Key games in the Western Conference
It’s another possible decision day in the West, with the postseason fate of several teams being set after today’s game. Severstal faces Torpedo, Dinamo Minsk hosts Spartak for a revenge match, CSKA welcomes Kunlun Red Star, and SKA clashes with Dynamo Moscow in a tight matchday with plenty of emotions and high stakes.
The matchday starts with a showdown between Severstal and Torpedo. Earlier this season, Severstal won both head-to-head matchups against Igor Larionov’s team (3:0, 5:4). The Steelers are set to begin a three-game home stand after returning from Magnitogorsk, where they suffered a 1:4 defeat. With 73 points, Andrei Kozyrev’s squad sits in fifth place in the Western Conference, three points behind second place. Torpedo kicks off a three-game road trip following a 2:3 home loss to CSKA. The Nizhny Novgorod team currently holds eighth place in the West, maintaining a seven-point lead over Kunlun Red Star with a game in hand. Severstal will clinch a playoff spot by the end of the game day if they defeat Torpedo. Another possible scenario for qualification would be a Torpedo loss beyond regulation, combined with a Kunlun Red Star defeat. A third option sees Severstal losing to Torpedo in regulation, but the Dragons also falling to CSKA in regulation. Additionally, if Torpedo avoids a regulation loss against Severstal, HC Sochi will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
In Minsk, the Bison host Spartak. So far, the Red-and-White team holds a slight edge in the season series, leading 2-1 (5:2, 3:2 OT, 0:3). However, their most recent clash was just days ago, on Feb. 23 in Moscow. That game marked Dinamo’s fourth consecutive victory. In their last two outings, they completely shut out both Spartak and their fellow Dynamo counterparts. Following their win in Moscow, Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team returned home to prepare for this matchup, while Spartak had another game to play. The Red-and-Whites delivered another dominant performance, crushing SKA 7:2 in St. Petersburg. They currently sit second in the Western Conference with a slight lead over their closest rivals. Dinamo, meanwhile, is just five points behind them with a game in hand. By the end of the day, Minsk could secure a playoff berth. For that to happen, they need to defeat Spartak while Kunlun Red Star must lose to CSKA in regulation.
In Moscow, CSKA faces Kunlun Red Star in a key match. This season, CSKA has won two of three matchups against the Dragons (4:3 OT, 3:2, 0:3). The team enters the upcoming game on a high note after securing road victories over Salavat Yulaev (4:2) and Torpedo (3:2). With 74 points, CSKA sits in fourth place in the Western Conference, just two points behind second place.
Kunlun Red Star arrives in Moscow from the Black Sea coast, where they confidently defeated HC Sochi 5:2, thanks to a hat-trick from Tyler Graovac. Mikhail Kravets’ team has now closed the gap to a playoff spot to seven points, though their main rival, Torpedo, holds a game in hand. CSKA can secure a playoff berth if they defeat the Dragons today. To add a layer of excitement to the game, Kunlun Red Star’s latest win in Moscow against CSKA dates back to 2018.
In the last game today, SKA welcomes Dynamo Moscow. SKA is set to face a particularly troublesome opponent—so far this season, the team has managed just one win in five meetings against the Blue-and-Whites. The home side has been struggling for consistency, and just two days ago, they suffered an unpleasant 2:7 defeat on home ice against Spartak. That loss marked their fifth in the last eight games. Paradoxically, SKA could finish the regular season as both the highest-scoring and one of the most porous teams in the league. With 216 goals, they lead all teams in scoring by a margin of 20. However, defensively, their 188 goals conceded are only worse than Kunlun Red Star (192) and Amur (205). Dynamo travels to St. Petersburg from Yaroslavl, where they claimed a 3:1 victory over league-leading Lokomotiv. With 75 points, the Muscovites sit in third place in the Western Conference, just narrowly behind second-place Spartak. SKA, meanwhile, holds 71 points and is currently in seventh place. Roman Rotenberg’s team can secure a playoff spot if they defeat Dynamo Moscow in regulation and Kunlun Red Star loses to CSKA also in regulation.
19:00: Severstal (36-21-1, 5th W) vs Torpedo (28-22-8, 8th W)
About the game
Severstal starts a three-game home series following a loss to Metallurg on Monday (1:4).
Torpedo starts a three-game road trip after a defeat to CSKA on Tuesday (2:3).
The season series between the two teams is 2-0 (3:0, 5:4).
Injury list
Severstal: Yaroslav Dyblenko, Artyom Shchuchinov.
Torpedo: Mikhail Abramov, Igor Larionov.
Milestone alert
Severstal’s goalie Alexander Samoilov may record his 10th KHL shutout.
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (32-18-7, 6th W) vs Spartak (34-16-8, 2nd W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk starts a five-game home series on a four-match winning streak.
Spartak ends a two-game road trip following a win over SKA on Tuesday (7:2).
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (2:5, 2:3 ОТ, 3:0).
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko is on an impressive 146:58 shutout streak.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vadim Moroz is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that span.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vadim Shipachyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Dillon Dube, Nikita Pyshkaylo.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Sergei Kuznetsov lines up for his 100th league appearance.
Spartak’s goalies Dmitry Nikolayev and Artyom Zagidulin may record their respective 10th KHL shutout.
19:30: CSKA (33-17-8, 4th W) vs Kunlun Red Star (26-28-5, 9th W)
About the game
CSKA starts a three-game home series after two consecutive wins.
Kunlun Red Star enters the fourth game of a ten-match road trip also on a two-game winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (4:3 ОТ, 3:2, 0:3).
CSKA’s forward Maxim Sorkin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Jan Drozg is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
CSKA: Vitaly Abramov, Ivan Prosvetov, Dmitry Samorukov.
Kunlun Red Star: Jack Chelios, Parker Foo, Semyon Sinyatkin.
19:30: SKA (33-21-5, 7th W) vs Dynamo Moscow (35-18-5, 3rd W)
About the game
SKA ends a three-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Dynamo Moscow ends a two-game road trip following a win over Lokomotiv on Tuesday (3:1).
The season series between the two teams is 1-4 (2:4, 4:5, 3:5, 4:3 ОТ, 1:3).
SKA’s forward Mikhail Grigorenko is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
SKA’s defenseman Alexander Nikishin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
SKA’s forward Marat Khairullin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
SKA: Arseny Gritsyuk.
Dynamo Moscow: Artyom Ilyenko, Brennan Menell.
Milestone alert
SKA’s forward Sergei Tolchinsky lines up for his 400th league appearances, while defenseman Sergei Sapego reaches 200 KHL matches.
