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Three games on a light KHL Sunday
Both conferences will see action today, with Sibir facing CSKA, Barys hosting Lokomotiv, and HC Sochi clashing with Lokomotiv.
The matchday starts in Novosibirsk with the local team welcoming CSKA. The hosts will conclude their four-game home series. The Novosibirsk team has earned points in four consecutive games, although they lost the last two against conference leaders Traktor (3:4 SO) and Lokomotiv (2:3 SO). Sibir holds onto eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and a loss by ninth-place Lada yesterday offers them a chance to increase their lead over the Togliatti team to four points. The Muscovites will continue their four-game road trip, which started poorly as the team failed to score against Avangard (0:4). Sibir forward Sergey Shirokov’s participation in the upcoming game is uncertain, as he missed the matchup with Lokomotiv due to a minor injury. For CSKA, Ivan Prosvetov and Vitaly Abramov remain out of the lineup for the same reason, while defenseman Nikita Nesterov has just resumed on-ice training.
The action continues in the Eastern Conference, with Barys hosting table-topping Lokomotiv. The Yaroslavl team will play its 1,100th game in the KHL and is currently on a five-game winning streak. Most recently, they defeated Sibir in Novosibirsk (3:2 SO), bringing their season total to 76 points.
Barys sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with only 25 points. The hosts have suffered ten consecutive losses and have not won in over a month, their last victory dating back to Dec. 17. In its previous game, Lokomotiv was without forward Alexander Radulov, who was given a rest, as well as his linemate Georgy Ivanov. Additionally, defenseman Alexander Yelesin missed the game due to illness before the Novosibirsk matchup.
In the Western Conference, HC Sochi will clash with Avtomobilist. The Urals team will conclude their three-game road trip and aim to extend their current winning streak, which now stands at five matches. In their previous outing, Avtomobilist allowed just one goal against Salavat Yulaev (4:1). With 58 points, Nikolay Zavarukhin’s team currently sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Despite sitting in last place in the West, Sochi recently pulled off a surprising road victory against Dynamo Moscow (3:1) just two days ago. Will they be able to replicate that success against the Motormen?
13:30: Sibir (19-20-6, 8th E) vs CSKA (26-12-7, 4th E)
About the game
Sibir ends a four-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
CSKA, who defeated Sibir earlier this season (2:8), enters the second game of a four-match road trip following a loss to Avangard on Friday (0:4).
Sibir’s defenseman Trevor Murphy is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that span.
Sibir’s forward Taylor Beck is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points.
Sibir’s forward Brendan Leipsic is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Injury list
Sibir: Fyodor Gordeyev.
CSKA: Dmitry Samorukov.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Vladimir Butuzov lines up for his 700th KHL game.
CSKA’s forward Prokhor Poltapov and Yegor Fateyev, and defenseman Nikita Sedov reach 200 league appearances.
15:00: Barys (10-32-5, 12th E) vs Lokomotiv (37-8-2, 1st W)
About the game
Barys starts a three-game home series on a ten-match losing streak.
Lokomotiv, who defeated Barys earlier this season (3:1), enters the second game of a four-match road trip on a five-game winning streak.
Lokomotiv’s forward Artur Kayumov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Barys: Anton Burdasov, Batyrlan Muratov, Maxim Mukhametov.
Lokomotiv: Daniil Isayev, Alexander Yelesin.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv plays its 1,100th KHL game.
17:00: HC Sochi (14-27-14, 11th W) vs Avtomobilist (26-13-6, 5th E)
About the game
HC Sochi starts a four-game home series fresh off a win over Dynamo Moscow on Friday (3:1).
Avtomobilist ends a three-game road trip on a five-match winning streak.
Avtomobilist’s forward Alexander Golyshev is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that span.
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Timur Khafizov.
Avtomobilist: Nick Ebert, Curtis Valk.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s defenseman Maxim Fedotov may line up for his 200th KHL game, while defenseman Vasily Machulin reaches 100 career games.
