Big matchday this Tuesday!
Nine games are on tap, with Lokomotiv being the first team to have a chance to already clinch a playoff spot. Three matches are scheduled in the Eastern Conference, with another six in the West, including a showdown between the Railwaymen and Spartak, and SKA facing Ak Bars.
It’s a big matchday in the league, with nine games as the Fonbet KHL All-Star Game approaches. The central stage will be taken by the game between Lokomotiv and Spartak. The Railwaymen remain firmly atop the Western Conference, but the gap between second and sixth place is just two points. In this tightly packed group, Spartak sits in fifth place—a wild 8:6 loss to Severstal prevented the Red-and-Whites from climbing to second. However, they now have another chance to make a push in the standings with a matchup against Lokomotiv. The teams last met on Jan. 25 in Moscow. Lokomotiv took a 2:0 lead, but Spartak staged a comeback victory, thanks in large part to Alexander Pashin’s two goals and an assist. Moreover, Lokomotiv can book a playoff ticket as early as today if they gain more points than Kunlun Red Star or the Railwaymen achieve a regulation win and the Dragons lose after shotouts.
Another exciting game is SKA against Ak Bars. After a trip to Moscow to face Dynamo and Spartak—two of the top teams in the West—SKA returns home to take on one of the Eastern Conference powerhouses, Ak Bars. Their November matchup in Kazan was a thriller. Ak Bars took a 2:0 lead in the 56th minute, but SKA managed to claw its way back—Marat Khairullin forced overtime with just 22 seconds left on the clock. Then, in OT, Kirill Semyonov scored one of the most spectacular goals of the season to get Ak Bars a nice home win.
The matchday will however start early in the Far East, with Amur hosting Sibir and Admiral facing Barys. Sibir will wrap up a five-game road trip. Vadim Yepanchintsev’s team arrived in Khabarovsk from Vladivostok, where they edged out Admiral in OT (4:3). With that win, they extended their point streak to nine games. The visitors currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference. Amur, meanwhile, is second-to-last, ahead of only Barys, whom they dominated just two days earlier (5:0).
In Vladivostok, Admiral faces off with Barys. The first meeting between these teams this season went Admiral’s way (3:2 SO). Leonid Tambijevs’ squad is currently on a three-game losing streak, though they managed to earn points in two of those matchups, including their latest battle against Sibir (3:4 OT). The Sailors dropped to eighth place in the East but remain level on points with Novosibirsk (52). Their playoff cushion is still fairly comfortable at nine points. Barys, who began their Far East road trip with a crushing 0:5 loss to Amur, sits at the bottom of the conference standings.
In the last game in the East, Lada will seek a return to victory as the team faces Neftekhimik. The Togliatti side heads into the upcoming game on a six-game losing streak. Among those defeats was a 4:2 loss to the Wolves on Jan. 26, followed by setbacks against Ak Bars (3:1) and Avtomobilist (4:2).
Since then, Neftekhimik struggled again, scoring just one goal in each of their last two games—a 2:1 loss to Severstal and a 5:1 defeat against Dinamo Minsk. The two teams remain close in the standings, with the visitors holding a one-point edge over Lada, though they have played two more games. However, both sides face an uphill battle in the playoff race, as they now sit nine points outside the top eight.
The action then moves to the Western Conference, starting with Torpedo facing Vityaz. The Moscow Region team has been a tough opponent for Torpedo this season, winning both previous meetings by the narrowest of margins (2:1 SO, 6:5). Heading into this matchup, the visitors are on a three-game losing streak, having managed just two goals in total during that span—falling to Kunlun Red Star (1:2), SKA (1:4), and Traktor (0:2). They currently trail Torpedo, who hold the eighth spot in the Western Conference, by 11 points. Despite recent losses to Dynamo Moscow (2:4) and CSKA (1:6), Nizhny Novgorod still maintains a six-point cushion in the playoff zone.
Then, in Belarus, Dinamo Minsk takes on HC Sochi. Both teams have been on a similar trajectory in recent games. Dinamo Minsk followed up their 5:1 victory over Neftekhimik by earning a point in a shootout loss to Avangard (4:5 SO). Meanwhile, Sochi built on their 4:2 win against Kunlun Red Star by putting up a strong fight on the road against Traktor, ultimately falling in extra time (2:3 OT).
The Bisons will be looking for revenge after losing to Sochi earlier in the season. On Oct. 6, they suffered a 3:2 defeat on the Black Sea coast. Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team currently sits seventh in the Western Conference with 59 points, while Sochi remains in last place with 36.
Kunlun Red Star is still pushing to reach a playoff spot and today the Dragons face Avtomobilist. The team failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity. Their main playoff rival, Torpedo, suffered back-to-back losses, opening the door for the Dragons to close the gap on the top eight. However, Mikhail Kravets’ team also stumbled, losing to Sochi (2:4) and Ak Bars (3:6), leaving themselves still six points outside the playoff zone. Meanwhile, Avtomobilist remains on fire, with ten consecutive victories. With 68 points, they have temporarily climbed to second place in the Eastern Conference. They trail Conference-leading Traktor by six points but have four games in hand.
Finally, CSKA hosts Avangard. The first meeting between the teams this season took place on Jan. 17, when Avangard dominated CSKA with a commanding 4:0 victory. However, CSKA enters this rematch in top form, having delivered two emphatic wins in the past week—both by a 6:1 scoreline against Severstal and Torpedo. Avangard has also won back-to-back games, defeating Barys (5:1) and Dinamo Minsk (5:4 SO), despite dealing with a wave of injuries. CSKA currently sits fourth in the Western Conference with 66 points, while Avangard holds sixth place in the East, trailing by nine points.
12:00: Amur (13-33-5, 11th E) vs Sibir (22-20-8, 8th E)
About the game
Amur ends a two-game home series after a win over Barys on Sunday (5:0).
Sibir ends a five-game road trip and defeated Admiral also on Sunday (4:3 OT).
The season series between the two teams is 1-1 (5:1, 3:4).
Amur’s goalie Damir Shaimardanov is on a 78:11 shutout streak.
Amur’s defenseman Yefim Gurkin had an assist in each of his previous four matches.
Amur’s forward Ilya Talaluyev is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Amur’s forward Artur Gizdatullin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Amur: Cameron Lee, Kirill Slepets.
Sibir: Fyodor Gordeyev.
Milestone alert
Amur’s defenseman Ivan Mishchenko may score his 100th career point (currently at 99).
12:30: Admiral (21-20-10, 7th E) vs Barys (11-35-6, 12th E)
About the game
Admiral, who defeated Barys earlier this season (3:2 SO), enters the second game of a six-match home series on a three-game losing streak.
Barys ends a three-game road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.
Admiral’s defenseman Grigory Solyannikov had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
Admiral: Artyom Chmykhov, Alexander Shevchenko.
Barys: Alikhan Asetov, Anton Burdasov, Maxim Mukhametov.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s defenseman Alexander Shepelev lines up for his 100th league appearance.
Admiral’s forward Yegor Petukhov may reach 100 points in the KHL (currently at 99).
18:00: Lada (18-25-6, 10th E) vs Neftekhimik (15-23-13, 9th E)
About the game
Lada enters the third game of a four-match home series on a six-game losing streak.
Neftekhimik starts a three-game road trip following two straight defeats.
The season series between the two teams is 2-2 (5:4 SO, 2:3 SO, 3:0, 2:4).
Injury list
Lada: Vladislav Chervonenko, Nikolai Demidov, Mikhail Fisenko, Pavel Koltygin.
Neftekhimik: Roman Abrosimov, Alexander Dergachyov, Yegor Korbit.
Milestone alert
Lada’s forward Dmitry Kugryshev may reach 400 points in the KHL (currently at 398).
Neftekhimik’s forward Vladislav Leshchenko may reach 100 KHL goals (currently at 99), 100 assists (currently at 99), and 200 points (currently at 198).
19:00: Torpedo (23-20-8, 8th W) vs Vityaz (19-26-5, 10th W)
About the game
Torpedo starts a two-game home series after two consecutive defeats.
Vityaz plays the lone road game of the series and is on a three-game losing streak.
The season series between the two sides is 0-2 (1:2, 5:6 SO).
Injury list
Torpedo: Mikhail Abramov, Bobby Lynch, Vyacheslav Voynov.
Vityaz: Alexander Daryin, Grigory Vashchenko.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s head coach Igor Larionov celebrates his 200th KHL game.
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th league shutout.
19:00: Lokomotiv (39-11-2, 1st W) vs Spartak (29-14-7, 5th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv enters the third game of a four-match home series following a loss to Metallurg on Saturday (2:3).
Spartak enters the second game of a four-match road trip following two consecutive defeats.
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (2:0, 5:4, 2:4).
Spartak’s forward Alexander Pashin is on a five-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward Mikhail Maltsev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Daniil Isayev.
Spartak: Roman Bychkov, Yegor Ivanov, Vladislav Yefremov.
Disqualifications
Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Shalunov serves the second game of a two-match ban.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s goalies Dmitry Nikolayev and Artyom Zagidulin may record their 10th shutout in the league.
Spartak’s head coach Alexei Zhamnov may set a club record with 76 wins in the KHL.
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (26-16-7, 7th W) vs HC Sochi (15-30-6, 11th W
About the game
Dinamo Minsk ends a two-game home series following a loss to Avangard on Sunday (4:5 SO).
HC Sochi, who defeated Dinamo Minsk earlier this season (3:2), ends a three-game road trip following a loss to Traktor also on Sunday (2:3 OT).
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Xavier Ouellet had at least one assist in each of his previous four matches, totaling six helpers.
HC Sochi’s forward Denis Vengryzhanovsky had an assist in each of his previous four games.
19:30: CSKA (29-13-8, 4th W) vs Avangard (27-21-3, 6th E)
About the game
CSKA is in the middle of a five-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
Avangard, who defeated CSKA earlier this season (4:0), enters the second game of a five-match road trip also on a two-game winning streak.
Avangard’s forward Ryan Spooner is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Avangard’s forward Giovanni Fiore is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
CSKA: Vitaly Abramov, Ivan Prosvetov, Dmitry Samorukov.
Avangard: Sergei Boikov, Reid Boucher, Alex Grant, Nikita Kholodinin, Michael McLeod, Nikolai Prokhorkin, Vladimir Tkachyov.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s forward Denis Guryanov lines up for his 100th league appearance.
Avangard’s forward Ivan Igumnov celebrates 500 KHL games.
Avangard’s defenseman Semyon Chistyakov may score his 100th KHL point (currently at 99).
19:30: Kunlun Red Star (22-25-4, 9th W) vs Avtomobilist (31-13-6, 3rd E)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star, who defeated Avtomobilist earlier this season (2:1 SO), enters the fourth game of an eight-match home series on a two-game losing streak.
Avtomobilist enters the second game of a six-match road trip on a ten-game winning streak.
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa, who is seeking his 200th KHL goal (currently at 199), is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points over that span.
Avtomobilist’s forward Alexei Byvaltsev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points.
Avtomobilist’s defenseman Jesse Blacker is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Avtomobilist’s forward Nick Merkley is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Jack Chelios, Parker Foo, Tomas Jurco, Semyon Sinyatkin.
Avtomobilist: Nick Ebert, Curtis Valk.
19:30: SKA (30-16-5, 6th W) vs Ak Bars (33-15-2, 4th E)
About the game
SKA plays the lone home game of the series and won its previous four matches.
Ak Bars, who defeated SKA earlier this season (3:2 OT), ends a three-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.
SKA’s forward Mikhail Grigorenko is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitrij Jaskin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Injury list
SKA: Arseny Gritsyuk, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Sergei Tolchinsky.
Ak Bars: Yegor Babenko, Mitchell Miller, Ilya Safonov.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Semyon Koshelev may score his 100th KHL tally (currently at 99).
