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Traktor aiming to halt Avangard’s flight in high-stakes Eastern battle
The KHL matchday features three key games starting in the Far East, where Amur hosts CSKA. In Chelyabinsk, Traktor looks to halt Avangard’s six-game winning streak in a tight Eastern Conference clash. The day closes in Astana with Barys facing Ak Bars, both aiming to bounce back from tough recent outings. Each game carries high stakes early in the season for playoff positioning.
Once again, the matchday starts in the Far East, where Amur welcomes CSKA. The Tigers had a decent start of the season, but then run into three straight losses, including two against Sibir. Today, Amur ends a five-game home series against CSKA, following a loss to Dynamo Moscow on Monday (1:3). The Tigers struggled to produce in the offensive zone, with only four goals in the last three games, with three of these tallies coming in the 3:4 SO against Sibir on Sept. 17. After three straight losses, CSKA returned to win with a 5:4 victory over Admiral, with Rhett Gardner netting his first KHL goal with less than two minutes to the final hooter. Today’s game will be an important one for both teams, each with different stories, but equally seeking a win. However, Amur celebrated its latest home win over CSKA in 2020, when the Tigers posted a 4:3 win on Jan. 31. After today’s game, the Muscovites will fly back home.
Next up is Traktor facing Avangard. The Hawks are flying high with six consecutive wins, while Traktor lost to Spartak on Sunday after winning three straight games. This means that Avangard enters today’s game in excellent shape, while the hosts will try to halt the Hawks’ winning streak while returning to victory. The teams are currently the third and second seed in the Eastern Conference, respectively, and thus even if the season is still young the stakes will be high in Chelyabinsk.
Closing a light KHL matchday is a showdown between Barys and Ak Bars in Astana. The Kazakhs didn’t have their best game on Sunday in Minsk, losing only 0:1 in extra time to Dinamo, but establishing a KHL negative record for the fewest shots in a single game, with just eight attempts. Head coach Mikhail Kravets will be looking for a better offensive performance as Ak Bars comes to Kazakhstan after a heavy home defeat to Avangard on Sunday (1:6). Both sides aren’t in their best moment, so both will be trying to bounce back – and Barys will have a chance to do so in front of a home crowd despite losing its last nine games to Ak Bars.
12:15: Amur (2-3-2) vs CSKA (4-3-1)
About the game
Amur ends a five-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
CSKA ends a three-game road trip after defeating Admiral on Tuesday (5:4).
CSKA’s forward Daniel Sprong is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that span.
CSKA’s forward Denis Guryanov is on a four-game scoring streak instead, with 4 (3+1) points.
Injury list
Amur: Evgeny Svechnikov.
CSKA: Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev, Maxim Sorkin.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s forward Kirill Dolzhenov lines up for his 100th league appearance.
CSKA’s forward Nikolai Kovalenko may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
17:00: Traktor (4-2-2) vs Avangard (6-1-0)
About the game
Traktor ends a three-game home series after losing to Spartak on Sunday (3:5).
Avangard enters the third game of a four-match road trip on a six-game winning streak.
Avangard’s forward Andrew Poturalski is on a five-game scoring streak, with 10 (3+7) points over that span.
Avangard’s forward Nikolai Prokhorkin had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Avangard: Nail Yakupov.
Disqualifications
Traktor’s defenseman Fyodor Kroshchinsky serves a one-game ban.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Semyon Der-Arguchintsev may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 98).
Traktor’s defenseman Grigory Dronov may record his 100th league assist (currently at 99).
Avangard’s forward Konstantin Okulov may reach 450 points in the league (currently at 449).
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may line up for his 300th league appearance and record his 20th KHL shutout.
17:30: Barys (3-3-1) vs Ak Bars (2-4-1)
About the game
Barys starts a four-game home series on a three-game losing streak.
Ak Bars starts a three-game road trip following a loss to Avangard on Sunday (1:6).
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Barabanov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Barys: Alikhan Asetov, Nikita Boyarkin, Tamirlan Gaitamirov, Ivan Nikolishin, Roman Starchenko, Tyce Thompson.
Ak Bars: Albert Yarullin.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ defenseman Ilya Karpukhin may score his 100th career point (currently at 99).
Ak Bars’ goalie Mikhail Berdin may line up for his 100th league appearance.
Ak Bars’ head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin may celebrate his 250th win in the KHL.
