KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
Big day in the Moscow Region! Five games scheduled for today
Only one game in the Eastern Conference, between Neftekhimik and Dinamo Minsk. Then, Vityaz hosts Traktor, CSKA welcomes Severstal, Dynamo Moscow faces Torpedo, and Spartak clashes with SKA.
The only match in the East sees Neftekhimik facing Dinamo Minsk. The Wolves end a long homestand after losing to Severstal on Tuesday (1:2) but achieved an important win against Lada four days ago. Neftekhimik is currently the ninth seed in the East, and while they have a seven-point gap to eighth-placed Sibir, their postseason hopes are still alive. The Bisons returned to hockey in Magnitogorsk after a two-week pause but lost the game (1:4). Today, they will try to celebrate their first win since Jan. 10 – a 3:2 OT win over Sibir at home. After the game, the Belarusians will fly back to Minsk.
The action then moves to the Western Conference, with four games in the Moscow Region. First, Vityaz hosts Traktor after two straight defeats. The team is losing ground from the playoff line and is now eleven points from Torpedo, and lost to Kunlun Red Star at home on Saturday. Despite a loss, against to Kunlun Red Star, Traktor keeps on leading the Eastern Conference, with a three-point lead over Salavat Yulaev, who has two games in hand. The Black-and-Whites will want to return to victory and gain some points to accumulate some further advantage over Salavat Yulaev and Avtomobilist.
Three games are scheduled in Moscow, with CSKA welcoming Severstal, Dynamo Moscow facing Torpedo and Spartak battling out with SKA. The latter will be the hottest game of the matchday, with the rivalry getting another exciting chapter. In the last edition, Spartak had a commanding win over SKA, leaving no chances to the St. Petersburg team and celebrating a 5:0 win. The Red-and-Whites won their last couple of games, against Lokomotiv (4:2) and CSKA (4:1), respectively. The win against CSKA was Alexei Zhamnov’s 75th victory as Spartak’s head coach, tying the club record held by the late Milos Riha. Winning these games allowed Spartak to climb up to third place in the Western Conference’s table, while SKA sits in sixth position after a home win over Vityaz with Ivan Demidov’s netting his first KHL hat-trick. SKA’s young gun has now an impressive 19 goals in the current regular season, tied with several other players in eleventh place.
Above Spartak in the standings is Severstal. The Steelers are travelling at an impressive pace and are now on a five-match winning streak. For their last road game in the series, they will face CSKA in Moscow, a team that they have beaten twice this season, including a 5:4 SO win a bit more than a week ago. CSKA is still seeking to celebrate its 750th win in its KHL history but failed twice in a row losing to Spartak (1:4) and Severstal.
In the remaining game of the day, Dynamo Moscow faces Torpedo. It will be the fourth meeting between the two sides this season, with the Blue-and-Whites claiming two wins so far. The Blue-and-Whites are currently the fourth seed in the Western Conference and will try to retain their spot in the conference’s top four.
19:00: Neftekhimik (15-22-13, 9th E) vs Dinamo Minsk (25-16-6, 7th W)
About the game
Neftekhimik ends a six-game home series following a loss to Severstal on Tuesday (1:2).
Dinamo Minsk, who defeated Neftekhimik earlier this season (4:1), ends a four-game road trip and lost its previous three matches.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vitaly Pinchuk is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Josh Brook had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Roman Abrosimov, Alexander Dergachyov, Yegor Korbit.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik’s forward Bulat Shafigullin lines up for his 300th KHL appearance.
Neftekhimik’s forward Vyacheslav Leshchenko may celebrate several milestones today, being at 198 points made of 99 goals and as many assists.
Neftekhimik’s forward Evgeny Mityakin may score his 100th point in the KHL (currently at 99).
19:00: Vityaz (19-25-5, 10th W) vs Traktor (32-14-6, 1st E)
About the game
Vityaz plays the lone home game of the series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Traktor, who defeated Vityaz earlier this season (4:3), ends a two-game road trip following a loss to Kunlun Red Star on Tuesday (3: OT).
Traktor’s forward Charles Robinson scored a goal in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Vityaz: Alexander Daryin, Grigory Vashchenko.
Traktor: Nikita Korostelyov, Ostap Safin.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th league shutout.
Vityaz’s head coach Pavel Desyatkov is at his 50th career game in the KHL.
19:30: CSKA (27-13-8, 5th W) vs Seversal 32-17-1, 2nd W)
About the game
CSKA starts a five-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Severstal ends a three-game road trip following five straight wins.
The season series between the two sides is 0-2 (2:4, 4:5 SO).
Injury list
CSKA: Ivan Prosvetov, Dmitry Samorukov.
Severstal: Ruslan Abrosimov, Yaroslav Dyblenko.
Milestone alert
CSKA may celebrate its 750th KHL win.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (30-16-3, 4th W) vs Torpedo (23-18-8, 8th W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow starts a two-game home series following a loss to Lokomotiv on Monday (1:2).
Torpedo is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated HC Sochi on Tuesday (3:1).
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (3:2 SO, 4:5 SO, 4:1).
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Artyom Ilyenko, Brennan Menell.
Torpedo: Mikhail Abramov, Vyacheslav Voynov.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Cedric Paquette may score his 100th KHL point (currently at 99).
19:30: Spartak (29-13-6, 3rd W) vs SKA (28-16-4, 6th W)
About the game
Spartak ends a three-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
SKA starts a two-game road trip also on a two-match winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1-1 (2:5, 5:0).
Spartak’s forward Alexander Pashin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward German Rubtsov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
SKA’s forward Zakhar Bardakov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points.
SKA’s forward Valentin Zykov had at least one assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling five helpers.
Injury list
Spartak: Roman Bychkov, Yegor Ivanov, Pavel Poryadin.
SKA: Arseny Gritsyuk, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alexander Nikishin, Sergei Tolchinsky.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s head coach Alexei Zhamnov may establish a new club record for the most wins in the KHL with 76.
Spartak’s goalies Dmitry Nikolayev and Artyom Zagidulin may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
