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Battle at the top of the Eastern Conference!
It’s an exciting KHL Saturday, with four games on tap and a clash at the top of the Eastern Conference with Avtomobilist hosting Traktor as the two sides face each other for the third time this season. Admiral hosts HC Sochi, Amur welcomes SKA in the Far East; Salavat Yulaev welcomes Spartak on a four-game, action-packed KHL matchday.
The KHL matchday will start again early in the Far East, with Admiral and HC Sochi meeting for the second time this season. In the first encounter, Sochi had a commanding win with a 5:0 score, but now the situation will be different, with the Sailors riding a two-game winning streak with victories over Amur (5:3) and SKA (3:2 SO) and Sochi only having two wins in its last five matches. In the standings, Admiral is on an encouraging sixth place in the Eastern Conference, while Sochi sits at the bottom of the Western Conference’s standings as it starts a long, eight-match road trip today.
Then, in Khabarovsk, Amur welcomes SKA as the two teams clashes for the second time in less than two weeks, with St. Petersburg taking the first game (6:3). Both sides lost their most recent games – oddly enough both falling to Admiral – and will be looking to bounce back. Despite the loss to Admiral (and another defeat to Ak Bars two weeks ago), SKA had points in all its last five matches, while Amur defeated Amur to get out of a long losing streak before losing again to Admiral. The Tigers are currently the last team in the East, while SKA kept its spot in the Western Conference’s top four. Amur will have a chance to start a new winning streak in front of its fans – the Tigers will play the next six games at home – but it won’t be an easy task for a team that only won six games so far this season.
In Ufa, Salavat Yulaev hosts Spartak. The Ufa team won two games in a row, with goalie Alexander Samonov recording two straight shutouts against Severstal on the road (2:0) and Vityaz at home (4:0). The Muscovites, on the other hand, lost their previous couple of matches, and will be on the lookout for a win after defeats to Torpedo (0:6) and Neftekhimik (3:4 OT). Also considering the point gained in Nizhnekamsk, the Red-and-Whites didn’t lose much ground in the standings, remaining the second team in the West, while Salavat Yulaev accelerated and is now at just one point from Avtomobilist in third place in the Eastern Conference.
The Motormen will try to keep their advantage over Ufa as they face Traktor at home today. Avtomobilist has already defeated Traktor twice this season (3:2, 5:4), and will enter today’s clash following two straight Ws, against Dinamo Minsk (3:2 OT) and Avangard (4:2), respectively. In its most recent game, Traktor lost to Western Conference’s leader Lokomotiv (2:4), and in general isn’t in its best moment, with just two wins in the last five matches. The Black-and-Whites will thus have a great chance to accomplish two tasks in one – returning to victory and stretching its gap over Avtomobilist. The two teams are separated by just three points at the top of the Eastern Conference’s table.
10:00: Admiral (14-13-5, 6th E) vs HC Sochi (11-15-3, 11th W)
About the game
Admiral is in the middle of a five-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
HC Sochi, who defeated Admiral earlier this season (5:0), starts an eight-game road trip following a loss to Ak Bars (2:3 OT).
Admiral’s forward Jack Rodewald is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Admiral’s forward Nikita Soshinikov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points.
Admiral’s forward Giovanni Fiore is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Admiral: Semyon Ruchkin.
HC Sochi: Andrei Nikonov, Denis Vengryzhanovsky.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s defenseman Leonid Metalnikov lines up for his 300th KHL appearance.
10:30: Amur (6-21-3, 12th E) vs SKA (18-9-4, 4th W)
About the game
Amur starts a six-game home series following a loss to Admiral on Sunday (3:5).
SKA, who defeated Amur earlier this season (6:3), ends a two-game road trip after a loss to Admiral on Thursday (2:3 SO).
Amur’s forward Alex Broadhurst had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Amur’s forward Oleg Li is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
SKA’s forward Marat Khairullin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points.
Injury list
Amur: Igor Bobkov, Devin Brosseau, Alexander Bryntsev.
SKA: Zakhkar Bardakov, Artyom Zemchyonok.
14:30: Salavat Yulaev (19-8-2, 3rd E) vs Spartak (20-7-4, 2nd W)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev, who defeated Spartak this season (5:2), enters the second game of a five-match home series on a two-game winning streak.
Spartak enters the second game of a thirteen-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Salavat Yulaev’s goalie Alexander Samonov is on a 141:16 shutout streak. He can reach his 20th league shutout today.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Sheldon Rempal had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin.
Spartak: Andrei Mironov.
15:00: Avtomobilist (19-7-3, 2nd E) vs Traktor (20-7-4, 1st E)
About the game
Avtomobilist is in the middle of a three-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
Traktor enters the third game of a four-match road trip following a loss to Lokomotiv on Thursday (2:4).
The season series between the two teams is 2-0 (3:2, 5:4).
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa is on a six-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that span.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Jesse Blacker, Nick Ebert, Anatoly Golyshev, Daniil Karpovich, Curtis Valk.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s forward Vladimir Kuznetsov lines up for his 100th KHL game.
