Avangard seeking tenth straight win!
The Hawks travel to Nizhny Novgorod seeking their tenth consecutive victory on a tense KHL matchday with five games on tap. In the Far East, Amur faces Salavat Yulaev and Admiral clashes with Neftekhimik. Then, Barys welcomes Sibir. In the West, Torpedo takes on Avangard, and Severstal faces off with Vityaz.
The matchday starts again early in the Far East, with Amur facing Salavat Yulaev and Admiral hosting Neftekhimik. Ufa’s head coach, Viktor Kozlov, is on the verge of securing his 150th victory in the KHL. To achieve this milestone, his team needs to win their fourth game out of four against Amur this season. Salavat Yulaev will conclude their Far East road trip after playing two games each in Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. The team is currently on a four-game winning streak and, with 83 points, is one of the main contenders for second place in the Eastern Conference. They are also just three points behind Traktor. Meanwhile, Amur sits in second-to-last place.
Then, Admiral faces Neftekhimik. The Wolves will wrap up their four-game Far East road trip, which wasn’t very good for the team. Neftekhimik collected only two out of a possible six points, suffering three consecutive defeats. In their first game against Admiral, Nizhnekamsk failed to score at all (0:1). With 65 points, Admiral sits in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, while Neftekhimik now trails the playoff zone by six points.
The action then moves to Kazakhstan, where Sibir is set to face Barys, a team that, despite being an outsider in the East, has proven to be a tough opponent for the Novosibirsk side this season. The visitors have lost two of their four matchups against the Astana franchise. The hosts return home after a crushing 0:8 defeat in Chelyabinsk against Traktor. Vadim Yepanchintsev’s team also fell to Ak Bars on home ice (3:6), but Neftekhimik’s struggles allow them to remain comfortably in the playoff zone with a six-point cushion. Meanwhile, Barys is chasing a milestone—their next victory will be the 500th in KHL history.
The action then moves to the Western Conference, with Severstal welcoming Vityaz. The Moscow Region team has been a tough client to deal with for Severstal this season, with Vitayz winning two of their three head-to-head matchups. The hosts enter this game on a three-game losing streak, having failed to put up a fight against Lokomotiv at home just two days ago. Vityaz, meanwhile, suffered a 3:4 defeat against Torpedo in their previous game, officially losing their chances of making the playoffs. Severstal currently sits in sixth place in the Western Conference, tied with SKA Saint Petersburg at 73 points but with two games in hand.
In Nizhny Novgorod, Avangard faces Torpedo. Avangard remains on fire as they head into the penultimate game of their current road trip. The Hawks are riding a nine-game winning streak, with their latest victory coming on the Black Sea coast against HC Sochi (3:2 OT). With 76 points, Guy Boucher’s squad sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, narrowing the gap to the top four to just four points. Torpedo, meanwhile, secured a 4:3 road win over Vityaz three days ago and firmly holds eighth place in the Western Conference, leading Kunlun Red Star by 11 points. Canadian forward Michael McLeod, who has been recovering from an injury, could make his return soon.
Then, HC Sochi hosts Metallurg. Magnitka heads to the Black Sea coast riding a four-game winning streak. Three days ago, they edged out Lada in extra time (2:1 SO). HC Sochi, meanwhile, picked up a point in their previous game against Avangard (2:3 OT). The team is currently under the guidance of Alexander Titov, who is temporarily filling in for Sergei Zubov, who has stepped away due to family matters.
12:00: Amur (15-39-7, 11th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (40-19-3, 2nd E)
About the game
Amur ends a four-game home series following a loss to Salavat Yulaev on Tuesday ( 3:1).
Salavat Yulaev ends a four-game road trip on a four-match winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 0-3 (0:3, 4:5 ОТ, 1:3).
Amur’s forward Vladislav Barulin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Joshua Leivo is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points.
Injury list
Amur: Devin Brosseau.
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s head coach may celebrate his 150th KHL win.
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Nikita Zorkin lines up for his 200th league appearance.
12:30: Admiral (27-23-11, 7th E) vs Neftekhimik (19-25-17, 9th E)
About the game
Admiral enters the fourth game of a six-match home series following a win over Neftekhimik on Tuesday (1:0).
Neftekhimik ends a six-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
Admiral’s goalie Andrei Mishurov is on an 80:56 shutout streak.
Admiral’s forward Arkady Shestakov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (5+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Admiral: Artyom Chmykhov, Vyacheslav Osnovin.
Neftekhimik: Roman Abrosimov, Alexander Dergachyov, Yegor Korbit, Mikhail Pashnin.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik’s forward Vyacheslav Leshchenko may score his 100th KHL goal (currently at 99).
17:30: Barys (12-42-7, 12th E) vs Sibir (26-25-9, 8th E)
About the game
Barys starts a two-game home series following a loss to Traktor on Sunday (0:8).
Sibir starts a three-game road trip after a defeat to Ak Bars also on Sunday (3:6).
The season series between the two teams is 2-2 (3:1, 0:2, 0:2, 4:3 ОТ).
Injury list
Barys: Nikita Boyarkin, Kirill Savitsky.
Sibir: Fyodor Gordeyev.
Milestone alert
Barys may celebrate its 500th win in the KHL.
Sibir’s forward Alexei Yakovlev lines up for his 300th league appearance.
19:30: Severstal (36-23-1, 6th W) vs Vityaz (21-31-9, 10th W)
About the game
Severstal ends a three-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Vityaz starts a two-game road trip following four straight defeats.
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (0:2, 1:7, 2:1).
Vityaz’s forward Dmitry Buchelnikov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Severstal: Yaroslav Dyblenko, Artyom Shchuchinov.
Vityaz: Ivan Chekhovich, Frederik Gauthier.
Milestone alert
Severstal’s goalie Alexander Samoilov and Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
19:30: Torpedo (30-23-8, 8th W) vs Avangard (36-21-4, 6th E)
About the game
Torpedo starts a two-game home series fresh off a win over Vityaz on Monday (4:3).
Avangard enters the third game of a four-match road trip on a nine-game winning streak.
Avangard’s forward Reid Boucher is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (5+1) points over that span.
Avangard’s forward Konstantin Okulov and defenseman Alex Grant are on an identical three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Torpedo: Mikhail Abramov, Igor Larionov.
Avangard: Sergei Boikov, Emil Galimov, Vladimir Tkachyov.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s defenseman Evgeny Kulik lines up for his 600th KHL game.
19:30: HC Sochi (19-34-7, 11th W) vs Metallurg (38-19-4, 4th E)
About the game
HC Sochi enters the fourth game of a six-match home series on a four-game losing streak.
Metallurg, who defeated HC Sochi earlier this season (4:2), starts a two-game road trip on a four-game winning streak.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Sergei Ivanov.
Metallurg: Vladislav Yeryomenko, Danila Yurov.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s forward Artur Tyanulin may line up for his 200th KHL game.
