six-match losing streak.
Injury list
Traktor: Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, Dylan Sikura.
Avangard: Mikhail Berdin, Vladimir Tkachyov.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Andrei Svetlakov may score his 200th career point (currently at 199).
Traktor’s defenseman Artyom Blazhiyevsky may instead reach 100 (currently at 99).
17:00: Metallurg (3-6-0, 10th E) vs Ak Bars (5-2-0, 5th E)
About the game
Metallurg enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following a loss to Spartak on Wednesday (3:4).
Ak Bars, who has defeated Metallurg earlier this season (2:0), is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous four matches.
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitrij Jaskin is on a nine-game scoring streak, with 9 (5+4) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ forward Semyon Galimov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points.
Ak Bars’ forward Nic Petan had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Ak Bars’ defenseman Kirill Lyamkin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Ak Bars’ forward Yegor Korshkov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Metallurg: Artyom Minulin.
18:00: Lada (2-5-1, 11th E) vs Neftekhimik (4-4-1, 7th E)
About the game
Lada ends a three-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
Neftekhimik starts a two-game road trip also on a four-match losing streak.
Neftekhimik’s goalie Filipp Dolganov is on a 65:00 shutout streak.
Injury list
Lada: Danila Moiseyev.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik’s defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich may reach 200 KHL games (currently at 198).
19:30: SKA (5-2-1, 4th W) vs Severstal (5-4-0, 5th W)
About the game
SKA is in the middle of a three-game home series and won its previous four matches.
Severstal is in the middle of a five-game road trip and lots its previous couple of matches.
Injury list
SKA: Vasily Glotov, Artyom Zemchyonok, Ivan Zinchenko.
Milestone alert
SKA’s forward Zakhar Bardakov reaches 200 KHL games tonight.
Severstal’s defenseman Gleb Ivanov may line up for his 100th career game.
