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Avtomobilist hosts Lada, Ak Bars faces Sibir
Only two games are on tap on a light KHL Friday, with Avtomobilist seeking its eighth straight win, and Ak Bars seeking a revenge against the Novosibirsk side.
The matchday kicks off in Yekaterinburg, with the Motormen hosting Lada. Earlier this season, the teams exchanged victories (1:0, 2:3 SO). Currently, Avtomobilist is riding a seven-game winning streak. In their latest outing, the Motormen edged Avangard by a one-goal margin (2:1). Meanwhile, Lada heads to the Urals after two consecutive defeats on home ice. The Togliatti side managed no more than two goals in losses to Torpedo (2:3) and Vityaz (2:6), complicating their quest for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They now trail eighth-place Sibir by five points but have two games in hand. Avtomobilist’s recent success has temporarily lifted them to third place in the East with 62 points.
Then, Ak Bars welcomes Sibir. The first meeting between the teams this season took place in Kazan and ended with a high-scoring victory for Sibir (6:3). This loss marked Ak Bars’ sixth consecutive home defeat against the Novosibisk side. Currently, the visitors are on a six-game point streak. In their most recent game, they secured an away win against Conference leaders Traktor (4:3). Vadim Yepanchintsev’s team remains in eighth place, five points ahead of Lada, though they have played two more games. Ak Bars recently returned from a Far East road trip, where they won three out of four games. The home team has temporarily climbed to second place in the standings with 62 points.
17:00: Avtomobilist (28-13-6, 3rd E) vs Lada (18-21-6, 9th E)
About the game
Avtomobilist is in the middle of a three-game home series and won its previous seven matches.
Lada starts a two-game road trip following two straight defeats.
The season series between the two sides is 1-1 (1:0, 2:3 SO).
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that span.
Avtomobilist’s forward Maxim Denezhkin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points.
Avtomobilist’s forward Denis Romantsev is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Nick Ebert, Curtis Valk.
Lada: Nikolai Demidov, Danil Yurtaikin.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa may score his 200th KHL goal (currently at 198).
19:30: Ak Bars (30-14-2, 3rd E) vs Sibir (20-20-7, 8th E)
About the game
Ak Bars starts a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Sibir, who defeated Ak Bars earlier this season (6:3), enters the second game of a five-match road trip following a win over Traktor on Wednesday (4:3).
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov is on a 62:42 shutout streak.
Ak Bars’ forward Artyom Galimov is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 9 (5+4) points over that span.
Sibir’s forward Taylor Beck is on a six-game scoring streak, with 12 (2+10) points.
Sibir’s defenseman Trevor Murphy is also on a six-game scoring streak, with 9 (2+7) points.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Yegor Babenko, Mitchell Miller, Ilya Safonov.
Sibir: Fyodor Gordeyev.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Semyon Koshelev may net his 100th KHL tally (currently at 99).
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov may reach 200 KHL assists (currently at 198).
Sibir’s forward Taylor Beck may score his 350th point in the league (currently at 349).
