Traktor hosts Metallurg, Lokomotiv travels to Minsk

With just two games on tap, it will be a light KHL Wednesday. Traktor hosts Metallurg, while Dinamo Minsk welcomes Lokomotiv for a revenge match after their showdown before the break.

Traktor will enter today’s game with a ticket to the playoffs in hand following yesterday’s Lada loss to Sibir. It’s just the start, however, for the Chelyabinsk franchise, who will be seeking to please its fans on home ice on a Southern Urals derby game against Metallurg. The regional rivalry will be at its fourth showdown this season, with Traktor up in the series two games to one. The two sides met 73 times in the league’s history, with Magnitka having 44 wins. However, a week ago, Traktor collected a 5:2 home win, marking its third consecutive win and the fifth straight game with points, with only an extra time loss to Kunlun Red Star in this span. Magnitka lost its previous couple of matches, with a 4:6 defeat to Salavat Yulaev before the game against Traktor. In the standings, Traktor is at the top of the Eastern Conference, while Metallurg is in fifth place.

In the West, Dinamo Minsk hosts Lokomotiv. The match will be key for the Belarusians, with Torpedo getting closer to them in the standings lately. However, Dinamo Minsk has a significant cushion over the ninth-placed Kunlun Red Star, thus qualifying to the postseason shouldn’t be a problem for the Bisons. Moreover, the team will seek a win to return to victory and to please the home crowd. This season, Lokomotiv has already defeated Dinamo Minsk twice (with one Belarusian win) – including a 2:0 win right before the All-Star break – and will seek a third victory – other than building a new winning streak. Lokomotiv’s bench boss Igor Nikitin will celebrate his 650^th game as a KHL head coach, a significant milestone.

17:00: Traktor (35-14-6, 1^st E) vs Metallurg (31-18-4, 5^th E)
About the game

Traktor ends a three-game home series on a three-match winning streak.

Metallurg is in the middle of a seven-game road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.

The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (4:0, 3:5, 5:2).

Traktor’s forward Andrei Svetlakov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.

Injury list

Metallurg: Vladislav Yeryomenko.

Milestone alert

Metallurg’s forward Igor Geraskin may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 199).

19:30: Dinamo Minsk (27-17-7, 7^th W) vs Lokomotiv (40-12-2, 1^st W)
About the game

Dinamo Minsk starts a two-game home series and lost to Lokomotiv on Feb. 6 (0:2).

Lokomotiv starts a three-game road trip and most recently defeated Dinamo Minsk.

The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (2:3, 4:1, 0:2).

Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk is on a 73:59 shutout streak.

Injury list

Dinamo Minsk: Nikita Pyshkailo.

Lokomotiv: Daniil Isayev.

Milestone alert

Lokomotiv’s head coach Igor Nikitin celebrates his 650^th league game.

Lokomotiv’s forward Stepan Nikulin lines up for his 200^th KHL appearance.