KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
Big day with seven games!
An exciting KHL Sunday will see fourteen league teams hitting the ice, starting in the Far East and with games across both Conferences, with a top game in Minsk as local Dinamo hosts Avangard.
The matchday starts with two games in the Far East. Admiral hosts Sibir, Amur welcomes Barys. All these four teams lost their last game, with the Sailors being the only club on a two-game losing streak. However, the game in Vladivostok will be particularly key for postseason qualification. Admiral and Sibir are the seventh and eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, with just one point separating the two clubs. Neftekhimik follows in ninth place with a seven-point gap. Both teams will be seeking a return to victory, with Admiral accumulating losses to Traktor (2:3 SO) and Avangard (1:4), and Sibir surrendering to Barys on Jan. 26 (3:4 OT).
In Khabarovsk, the Tigers face Barys. The game will mostly be a way for Amur to please the home crowd as both sides have virtually no chance of reaching the postseason. It will be the third encounter between the two teams this season, with Amur claiming both games so far. The two Far East sides will swap opponents on Tuesday.
Then, in Chelyabinsk, Traktor hosts HC Sochi. The Black Sea team comes from a relatively surprising away win against Kunlun Red Star, while Traktor, who is still leading the Eastern Conference’s standings, defeated Vityaz (2:0), with goalie Zach Fucale recording his eighth shutout of the season – up from six last term. HC Sochi is at the bottom of the West’s table with just 35 points.
In the last Eastern game, Lada welcomes Avtomobilist. The two teams are in opposite situations, with Lada on a five-game losing streak and the Motormen having won their most recent nine matches. However, the Togliatti side defeated Avtomobilist once this season and will be looking to returning to victory and keeping its playoff hopes alive. Avtomobilist, currently the third seed in the East, starts a six-game road trip today that will keep the team far from the ice until Feb. 20.
The action then moves to the West. First, Severstal welcomes Spartak. The two teams are tied in the standings at 65 points, but the Red-and-Whites have two games in hand. Earlier in the season, they traded wins, and both lost their last game, to CSKA (1:6) and to SKA (3:4 SO), respectively. With both teams looking to return to victory and playing in offensive style, goals are to be expected in Cherepovets.
In the Moscow Region, Kunlun Red Star hosts Ak Bars trying to bounce back after a shocking home defeat to HC Sochi. The Dragons had been on a strong run, steadily closing in on Torpedo for eighth place, but their recent home loss dealt a setback to Kunlun Red Star’s playoff hopes. However, Torpedo’s defeat yesterday has given them another opportunity to narrow the gap to the playoff line. Kazan won two games in a row, against Salavat Yulaev (4:3 OT) and Lada (3;1), and is currently the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Closing an exciting matchday is Dinamo Minsk clashing with Avangard. The first meeting between these teams took place on Nov. 19 in Omsk, where the Bisons secured a high-scoring victory (5:2). The Belarusians will be playing at home for the first time since Jan. 10. In their previous game, they dominated Neftekhimik on the road (5:1). With 58 points, the hosts currently sit seventh in the Western Conference. Avangard, meanwhile, has three points fewer and remains sixth in the East. Two days ago, the Hawks secured a confident home win over Barys (5:1), despite suffering yet another significant roster loss—key forward Reid Boucher joined Omsk’s growing list of injured players.
10:00: Admiral (21-20-9, 7th E) vs Sibir (21-20-8, 8th E)
About the game
Admiral enters the second game of a six-match home series on a two-game losing streak.
Sibir enters the fourth game of a five-match road trip following a loss to Barys on Jan. 26 (3:4 OT).
The season series between the two teams is 0-2 (2:4, 0:1).
Admiral’s forward Arkady Shestakov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Sibir’s goalie Denis Kostin is on a 61:11 shutout streak.
Sibir’s forward Taylor Beck is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 14 (3+11) points.
Injury list
Admiral: Alexander Shevchenko.
Sibir: Fyodor Gordeyev.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s defenseman Artyom Chmykhov lines up for his 200th league appearance, while defenseman Alexander Shepelev reaches 100.
10:30: Amur (12-33-5, 11th E) vs Barys (11-34-6, 12th E)
About the game
Amur starts a two-game home series after a loss to Avtomobilist on Jan. 27 (4:5).
Barys is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Avangard on Friday (1:5).
The season series between the two teams is 2-0 (5:1, 3:0).
Amur’s forward Alex Broadhurst is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Amur’s defenseman Yefim Gurkin had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Amur’s forward Ilya Talaluyev is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points.
Injury list
Amur: Kirill Slepets.
Barys: Alikhan Asetov, Anton Burdasov, Maxim Mukhametov.
14:00: Traktor (33-14-6, 1st E) vs HC Sochi (15-30-5, 11th W)
About the game
Traktor, who defeated HC Sochi earlier this season (4:1) starts a three-game home series fresh off a win over Vityaz on Thursday (2:0).
HC Sochi is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Kunlun Red Star on Friday (4:2).
Traktor’s goalie Zach Fucale is on a 60:00 shutout streak.
HC Sochi’s forward Denis Vengryzhanovsky and defenseman Artyom Volkov had an assist in each of their previous three matches.
Injury list
Traktor: Nikita Korostelyov, Ostap Safin.
16:00: Lada (18-24-6, 10th E) vs Avtomobilist (30-13-6, 3rd E)
About the game
Lada enters the second game of a four-match home series on a five-game losing streak.
Avtomobilist starts a six-game road trip on a nine-game winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (0:1, 3:2 SO, 3:5).
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 8 (2+6) points over that span. The Frenchman may reach 200 KHL goals today (currently at 198).
Injury list
Lada: Vladislav Chervonenko, Nikolai Demidov, Mikhail Fisenko, Pavel Koltygin.
Avtomobilist: Nick Ebert, Curtis Valk.
17:00: Severstal (32-18-1, 4th W) vs Spartak (29-13-7, 5th W)
About the game
Severstal plays the lone home game of the series after a loss to CSKA on Thursday (1:6).
Spartak starts a four-game road trip following a defeat to SKA also on Thursday (3:4 SO).
The teams traded wins earlier in the season (1:4, 5:3).
Spartak’s forward Alexander Pashin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward German Rubtsov is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Severstal: Ruslan Abrosimov, Yaroslav Dyblenko.
Spartak: Roman Bychkov, Yegor Ivanov.
Milestone alert
Severstal’s defenseman Mark Barberio lines up for his 200th KHL appearance.
Spartak’s defenseman Dmitry Vishnevsky reaches 800 KHL games today.
Spartak’s goalies Dmitry Nikolayev and Artyom Zagidulin may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
Spartak’s head coach Alexei Zhamnov may establish a club record with 76 victories.
17:00: Kunlun Red Star (22-24-4, 8th W) vs Ak Bars (32-15-2, 4th E)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star plays the third game of an eight-match home series after a loss to HC Sochi on Friday (2:4).
Ak Bars, who defeated Kunlun Red Star earlier this season (5:0), is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous couple of matches.
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Jack Chelios, Parker Foo, Tomas Jurco, Semyon Sinyatkin.
Ak Bars: Yegor Babenko, Mitchell Miller, Ilya Safonov.
Milestone alert
Several Kunlun Red Star players may reach league appearance milestones: defenseman Yury Pautov (300 KHL games), forward Tyler Graovac (200), and defenseman Joseph Duszak (100).
Ak Bars’ forward Semyon Koshelev may score his 100th league goal (currently at 99).
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov may reach 200 KHL assists (currently at 199).
17:10: Dinamo Minsk (26-16-6, 7th W) vs Avangard (26-21-3, 6th E)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk, who defeated Avangard earlier this season (5:2), starts a two-game home series fresh off a win over Neftekhimik on Thursday (5:1).
Avangard starts a five-game road trip after a win over Barys on Friday (5:1).
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Xavier Ouellet had at least one assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling four helpers.
Avangard’s forward Ilya Kablukov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that span.
Injury list
Avangard: Sergei Boikov, Reid Boucher, Alex Grant, Michael McLeod, Nikolai Prokhorkin, Vladimir Tkachyov.
