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Ilya Vorobyov and CSKA face Metallurg on a busy KHL matchday!
Seven games are scheduled for an exciting KHL Thursday. CSKA’s head coach Ilya Vorobyov will face for the first time Metallurg, with whom he lifted two Gagarin Cups as a member of the coaching staff.
Avangard will seek another win after finally returning to victory on Monday against Sibir (3:2), with new Hawk Ryan Spooner netting a long-awaited game-winner in the Siberian derby. Today’s opposition will be even harder, with Western Conference leaders Lokomotiv paying a visit to Omsk. This season, the two sides have already met, with the Railwaymen claiming a 3:2 win on home soil. Moreover, Lokomotiv is on a four-win run, and have just defeated the other league’s leader – Avtomobilist – with Daniil Isayev celebrating his 20th career shutout.
The action then moves to the West, with Vityaz and Kunlun Red Star both seeking points to try and climb up to the playoff places. The Dragons won their latest couple of matches and seem to be in good shape, with Nail Yakupov finding again the back of the net.
In Belarus, Dinamo Minsk welcomes SKA seeking for a revenge for the latest two playoffs series. The teams are in a similar situation, with a fairly similar record, but while the Bisons won their latest game, SKA had a sensational home defeat to Kunlun Red Star most recently. Moreover, they will most likely need to renounce to star forward Evgeny Kuznetsov as they start a three-game road trip. Both sides feature several former players, and this will add a further level of intrigue to the game.
A full set of three games will take place in Moscow. Right after their game against Dynamo, won 4:3 after SO, CSKA will face Metallurg, marking the first time CSKA head coach Ilya Vorobyov will go up against what has been the most significant team of his coaching career. Vorobyov led Metallurg for 442 games, securing 184 victories with the team. At one point, CSKA could even be considered a key rival for Vorobyov’s Metallurg, due to their encounters in the Gagarin Cup finals. In 2016, the Foxes won the championship series, but in 2022, they lost in a dramatic seven-game showdown. Now, Ilya Petrovich finds himself on the opposite side of the rivalry.
On its hand, Dynamo will face Traktor. In the 2024 playoffs, the two teams met in the second round, where Dynamo, unanimously considered the favorites by both experts and fans, unexpectedly lost the series 0:4. Since then, both teams have gone through significant changes. During the offseason, Dynamo made headlines with high-profile transfers, while Traktor introduced a new coaching staff. Despite these changes, the game presents a perfect opportunity for Dynamo to seek revenge. We can expect a highly motivated Dynamo squad going up against a tough opponent, with Traktor seeking to build momentum being on a two-game winning streak. However, before losing after SO to CSKA, Dynamo won three straight matches, against Neftekhimik, Barys, and Amur, respectively.
Finally, Spartak welcomes Barys. The Kazakhs kept on losing last week, despite changing head coaches, and has announced some changes to their lineup, inking UFAs Nikita Setdikov, Stanislav Bocharov, and Ilya Khokhlov. Barys only won two games this season, and the opposition today will be fierce, with the Red-and-Whites looking for a return to victory after a home loss to Traktor on Tuesday (2:3 SO).
A showdown between HC Sochi and Admiral closes out a busy KHL matchday. Sochi’s latest home win over the Sailors is dated more than seven years ago, with a 3:1 victory on Aug. 28, 2017, but the team will try to find a way to get out of the bottom of the Western Conference’s standings. Despite its recent two losses, Admiral is still on a respectable sixth place in the East.
16:30: Avangard (4-6-1, 8th E) vs Lokomotiv (9-1-1, 1st W)
About the game
Avangard is in the middle of a three-game home series and defeated Sibir on Monday (3:2).
Lokomotiv, who defeated the Hawks earlier this season (3:2), ends a two-game road trip on a four-match winning streak.
Avangard’s defenseman Semyon Chistyakov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev is on a 92:40 shutout streak.
Injury list
Avangard: Mikhail Berdin, Vladimir Tkachyov.
Lokomotiv: Denis Alexeyev, Dmitry Simashev.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev and Lokomotiv’s forward Daniil But line up for their 100th KHL game.
Lokomotiv’s forward Artur Kayumov may reach 200 career points (currently at 198).
19:00: Vityaz (4-6-0, 10th W) vs Kunlun Red Star (5-6-0, 9th W)
About the game
Vityaz starts a two-game home series fresh off a win over Barys on Saturday (2:0).
Kunlun Red Star enters the third game of a six-match road trip following two straight victories.
Vityaz’s forward Ivan Vorobyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Vityaz’s goalie Maxim Dorozhko is on a 80:48 shutout streak.
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Nail Yakupov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Vityaz: Ilya Arkalov, Grigory Vashchenko.
Kunlun Red Star: Doyle Somerby.
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (6-3-0, 6th W) vs SKA (6-3-1, 5th W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk ends a three-game home series following a win over Admiral on Tuesday (7:2).
SKA starts a three-game road trip following a loss to Kunlun Red Star on Sunday (4:5).
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Alexander Volkov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Xavier Ouellet had at least an assist in each of his previous four matches, totaling five helpers.
SKA’s forward Vladimir Alistrov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
SKA’s forward Valentin Zykov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points.
SKA’s defenseman Danila Galenyuk had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Andrei Kareyev.
SKA: Artyom Zemchyonok, Ivan Zinchenko.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Andrei Stas may reach 200 career points (currently at 198).
19:30: HC Sochi (3-7-0, 11th W) vs Admiral (5-3-1, 6th E)
About the game
HC Sochi enters the second game of a six-match home series following a win over Severstal on Tuesday (1:0).
Admiral enters the second game of a five-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
HC Sochi’s goalie Yegor Zavragin is on a 66:38 shutout streak.
Admiral’s forward Yegor Petukhov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Roman Manukhov.
Admiral: Vyacheslav Osnovin.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (5-5-1, 8th W) vs Traktor (6-2-2, 3rd E)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow ends a three-game home series after a loss to CSKA on Tuesday (4:5 SO).
Traktor is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous couple of matches.
Dynamo Moscow’s Nikita Gusev is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Brennan Menell is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Traktor’s defenseman Steven Kampfer is on a four-game scoring streak, with five helpers.
Traktor’s forward Alexander Kadeikin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points.
Injury list
Traktor: Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, Dylan Sikura.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev may reach 400 KHL assists (currently at 399).
Traktor’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov may score his 350th career point (currently at 349).
19:30: Spartak (7-1-2, 2nd W) vs Barys (2-8-1, 12th E)
About the game
Spartak enters the third game of a six-match home series following a loss to Traktor on Tuesday (2:3 SO).
Barys starts a three-game road trip after two straight losses.
Injury list
Spartak: Daniil Ivanov.
Barys: Batyrlan Muratov, Ruslan Ospanov, C.J. Smith.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s defenseman Dmitry Vishnevsky and forward Ansel Galimov may reach 200 KHL points (currently both at 199).
Spartak’s forward Nikolai Goldobin may net his 100th KHL tally (currently at 98).
Barys’ forward Damir Zhafyarov may record his 200th KHL assist (currently at 199).
Barys’ defenseman Tamirlan Gaitamirov lines up for his 100th league appearance.
19:30: CSKA (6-2-3, 3rd W) vs Metallurg (4-7-0, 9th E)
About the game
CSKA starts a four-game home series following a win over Dynamo Moscow on Tuesday (5:4 SO).
Metallurg starts a two-game road trip fresh off a win over Lada on Monday (2:1).
Metallurg’s forward Daniil Vovchenko is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
CSKA: Colby Williams.
Metallurg: Artyom Minulin.
