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Is it the right day for Shipachyov? Minsk visits Lokomotiv, Game #1000 for Severstal
This KHL Sunday will have plenty of excitement, with Shipachyov potentially surpassing Mozyakin’s all-time scoring record and ten teams to hit the ice on an action-packed matchday.
Vadim Shipachyov had plenty of chances to finally surpass Sergei Mozyakin as the league’s all-time top scorer, but failed to rack up a single point in Friday Dinamo Minsk’s crucial win over Vityaz. The veteran forward will have another shoot today, with the Belarusian side starting a road trip from a game in Yaroslavl. The Railwaymen are currently riding a four-game winning streak, with victories over Kunlun Red Star (5:1), Barys (3:1), Dynamo Moscow (4:3 SO), and Amur (5:0), when backup goalie Alexei Melnichuk recorded his first shutout of the season. Dinamo Minsk are currently the eighth seed in the West and increased its advantage over Vityaz to three points following Friday’s win.
In the Eastern Conference, Avangard is once again on a losing streak and the Hawks will try to reverse the trend today hosting Metallurg for the second time this season. The Gagarin Cup reigning champion won their most recent game – a 4:2 away win over Kunlun Red Star – and will try to defeat Avangard again as they did two weeks ago. In a packed Metallurg Arena, Daniil Vovchenko netted the game-winner in the middle frame as the home fans celebrated a 4:2 victory. Today’s match will be the first since Oct. 21, with the Foxes resting for almost a week. Avangard, after a win in Chelyabinsk, lost to Spartak (5:6) and Traktor (3:4) on home ice and slipped down to tenth place in the East. After signing back Linden Vey, the Hawks are trying to improve their roster returning forward Nikolai Prokhorkin, who has recently inked a one-year deal.
In the meantime, in the Western Conference, Torpedo hosts Vityaz. The Moscow Region team failed to defeat Dinamo Minsk on Friday, despite an early tally by Dmitry Buchelnikov, in a key matchup for playoff qualification. Today, Vityaz will be seeking a much-needed win after two straight losses, while Torpedo most recently lost to Salavat Yulaev in a high-scoring game (4:5), with a double by Evgeny Svechnikov not being enough for Igor Larionov’s squad. Torpedo is currently the fifth seed in the West.
Ak Bars is another team that would have preferred to be in another position at this point. The Kazan franchise is lacking consistency this season, with wins alternating with defeats as it was in the last four games, with two victories and two losses. Today, Ak Bars will face Admiral for a revenge match after Friday’s clash. The Tatarstan side celebrated a 2:0 home victory, with Timur Bilyalov recording his second shutout of the season. The Sailors, on their hand, had two straight wins before losing to Kazan, and are currently the eighth seed in the East, just one point behind Ak Bars in the Eastern Conference standings.
In the last game of the matchday, Severstal hosts Amur in its 1,000th game in the league. The Cherepovets side is on a three-game winning streak, with victories over Admiral (6:5 OT), Amur (2:1), and Sibir (4:2). After three straight road games—all won—Severstal returns home to face the Tigers again. At the other end of the ice, Amur lost its last five games, as the team is currently sitting in the penultimate place in the Eastern Conference’s standings, with just a one-point advantage over Barys.
14:00: Avangard (6-11-1, 10th E) vs Metallurg (10-10-0, 4th E)
About the game
Avangard enters the third game of a four-match home series on a two-game losing streak.
Metallurg, who defeated Avangard earlier this season (4:2), enters the fourth game of a five-match road trip following a win over Kunlun Red Star on Monday (4:2).
Avangard’s defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points. He may record his 200th KHL point today (currently at 199).
Avangard’s forward Linden Vey is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Avangard’s forward Reid Boucher is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points.
Injury list
Avangard: Mikhail Berdin, Stanislav Galiyev, Vladimir Tkachyov.
14:00: Torpedo (10-6-3, 5th W) vs Vityaz (9-10-0, 9th W)
About the game
Torpedo starts a three-game home series following a loss to Salavat Yulaev (4:5).
Vityaz enters the second game of a six-match road trip after two consecutive defeats.
Torpedo’s forward Dmitry Kagarlitsky is on a four-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points over that span.
Injury list
Torpedo: Andrei Belevich, Anton Berlyov, Vyacheslav Voynov.
Vityaz: Grigory Vashchenko, Ivan Yezhov.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Igor Larionov may line up for his 100th league appearance.
Torpedo’s forward Maxim Letunov may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 98).
Torpedo’s goalie Ivan Kulbakov may celebrate his 50th KHL win.
Torpedo’s goalie Ivan Bocharov may record his 30th league shutout.
Vityaz’s goalies Maxim Dorozhko and Dmitry Shikin have a chance to reach 10 shutouts in the KHL.
17:00: Ak Bars (10-6-0, 5th E) vs Admiral (8-7-3, 8th E)
About the game
Ak Bars enters the second game of a four-match home series following a win over Admiral on Friday (2:0).
Admiral enters the second game of a five-match road trip and most recently lost to Ak Bars on Friday.
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov is on a 70:24 shutout streak.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Nic Petan.
Admiral: Stepan Starkov.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ defenseman Nikita Lyamkin may record his 100th career point (currently at 99).
Ak Bars’ goalie Amir Miftakhov may celebrate his 10th league shutout.
17:00: Lokomotiv (16-2-2, 1st W) vs Dinamo Minsk (10-7-1, 8th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv ends a four-game home series riding a four-game winning streak.
Dinamo Minsk starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win against Vityaz on Friday (2:1).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk is on an 82:51 shutout streak.
Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Beryozkin is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points over that span.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Nikita Cherepanov.
Dinamo Minsk: Andrei Kareyev, Andrei Stas.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Shalunov may score his 200th KHL tally (currently at 198).
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vadim Shipachyov may surpass Sergei Mozyakin to become the all-time league top scorer, with 929 points (currently at 928).
17:00: Severstal (11-7-0, 6th W) vs Amur (5-12-2, 11th E)
About the game
Severstal, who defeated Amur earlier this season (2:1), starts a three-game home series on a three-match winning streak.
Amur enters the third game of a four-match road trip on a five-game losing streak.
Severstal’s forward Adam Liska is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Severstal’s forward Ruslan Abrosimov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Severstal: Makar Fomin, Gleb Ivanov, Ioannis Kaldis.
Amur: Devin Brosseau.
Milestone alert
Severstal’s forward Ivan Podshivalov lines up for his 100th league appearance.
