Four matches on an exciting KHL Thursday!
Four games are on tap today, with a pair of matches in each conference. In the East, Avtomobilist welcomes Amur, then Barys faces off against Severstal. In the West, Lokomotiv clashes with Kunlun Red Star and Spartak hosts Sibir.
The KHL Thursday starts with Avtomobilist hosting Amur. The two teams will be at their fourth encounter this season, with the Motormen so far claiming three games – all concluded with a one-goal difference. The Motormen, who returned to Yekaterinburg for a four-game homestand, have already booked their ticket for the elimination stage, but they will be hunting for points to retain their spot in the Eastern Conference’s top four. Amur has nothing to lose as they already lost any chance to reach the postseason. Avtomobilist’s leader Anatoly Golyshev may hit a milestone today, with the 350-point mark very close.
In Kazakhstan, Barys welcomes Severstal. both sides will be looking to return to victory, with the Kazakhs having now six straight defeats, and Severstal having lost its previous couple of matches. The teams have faced off only once this season so far, with the Steelers claiming victory on home ice (5:3). Barys is at the bottom of the league’s standings, while Severstal slipped down to sixth place after being as high as second.
The action then moves to the West, with a showdown between Lokomotiv and Kunlun Red Star. The Dragons will start today a long, ten-game road trip, with, however, only one game in the Eastern Conference, against Metallurg on Mar. 15, right before flying back home for the last two regular season battles. Kunlun Red Star won its most recent game but has still a nine-point gap from eighth-placed Torpedo. The Dragons have currently the most goals allowed in the West, 182. Despite losing its most recent game, Lokomotiv retained its spot on the top of the Western Conference’s standings, with 85 points – the most in the league.
In the closing battle of the matchday, Spartak hosts Sibir. The Muscovites are riding a two-game winning streak, defeating Torpedo (7:4) and Dynamo Moscow (3:2 OT), while Sibir lost to Metallurg (2:5) and Avtomobilist (0:5) after a nice streak in February. Despite the setback, the Novosibirsk side held its seventh place in the Eastern Conference, tied with Admiral at 58 points. The two sides have an eight-point cushion over Neftekhimik and the most chance to qualify for the elimination stage. In the first meeting between the two teams this season, Sibir prevailed on home ice. Today’s game will be the 1,050th for Sibir in the KHL.
17:00: Avtomobilist (34-14-7, 3rd E) vs Amur (13-36-7, 11th E)
About the game
Avtomobilist starts a four-game home series following two straight victories.
Amur starts a two-game road trip on a five-match losing streak.
The season series between the two sides is 3-0 (3:2, 5:4, 3:2 ОТ).
Avtomobilist’s goalie Evgeny Alikin is on a 62:50 shutout streak.
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa is on a thirteen-game scoring streak, with 15 (4+11) points over that span.
Avtomobilist’s forward Brooks Macek had at least one goal in each of his previous four matches, totaling five tallies.
Avtomobilist’s forward Alexander Sharov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Amur’s forward Vladislav Barulin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Curtis Valk.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s forward Anatoly Golyshev may reach 350 KHL points (currently at 348).
Avtomobilist’s goalie Vladimir Galkin may celebrate his 50th win in the league.
17:30: Barys (11-38-7, 12th E) vs Severstal (34-20-1, 6th W)
About the game
Barys enters the fourth game of a five-match home series on a six-game losing streak.
Severstal, who defeated Barys earlier this season (5:3), starts a three-game road trip following two straight losses.
Injury list
Barys: Alikhan Asetov, Maxim Mukhametov.
Severstal: Yaroslav Dyblenko.
19:00: Lokomotiv (41-13-3, 1st W) vs Kunlun Red Star (24-27-5, 9th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv starts a three-game home series following a loss to Salavat Yulaev on Sunday (2:3 OT).
Kunlun Red Star starts a ten-game road trip after defeating Vityaz on Saturday (5:4 SO).
The season series between the two teams is 3-0 (6:2, 3:2 OT, 5:1).
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Danny O’Regan had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Kyle Rau is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Mark Ulyev.
Kunlun Red Star: Jack Chelios, Parker Foo, Tomas Jurco, Semyon Sinyatkin.
19:30: Spartak (32-15-8, 3rd W) vs Sibir (25-22-8, 7th E)
About the game
Spartak enters the third game of a four-match home series after two straight wins.
Sibir, who defeated Spartak earlier this season (3:1), starts a two-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Spartak’s forward Alexander Belyayev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Spartak: Daniil Ivanov.
Sibir: Fyodor Gordeyev.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s goalies Dmitry Nikolayev and Artyom Zagidulin may record their respective 10th KHL shutout.
Sibir’s defenseman Yegor Martynov lines up for his 600th league appearance.
Sibir plays its 1,050th KHL game.
