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Avtomobilist seeking another win to increase its advantage in the East!
The Yekaterinburg side is currently topping the Eastern Conference standings and it has a great chance today to make its advantage over the competition even larger as Ak Bars comes to town. However, the Kazan franchise is in great shape and will make its best to cut the gap in the league’s table. Four games are on tap on an exciting KHL Sunday.
The top game in this KHL matchday is going to be Avtomobilist hosting Ak Bars. The two sides are among the hottest in the league, with the Motormen winning four straight games, against five for the Tatarstan side. Moreover, several Ak Bars’ leaders are currently on scoring streaks. Avtomobilist starts a home series following wins over Avangard (3:0), Lada (1:0), Neftekhimik (2:1), and Sibir (4:2). On the other side of the rink, Ak Bars is on a five-game winning streak, with two wins over Metallurg in the span, among the others. To add a layer of excitement, Avtomobilist’s bench boss Nikolai Zavarukhin may celebrate his 100th win with the team.
This will be the lone Eastern game in the matchday. The action then moves to the Western Conference, with Dynamo Moscow hosting Neftekhimik. The Wolves accumulated five straight losses, while the Muscovites most recently defeated Amur (1:2) and Barys (1:3). Despite the different streaks, however, Neftekhimik is on the right side of the playoffs line, in the East, while the Blue-and-Whites are currently sitting in ninth place in the West, with forward Nikita Gusev still seeking his 400th assist in the KHL.
In St. Petersburg, SKA hosts Kunlun Red Star with the franchise being on a five-match winning streak. Most recently, SKA collected a win in a striking game against Severstal, with Tony Deangelo posting a hat-trick of assists and a plus-6 rating in his debut game, with the team achieving a high-scoring, 8:5 home win. The Dragons, on their hand, lost their four straight games and today they have a very difficult opponent in front of themselves.
A showdown between Dinamo Minsk and Severstal closes out an interesting KHL matchday. The Belarusians have already defeated the Steelers earlier this season with a two-point performance by forward Alexander Volkov, and the guests are now on a three-game losing streak after a good start. Today’s game will be important for the playoffs places, with the two sides being tied on the standings with ten points. However, the Belarusians have three games less.
14:30: Avtomobilist (7-2-1, 1st E) vs Ak Bars (6-2-0, 3rd E)
About the game
Avtomobilist starts a four-game home series on a four-match winning streak.
Ak Bars ends a three-game road trip following five straight victories.
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitrij Jaskin is on a ten-game scoring streak, with 10 (5+5) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ forward Artyom Galimov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points.
Ak Bars’ forward Nic Petan is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Curtis Valk.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s head coach Nikolai Zavarukhin may celebrate his 100th win with the Yekaterinburg team.
17:00: Dynamo Moscow (4-5-0, 9th W) vs Neftekhimik (4-4-2, 7th E)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow starts a three-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
Neftekhimik ends a two-game road trip on a five-match losing streak.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Daniil Pylenkov may score his 100th KHL point (currently at 99).
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev may reach 400 assists in the league (currently at 397).
17:00: SKA (6-2-1, 3rd W) vs Kunlun Red Star (3-6-0, 10th W)
About the game
SKA ends a three-game home series on a five-match winning streak.
Kunlun Red Star start a six-game road trip on a four-match losing streak.
SKA’s forward Marat Khairullin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
SKA’s forward Sergei Tolchinsky is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
SKA’s forward Vladimir Alistrov is on a three-game game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Tomas Jurco is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
SKA: Artyom Zemchyonok, Ivan Zinchenko.
Kulun Red Star: Doyle Sommerby.
Milestone alert
SKA’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may line up for his 250th KHL game.
17:10: Dinamo Minsk (5-2-0, 6th W) vs Severstal (5-5-0, 7th W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk, who has defeated Severstal earlier this season (3:1), starts a three-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
Severstal enters the fourth game of a five-match road trip on a three-game losing streak.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Andrei Kareyev.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Andrei Stas may reach 200 career points (currently at 198).
Severstal’s defenseman Gleb Ivanov may line up for his 100th KHL game.
