Last matchday before the February break
The league sees an action-packed day across both conferences as the teams play their last games before the All-Star weekend in Novosibirsk. Nine games are on tap on an exciting KHL Thursday!
The intense matchday will start in the Far East, with the fifth local derby of the season. So far, Admiral has swept the series, with four unanswered wins, and today the Sailors will seek a fifth win in the day of Amur’s 1,000th game in the KHL. Despite a win in their last game against Barys (4:3 OT), the Sailors slipped down to eighth place in the Eastern Conference’s standings, also because of a recent loss to Sibir, again in extra time. The Tigers are currently the eleventh team in the East, and they will be seeking a win today to celebrate their milestone and also finally get a win in a rivalry game.
Next up is Salavat Yulaev hosting Neftekhimik. The Ufa team is having a strong season and holds a spot in the Eastern’s top four. After a loss to Ak Bars in the Green Derby, Salavat Yulaev achieved two consecutive wins, against Avangard (4:2) and Metallurg (6:4), respectively. After losing the game against the Hawks due to an injury, top sniper Joshua Leivo returned to the Ufa’s lineup to face Magnitka and celebrated his 40th goal of the season. Leivo has a good cushion over second-placed Maxim Shabanov and will be looking to score again. Neftekhimik has recently defeated Lada twice and established itself as the only club to have a real chance to break into top eight in the East, but the playoff places are nine points above. With that being said, the Wolves celebrated a win over Salavat Yulaev earlier in the season, and they will want to repeat the feat.
The Togliatti side will be looking to return to victory after a streak of seven consecutive losses. Today’s opponent is injury-plagued Avangard, who just suffered from a defeat in Moscow to CSKA (1:2 SO) after two consecutive wins, over Dinamo Minsk (5:4 SO) and Barys (5:1), respectively. The Hawks are currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, with a significant gap from Metallurg and a nice cushion over Sibir and Admiral.
Closing the matchday in the Eastern Conference is the second showdown of the season between Ak Bars and Avtomobilist. In the first matchup, back on Sep. 29, Ak Bars had six different scorers to claim a commanding win on the road (6:2). A few months later, the teams are tied in the standings with 70 points each, and both teams won their last few matches. However, if Ak Bars won “only” four straight games, Avtomobilist is on a red-hot streak of eleven consecutive victories. Both teams see key performances from their key imports in the process, with Dmitrij Jaskin and Stephane Da Costa being on active scoring streaks. The Frenchmen will be on the lookout for his 200th league goal today.
The action then moves to the Western Conference, with Torpedo facing Spartak as the teams face for the fourth time this season. Both teams won their last game, against Vityaz (2:1 SO) and Lokomotiv (5:4), respectively, with good chances that the crowd will see several goals as both sides play an offensive style with plenty of freedom in the offensive zone. Torpedo will be looking to stretch its cushion over Kunlun Red Star for the eighth place in the Western Conference, while Spartak will try to protect its spot in the top four.
In Yaroslavl, the Railwaymen will want to bounce back after two consecutive losses. The league leader, other than to Spartak also lost to Metallurg (2:3) and will end a homestand today – the team won only once on home soil, and the fans will be waiting for a return to victory before the February break. Today’s opponent, Dinamo Minsk, is on a three-game point streak, with two wins in three matches and a SO loss to Avangard. Currently the Bisons sit in seventh place in the West’s standings, at just four points from SKA. Lokomotiv has another chance to be the first league’s team to book a ticket for the postseason, but the situation has its intricacies. A win over Dinamo Minsk may suffice, but they can also lose in extra time should Kunlun Red Star not win in regulation or if the Railwaymen lose in regulation and the Dragons lose their game against Dynamo Moscow.
Then, the St. Petersburg side will start a road trip today from the Moscow Region, facing Vityaz. SKA won three games over today’s opponent earlier in the season, and the team will want to bounce back after such a disappointing home defeat to Ak Bars (3:8). Vityaz will also want to seek a return to victory after four straight losses, with the gap from the playoff line in the Western Conference getting bolder and bolder.
Another exciting match is CSKA facing Severstal. The Muscovites only defeated Severstal once this season, with two victories by the Cherepovets side. CSKA is currently riding a three-match winning streak, a feat that helped him overcome Severstal by one point in the standings. The temperature will be high today, with both teams playing to win.
A showdown between Kunlun Red Star and Dynamo Moscow closes out an exciting and action-packed KHL matchday, with the last games before the Fonbet All-Star Game on Saturday and Sunday in Novosibirsk. The Dragons will try to return to winning after three straight defeats.
12:30: Admiral (22-20-10, 8th E) vs Amur (13-34-5, 11th E)
About the game
Admiral is in the middle of a seven-game home series and defeated Barys on Tuesday (4:3 OT).
Amur plays the lone road game of the series and lost to Sibir also on Tuesday (1:5).
The season series between the two teams is 4-0 (5:0, 5:3, 6:4, 4:1).
Amur’s goalie Damir Shaimardanov is on a 78:11 shutout streak.
Injury list:
Admiral: Artyom Chmykhov, Alexander Shevchenko.
Amur: Cameron Lee, Kirill Slepets.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s forward Shane Prince may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 198).
Amur’s defenseman Ivan Mishchenko may score his 100th career point (currently at 99).
Amur plays its 1,000th game in the KHL:
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (33-15-3, 4th E) vs Neftekhimik (16-23-13, 9th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev ends a two-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Neftekhimik is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Lada on Tuesday (4:3).
The season series between the teams is 2-1 (2:4, 7:4, 5:0).
Salavat Yulaev’s goalie Semyon Vyazovoi is on a 65:13 shutout streak.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Joshua Leivo is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 15 (12+3) points over that span.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Nathan Todd is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 10 (1+9) points.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Sheldon Rempal is on a five-game scoring streak, with 8 (7+1) points.
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Rinat Khafizullin had at least one assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Daniil Alalykin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Mikhail Naumenkov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin, Grigory Panin.
Neftekhimik: Roman Abrosimov, Alexander Dergachyov, Yegor Korbit.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik’s forward Vladislav Leshchenko may reach 100 KHL goals (currently at 99), 100 assists (currently at 99), and 200 points (currently at 198).
18:00: Lada (18-26-6, 10th E) vs Avangard (27-21-4, 6th E)
About the game
Lada ends a four-game home series on a seven-game losing streak.
Avangard is in the middle of a five-game road trip and lost to CSKA on Tuesday (1:2 SO).
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (3:1, 4:3, 6:7).
Avangard’s forwards Nail Yakupov and Konstantin Okulov are on an identical three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Lada: Vladislav Chervonenko, Nikolai Demidov, Mikhail Fisenko, Pavel Koltygin.
Avangard: Sergei Boikov, Reid Boucher, Alex Grant, Nikita Kholodinin, Michael McLeod, Nikolai Prokhorkin, Vladimir Tkachyov.
Milestone alert
Lada’s forward Dmitry Kugryshev may reach 400 points in the KHL (currently at 399).
Avangard’s defenseman Semyon Chistyakov may score his 100th KHL point (currently at 99).
19:00: Ak Bars (34-15-2, 2nd E) vs Avtomobilist (32-13-6, 3rd E)
About the game
Ak Bars, who defeated Avtomobilist earlier this season (6:2), starts a two-game home series on a four-match winning streak.
Avtomobilist enters the third game of a six-match road trip on an eleven-game winning streak.
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitrij Jaskin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ defenseman Nikita Lyamkin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa is on a nine-game scoring streak, with 10 (3+7) points.
Avtomobilist’s defenseman Jesse Blacker is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Yegor Babenko, Michell Miller, Ilya Safonov.
Avtomobilist: Nick Ebert, Curtis Valk.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s goalie Vladimir Galkin may record his 50th career win.
Avtomobilist’s head coach Vladimir Zavarukhin celebrates his 350 KHL game.
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa may score his 200th league goal (currently at 199).
19:00: Torpedo (24-20-8, 8th W) vs Spartak (30-14-7, 4th W
About the game
Torpedo ends a two-game home series following a win over Vityaz on Tuesday (2:1 SO).
Spartak enters the third game of a four-match road trip after defeating Lokomotiv also on Tuesday (5:4).
The season series between the teams is 2-1 (2:4, 6:0, 3:2 SO).
Spartak’s forward Alexander Pashin is on a six-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward Mikhail Maltsev is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points.
Spartak’s forward Nikolai Goldobin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Spartak’s forward Pavel Poryadin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Spartak’s forward Ivan Morozov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points.
Injury list
Torpedo: Mikhail Abramov, Igor Larionov, Bobby Lynch.
Spartak: Roman Bychkov, Yegor Ivanov, Vladislav Yefremov.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Dmitry Kagarlitsky lines up for his 800th league appearance, while forward Nikita Shavin reaches 100.
Spartak’s goalies Dmitry Nikolayev and Artyom Zagidulin may record their respective 10th league shutout.
Spartak’s forward Andrei Loktionov may reach 300 KHL points (currently at 298).
19:00: Lokomotiv (39-12-2, 1st W) vs Dinamo Minsk (27-16-7, 7th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv ends a four-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Dinamo Minsk plays the lone road game of the series following a win over HC Sochi on Tuesday (5:3).
The teams traded wins earlier in the season (3:2, 1:4).
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Xavier Ouellet is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points over that span.
Dinamo Minsk’s forwards Vadim Shipachyov and Chris Tierney are on an identical three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vadim Moroz is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Roman Gorbunov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Daniil Isayev.
19:30: Vityaz (19-26-6, 10th W) vs SKA (30-17-5, 6th W)
About the game
Vityaz plays the lone home game of the series on a four-match losing streak.
SKA starts a five-game road trip following a home loss to Ak Bars on Tuesday (3:8).
The season series between the two sides is 0-3 (1:8, 2:5, 1:4).
Injury list
Vityaz: Alexander Daryin, Grigory Vashchenko.
Ak Bars: Arseny Gritsyuk, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Sergei Tolchinsky.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s forward Sergei Kalinin lines up for his 700th league appearance.
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th KHL shutout.
19:30: CSKA (30-13-8, 2nd W) vs Severstal (33-18-1, 3rd W)
About the game
CSKA enters the fourth game of a five-match home series on a three-game winning streak.
Severstal plays the lone road game of the series and defeated Spartak on Sunday (8:6).
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (2:4, 4:5 SO, 6:1).
CSKA’s defenseman Nikita Nesterov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Injury list
CSKA: Vitaly Abramov, Ivan Prosvetov, Dmitry Samorukov.
Severstal: Yaroslav Dyblenko, Alexander Skorenov.
19:30: Kunlun Red Star (22-25-5, 9th W) vs Dynamo Moscow (31-16-4, 5th W)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star enters the fifth game of an eight-match home series on a three-game losing streak.
Dynamo Moscow plays the lone road game of the series following a loss to SKA on Saturday (3:4 OT).
The season series between the two teams is 1-1 (3:1, 4:5 OT).
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Jack Chelios, Parker Foo, Tomas Jurco, Semyon Sinyatkin.
Dynamo Moscow: Artyom Ilyenko, Brennan Menell.
