Last Far East derby; Dinamo Minsk eyes tenth straight win
The matchday starts in the Far East with the last local derby of the season, then Avangard hosts Torpedo and Neftekhimik faces Dynamo Moscow in the East. In the Western Conference, Dinamo Minsk seeks its tenth straight win in St. Petersburg, while HC Sochi clashes with Kunlun Red Star.
It will be a busy matchday in the KHL on Tuesday, starting with the last Far East derby of the season between Admiral and Amur. So far, Admiral swept the series with five straight wins. The Sailors just faced Neftekhimik twice, with the teams trading wins (1:0, 2:3). Admiral is yet to book a ticket for the postseason but still has an eight-point cushion over Neftekhimik. Amur, who lost its last couple of games, have already lost any chance and currently sit in penultimate position in the Eastern Conference’s standings.
Then, in Omsk, Avangard faces Torpedo. The Hawks are on an incredible eleven-game winning streak, and will start today a short homestand as they try to finish strong to achieve a spot in the Eastern top four – the third place is just two points above in the standings. Torpedo has recently booked its ticket for the postseason – the last team in the West to do so and start a three-game road trip fresh off a home win over Spartak on Saturday (3:0). Both teams’ starting goalies are on a shutout streak, and goaltending will be key in this exciting matchup.
In the last game in the Eastern Conference today, Neftekhimik must secure a home win over Dynamo Moscow to keep its postseason hopes alive. The Wolves enter the game after a road win in Vladivostok, a win that allowed them to get an inch closer to the playoffs line, although there’s still Sibir ahead. The Blue-and-Whites move to Neftekhimik on a five-game winning streak and retained their second spot in the Western Conference’s standings. It will be the second meeting between the two sides this season, with Dynamo Moscow taking the early win.
Then, in St. Petersburg, SKA faces Dinamo Minsk with the Belarusians eyeing a tenth straight win. The Bison are in hot form, but SKA can now boast two consecutive wins, against CSKA (3:2 OT) and Metallurg (4:2) respectively. Six points separate the teams on the standings, with Dinamo Minsk currently being in fourth place in the Conference’s table, and SKA sitting in the seventh spot. It will be the fourth meeting between the two teams this season, and the Bison are currently up 2-1 in the series. Dinamo Minsk will start today a three-game road trip.
A showdown between HC Sochi and Kunlun Red Star wraps up an exciting KHL matchday. Both sides won’t be able to qualify for the postseason, but this doesn’t mean that they won’t be seeking a win. It’ll be the sixth encounter between the teams this season, with HC Sochi leading 3-2 in the season series so far. The Black Sea franchise will try to please the home crowd and return to victory after six straight losses, while the Dragons will try to bounce back after a recent loss in Minsk.
12:30: Admiral (27-24-11, 7th E) vs Amur (15-39-8, 11th E)
About the game
Admiral enters the fifth game of a six-match home series following a loss to Neftekhimik on Thursday (2:3).
Amur starts a two-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
The season series between the two teams is 5-0 (5:0, 5:3, 6:4, 4:1, 2:1 ОТ).
Amur’s forward Vladislav Barulin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Amur’s forward Devin Brosseau is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Injury list
Admiral: Artyom Chmykhov, Vyacheslav Osnovin.
Amur: Devin Brosseau.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s forward Stepan Starkov lines up for his 300th league appearance, while Amur’s defenseman Yefim Gurkin reaches 600.
16:30: Avangard (38-21-4, 6th E) vs Torpedo (31-24-8, 8th W)
About the game
Avangard, who defeated Torpedo earlier this season (3:2), starts a two-game home series on an eleven-match winning streak.
Torpedo starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over Spartak on Saturday (3:0).
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov is on an 87:47 shutout streak.
Avangard’s defenseman Semyon Chistyakov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Torpedo’s goalie Ivan Kulbakov is on a 76:39 shutout streak.
Injury list
Avangard: Sergei Boikov, Emil Galimov, Vladimir Tkachyov.
Torpedo: Mikhail Abramov, Igor Larionov.
19:30: Neftekhimik (20-25-17, 9th E) vs Dynamo Moscow (39-18-5, 2nd W)
About the game
Neftekhimik plays the lone home game of the series following a win over Admiral on Thursday (3:2).
Dynamo Moscow, who defeated Neftekhimik earlier this season (5:4 SO), starts a three-game road trip on a five-match winning streak.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Igor Ozhiganov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Roman Abrosimov, Alexander Dergachyov, Yegor Korbit, Mikhail Pashnin.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik’s forward Vyacheslav Leshchenko may net his 100th KHL tally (currently at 99).
19:30: HC Sochi (19-36-7. 11th W) vs Kunlun Red Star (27-32-5, 9th W)
About the game
HC Sochi wraps up a six-game home series on a six-match losing streak.
Kunlun Red Star enters the ninth game of a ten-match road trip following a loss to Dinamo Minsk on Sunday (2:4).
The season series between the two teams is 3-2 (4:0, 6:5 ОТ, 3:5, 4:2, 2:5).
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Lucas Lockhart is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Sergei Ivanov.
Kunlun Red Star: Parker Foo.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s forward Artur Tyanulin may line up for his 200th league appearance.
19:30: SKA (35-23-5, 7th W) vs Dinamo Minsk (37-18-7, 4th W)
About the game
SKA is in the middle of a three-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
Dinamo Minsk starts a three-game road trip on a nine-match winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (3:0, 2:4, 1:2).
SKA’s forward Arseny Gritsyuk is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that span.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vadim Shipachyov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points.
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Jordan Gross is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Yegor Borikov and defenseman Rob Hamilton had an assist in each of their last three matches.
Injury list
SKA: Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Dinamo Minsk: Nikita Pyshkaylo.
Disqualifications
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Alexander Volkov serves a one-game ban.
Milestone alert
SKA’s forward Sergei Tolchinsky may net his 100th KHL goal (currently at 99).
