February kicks off with three matches in the Western Conference

Three exciting games are on tap as the regular season’s penultimate month kicks off today, with Lokomotiv facing Metallurg, Dynamo Moscow facing SKA, trying to stretch its winning streak, and CKSA clashing with Torpedo.

Metallurg will travel to Yaroslavl to start a long seven-game road trip to face table-topping Lokomotiv. The two teams have already met this season, in the Opening Cup game, won by the Railwaymen (3:2). Now, Lokomotiv confidently holds the top spot with 80 points. The visitors travel to Yaroslavl following a home win over Dinamo Minsk. With 64 points, Andrei Razin’s team currently sits fifth in the Eastern Conference. Against Magnitogorsk, Lokomotiv will be without forward Maxim Shalunov, who begins serving a two-game suspension. Goaltender Daniil Isaev remains sidelined due to injury. 

In Moscow, Dynamo Moscow faces SKA for the fourth time this year. This season, the Blue-and-Whites remain undefeated against SKA so far. The St. Petersburg team heads into the upcoming matchup on a three-game winning streak. In its last game, Dynamo faced Torpedo and also came out on top. With 65 points, the Blue-and-Whites hold third place in the West, while SKA sits in sixth, trailing by just two points. After the game, SKA will fly back to St. Petersburg, while Dynamo Moscow will prepare for a road match in the Moscow Region against Kunlun Red Star.

In the last game of the matchday, CSKA welcomes Torpedo. This season, the opponents have faced each other three times, with CSKA coming out on top twice. In their previous match, CSKA convincingly defeated Severstal (6:1), ending their winning streak. With 64 points, the hosts sit in fifth place in the West. Meanwhile, Torpedo also played a game in the Russian capital, suffering a 2:4 loss to Dynamo. The Nizhny Novgorod team has 54 points and holds the eighth spot in the conference, but they cannot afford to relax as Kunlun Red Star is breathing down their necks.

CSKA remains without one of its top forwards, Vitaly Abramov, who is still sitting in IL. Goalie Ivan Prosvetov is also not expected to return soon, as he is currently undergoing rehabilitation.

17:00: Lokomotiv (39-10-2, 1^st W) vs Metallurg (30-16-4, 5^th E)
About the game

Lokomotiv, who defeated Metallurg earlier this season (3:2), enters the second game of a four-match home series following a win over Dynamo Moscow on Monday (2:1).

Metallurg starts a seven-game road trip fresh off a win over Dinamo Minsk on Tuesday (8:1).

Lokomotiv’s goalie Maxim Mayorov is on a 60:00 shutout streak.

Metallurg’s forward Yegor Korobkin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points over that span.

Injury list

Lokomotiv: Daniil Isayev.

Metallurg: Makar Khabarov, Vladislav Yeryomenko.

Disqualifications: Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Shalunov serves the first game of a two-match ban.

Milestone alert

Metallurg’s forward Igor Geraskin may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 198).

17:00: Dynamo Moscow (31-16-3, 3^rd W) vs SKA (29-16-5, 6^th W)
About the game

Dynamo Moscow ends a two-game home series following a win over Torpedo on Thursday (4:2).

SKA ends a two-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.

The season series between the two teams is 3-0 (4:2, 5:4, 5:3).

Dynamo Moscow’s forward Jordan Weal is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that span.

Injury list

Dynamo Moscow: Artyom Ilyenko, Brennan Menell.

SKA: Arseny Gritsyuk, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Sergei Tolchinsky.

17:00: CSKA (28-13-8, 5^th W) vs Torpedo (23-19-8, 8^th W)
About the game

CSKA enters the second game of a five-match home series following a win over Severstal on Thursday (6:1).

Torpedo ends a three-game road trip after losing to Dynamo Moscow also on Thursday (2:4).

The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (3:4 OT, 3:1, 2:1 SO).

Injury list

CSKA: Vitaly Abramov, Ivan Prosvetov, Dmitry Samorukov.

Torpedo: Mikhail Abramov, Vyacheslav Voynov.

Milestone alert

CSKA’s defenseman Nikita Nesterov may reach 250 league points (currently at 248).