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Lokomotiv faces Ak Bars on a tense KHL Saturday!
Six games are on tap with plenty of action in both Conferences!
One of the most awaited games today is Lokomotiv facing Ak Bars. The two teams recently played each other in Kazan, where the Western leader snatched a SO victory over Ak Bars with a 3:2 score. The match was exceptionally tight, with Artur Kayumov securing the win for Yaroslavl. Ak Bars now heads into the away game with a clear desire for revenge, especially as Anvar Gatiyatulin’s team is fighting for a top-two spot in the Eastern Conference after defeating Barys (2:1 SO) and Neftekhimik (4:1) after their loss to Lokomotiv. The Railwaymen, instead, won their last nine straight games, and reaching ten would be a nice milestone for the Igor Nikitin’s squad.
The matchday will start early in the Far East, with Admiral hosting Traktor and Amur welcoming Avtomobilist. The Sailors are having a nice season so far, but the Chelyabinsk side, who starts a new road trip today, is leading the Eastern Conference’s standings and defeated Admiral earlier in the season. In its most recent encounter, Admiral defeated Metallurg in OT, while Traktor lost to Lokomotiv.
In Khabarovsk, Amur will try to increase its scoring while facing Avtomobilist. The Motormen had four straight wins, against Barys (3:1), Neftekhimik (twice, both times 3:2), and Traktor (5:4). The Tigers, instead, lost their previous ten matches, with the last win dating back to Oct. 13 (2:0 against Lada). They will need to find a way to score more goals, as they only produced two tallies after their record-breaking scoring draught. The Far East team will swap opponents on Monday.
Then, in Novosibirsk, Sibir hosts Metallurg. The Gagarin Cup champion is currently riding a two-game winning streak after defeating both Admiral and Amur in its recent Far-East tournee. Sibir, instead, lost to Salavat Yulaev (2:3 SO), but defeated Magnitka earlier in the season. The teams are currently the seventh and sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, respectively.
In another exciting matchup, Salavat Yulaev faces Torpedo in Nizhny Novgorod. The game between the teams in Ufa was a thrilling showdown, ending 5:4 in favor of the home team. Salavat Yulaev clinched the win with just 57 seconds left on the clock, as Alexander Chmelevsky converted on a power play. It seems fans and neutral spectators alike can hope for a repeat of such an exciting, goal-filled game today as Torpedo starts a new home series. To add a layer of excitement, both teams come out of a loss, and will be willing to bounce back.
A showdown between Vityaz and HC Sochi will end an action-packed KHL matchday. The teams will be at his fourth encounter this season, with the Moscow Region franchise—which returns home today—sweeping Sochi in the season series so far. However, the Black Sea franchise just enjoyed a morale boost after a nice win against SKA in St. Petersburg on Thursday (5:2).
10:00: Admiral (11-9-4, 5th E) vs Traktor (16-5-2, 1st E)
About the game
Admiral enters the third game of a four-match home series following a win over Avangard on Thursday (3:2 OT).
Traktor, who defeated Admiral earlier this season, starts a three-game road trip following a loss to Lokomotiv on Sunday (3:5).
Admiral’s defenseman Libor Sulak had at least one assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling four helpers.
Traktor’s forward Andrei Svetlakov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Traktor: Artyom Blazhiyevsky, Danil Yurtaikin.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Nikita Tertyshny lines up for his 200th KHL game.
10:30: Amur (5-16-3, 12th E) vs Avtomobilist (14-6-2, 2nd E)
About the game
Amur enters the fourth game of a five-match home series on a ten-game losing streak.
Avtomobilist is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous four matches.
Avtomobilist’s forward Brooks Macek is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Amur: Devin Brosseau, Alexander Shevchenko.
Avtomobilist: Anatoly Golyshev, Daniil Karpovich, Denis Romantsev.
13:30: Sibir (10-10-2, 7th E) vs Metallurg (12-12-1, 6th E)
About the game
Sibir, who has defeated Metallurg earlier this season (4:3), enters the second game of a four-match home series following a loss to Salavat Yulaev on Tuesday (2:3 SO).
Metallurg ends a three-game road trip following two straight wins.
Metallurg’s defenseman Valery Orekhov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Sibir: Yegor Martynov.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s defenseman Roman Rukavishnikov may score his 100th KHL point (currently at 99).
Metallurg’s forwards Denis Zernov and Daniil Vovchenko may reach 250 KHL points (currently at 249 and 247, respectively).
17:00: Torpedo (11-9-4, 7th W) vs Salavat Yulaev (13-7-1, 4th E)
About the game
Torpedo starts a two-game home series following a loss to Lokomotiv on Wednesday (1:2 SO).
Salavat Yulaev, who defeated Torpedo earlier this season (5:4), ends a three-game road trip after losing to Dinamo Minsk on Thursday (2:3 SO).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Sheldon Rempal is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Torpedo: Igor Larionov.
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s goalie Ivan Kulbakov may celebrate his 50th KHL win.
Torpedo’s goalie Ivan Bocharov may record his 30th league shutout.
Salavat Yulaev’s goalie Alexander Samonov may line up for his 200th career game.
17:00: Lokomotiv (21-2-2, 1st W) vs Ak Bars (14-6-1, 2nd E)
About the game
Lokomotiv, who defeated Ak Bars earlier this season (3:2 SO), ends a two-game home series after nine straight victories.
Ak Bars ends a three-game road trip and won its previous couple of matches.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Georgy Ivanov, Pavel Kraskovsky.
Ak Bars. Yegor Babenko, Nic Petan.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov may line up for his 300th league appearance.
Ak Bars’ goalie Amir Miftakhov may record his 10th career shutout.
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitrij Jaskin may reach the 100-assist mark in the league today.
17:00: Vityaz (11-2-1, 9th W) vs HC Sochi (8-12-2, 11th W)
About the game
Vityaz starts a three-game home series following a loss to Dynamo Moscow on Wednesday (3:4).
HC Sochi is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated SKA on Thursday (5:2).
The season series between the two teams is 3-0 (5:4, 4:2, 3:2 OT).
Injury list
Vityaz: Grigory Vashchenko, Ivan Yezhov.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s goalies Maxim Dorozhko and Dmitry Shikin may both reach 10 KHL shutouts.
