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A packed matchday with seven games!
With seven games on the schedule, teams in both conferences face pivotal matchups in their playoff quests. In the East, Lada and Admiral aim to snap losing streaks, while Traktor and Metallurg look to solidify their positions. In the meantime, Barys clashes with Avtomobilist. Over in the West, Vityaz and Kunlun Red Star need crucial points to stay in the hunt, while Sochi hosts Dynamo Moscow in a bid to reverse its fortunes. The day ends with Dinamo Minsk hosting CSKA in a high-stakes showdown.
The matchday starts in the East with Traktor hosting Lada. The two sides have already met this season, with the Black-and-Whites taking a 2:1, OT goal with d-man Ilya Karpukhin – now with SKA – netting the game-winner. Today, the stakes will be even higher for the Togliatti side, with Lada sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference’s standings, with three teams in just two points. Traktor is now back to the top of the East’s table, but Salavat Yulaev has three games in hand.
Following in the East is Metallurg welcoming Admiral. The two sides are in opposite situations, with Magnitka boasting a six-game winning streak and the Sailors losing four consecutive matches. Despite the losses, Admiral keeps a solid positioning in sight of the playoffs, sitting in sixth place in the Conference. Magnitka climbed up to fourth place, with a four-point advantage over Avtomobilist. The Sailors will seek a return to victory as they start a four-game road trip.
Other teams seeking a return to victory are Barys and Avtomobilist, clashing for the fourth time in the season. The Kazakhs lost their seventh straight match, while Avtomobilist collected three consecutive losses. However, Barys did take a game from the Motormen, when the season was still young, and now both teams are looking to turn the tide and return celebrating.
The action then moves to the West for four further games. Vityaz and Kunlun Red Star are still keeping hopes to qualify for the postseason and will need points to climb up – especially after yesterday’s Torpedo win in Minsk. Vityaz will pay a visit to Yaroslavl, while Kunlun Red Star hosts Amur. The Moscow Region franchise has probably the hardest matchup – not only Lokomotiv is the league’s leader, but Vityaz has also lost its previous four matches, and reverting the trend in such a road game will be a monumental task.
The Dragons, instead, have four consecutive wins and have already defeated Amur this season. They found a new leader in Yaroslav Likhachyov – joining from Lokomotiv on loan – and are one point above Vityaz in the standings. However, they also lost their last six home games to the Tigers. Amur is still at the bottom of the Eastern Conference’s table.
Closing out the Western Conference’s standings is HC Sochi. The Black Sea franchise lost three straight matches, and today they host Dynamo Moscow. The Blue-and-Whites lost their last couple of matches, and since then slipped down to fifth place in the West – they used to be as high as the second seed. Sochi is currently the last seed in the conference, and it will be hard for them to get any higher. Moreover, they haven’t defeated Dynamo at home since 2017 – a 4:1 win on Dec. 02. After today’s game, the Blue-and-Whites will return to Moscow.
In the last game of the matchday, Dinamo Minsk welcomes CSKA. The Bisons lost to Torpedo yesterday (2:4), halting a four-match winning streak, and it won’t be easy for them in a back-to-back game against the Muscovites. After winning more than ten straight games, CSKA lost twice in a row, to SKA (3:6) and Lokomotiv (1:4). With yesterday’s Spartak loss, the Muscovites retained their second place in the West, while Dinamo Minsk were overtaken by Severstal and slipped down to the seventh spot.
14:00: Traktor (26-12-5, 1st E) vs Lada (16-18-5, 10th E)
About the game
Traktor, who defeated Lada earlier this season (2:1 OT), ends a three-game home series following a win over Avtomobilist on Sunday (2:0).
Lada ends a five-game road trip after defeating Barys also on Sunday (5:0).
Traktor’s goalie Zach Fucale is on a 66:53 shutout streak.
Traktor’s defenseman Sergei Telegin had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Lada’s goalie Alexander Trushkov is on a 65:11 shutout streak.
Lada’s forward Dmitry Kugryshev is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points over that span.
Injury list
Traktor: Nikita Korostelyov, Ostap Safin.
Lada: Vladislav Chervonenko, Nikolai Demidov, Nikita Popugayev.
14:30: Metallurg (25-15-2, 4th E) vs Admiral (18-17-6, 6th E)
About the game
Metallurg, who defeated Admiral earlier this season (3:2 OT), enters the second game of a four-match home series on a six-game winning streak.
Admiral starts a three-game road trip on a four-game losing streak.
Metallurg’s defenseman Robin Press had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Metallurg: Vladislav Yeryomenko.
Admiral: Mario Grman, Artyom Nikolayev.
15:00: Barys (10-31-3, 11th E) vs Avtomobilist (21-13-6, 5th E)
About the game
Barys ends a two-game home series on a seven-match losing streak.
Avtomobilist ends a two-game road trip on a three-game losing streak.
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (2:1 OT, 3:4, 1:3).
Injury list
Barys: Batyrlan Muratov, Maxim Mukhametov, Roman Starchenko.
Avtomobilist: Nick Ebert, Daniil Karpovich, Curtis Valk.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s defenseman Jesse Blacker may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
17:00: Lokomotiv (33-8-2, 1st W) vs Vityaz (16-20-5, 10th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv enters the second game of a four-match home series following a win over CSKA on Sunday (4:1).
Vityaz ends a three-game road trip on a four-match losing streak.
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (1:2, 2:1 OT, 5:3).
Lokomotiv’s forward Artur Kayumov had at least a goal in each of his previous three games, totaling four tallies. He can also reach 100 KHL goals (currently at 98).
Vityaz’s forward Dmitry Buchelnikov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points over that span.
Vityaz’s Ivan Chekhovich is also on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Vityaz’s defenseman Jeremy Roy had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
Vityaz: Sergei Kalinin, Grigory Vashchenko.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
17:00: HC Sochi (12-25-3, 11th W) vs Dynamo Moscow (25-14-3, 5th W)
About the game
HC Sochi enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following three straight defeats.
Dynamo Moscow, who defeated HC Sochi earlier this season (5:1), ends a five-game road trip and won its previous couple of matches.
HC Sochi’s forward Will Bitten scored a goal in each of his previous four matches.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Amir Garayev.
17:00: Kunlun Red Star (17-20-4, 9th W) vs Amur (9-28-5, 12th E)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star, who defeated Amur earlier this season (3:2), is in the middle of a three-game home series and won its previous four matches.
Amur enters the third game of a four-match road trip following a loss to Metallurg (2:3).
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Yaroslav Likhachyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Kunlun Red Star’s defenseman Joseph Duszak is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Jake Chelios, Semyon Sinyatkin.
Amur: Ivan Korotkhikh, Ivan Mishchenko.
Milestone alert
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Colin Campbell lines up for his 100th league appearance.
17:10: Dinamo Minsk (23-14-5, 7th W) vs CSKA (25-9-7, 2nd W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk, who defeated CSKA earlier this season (5:4 OT), is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost to Torpedo yesterday (2:4).
CSKA enters the fifth game of a six-match road trip on a two-game losing streak.
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Brady Lyle is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Injury list
CSKA: Yegor Fateyev, Dmitry Samorukov.
