Third showdown between Metallurg and Ak Bars
Saturday’s KHL action includes six exciting matchups, with Metallurg Magnitogorsk hosting Ak Bars, Salavat Yulaev taking on Avangard, and Barys facing Sibir. In the West, HC Sochi hosts SKA, while Torpedo aims to recover at home against Neftekhimik, closing a high-stakes, action-packed day.
Metallurg is one of the top teams in the league so far, still undefeated in regulation, and Magnitka faces Ak Bars for the third time this season. The Magnitogorsk franchise prevailed in the first two clashes, with 4:3 SO and 6:3 scores, respectively. Today, it won’t be easy, since Ak Bars gained some pace, winning two of its last three games, against Barys and Salavat Yulaev. In KHL history, the teams faced off 78 times, with the cumulative result perfectly balanced with 39 wins to each side. Recently, Ak Bars acquired star forward Alexander Chmelevsky from Salavat Yulaev in exchange for import defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk and monetary compensation, but it’s unknown whether he’ll be on the ice today for his first game with the Kazan jersey.
In the meantime, Salavat Yulaev hosts Avangard. After six straight wins, the Hawks fallen to Traktor, who handed them a 1:5 defeat – Avangard’s second loss this season. The Omsk franchise will thus travel to Ufa looking for a quick rebound, with Salavat Yulaev, who only won once this season – a 3:2 OT win in Magnitogorsk on Sept. 8 – and then collected five straight losses. One of them was against Avangard, who celebrated an extra time win in Omsk on Sept. 17 (3:2 OT). After today’s game, Avangard will fly back home.
Another team seeking a return to victory is Barys. On Thursday, goalie Adam Scheel had a strong debut with 30 saves, but his solid goaltending wasn’t enough as the Kazakhs only scored once to Kazan’s Timur Bilyalov and Ak Bars celebrated a 2:1 win – it was the fourth straight loss for Barys. Today, the opposition is Sibir, who starts a road trip after a 3:2 SO win against Salavat Yulaev on Wednesday and three wins in its last four matches. Today’s game is a must-win for both sides, who need points to facilitate their playoffs push. Yesterday, the Kazakh side announced to have agreed terms with Canadian defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for two games. After celebrating a win in Togliatti, HC Sochi travels back home to face SKA. After failing to score in two consecutive games, the Vladimir Krikunov’s team scored four times in Togliatti in regulation before winning the game with a Troy Joseph’s shootout (5:4 SO). The St. Petersburg franchise won four games in a row, but lost to Avangard in a high-stakes home game on Tuesday (2:4).
Closing an exciting match day is Torpedo facing Neftekhimik. After six straight wins, the Nizhny Novgorod side lost to games in a row, to the Shanghai Dragons (0:1 OT) and Dinamo Minsk (2:3), respectively. The team returns home to try bouncing back after the disappointing results, facing Neftekhimik. The Tatarstan franchise defeated Avtomobilist twice on Sunday and Wednesday (4:1, 5:2), and is now the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Even if the season is still young, the Wolves are in a good position.
14:30: Metallurg (6-0-2) vs Ak Bars (3-4-1)
About the game
Metallurg, who defeated Ak Bars twice this season (4:3 SO, 6:3), enters the fourth game of a five-match home series on a five-game winning streak.
Ak Bars is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Barys on Thursday (2:1).
Metallurg’s forward Dmitry Silantyev is on a six-game scoring streak, with 10 (5+5) points over that span.
Metallurg’s forward Roman Kantserov is also on a six-game scoring streak, but with 7 (3+4) points.
Metallurg’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Metallurg’s forward Daniil Vovchenko is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Barabanov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that stretch.
Ak Bars’ forward Vladimir Alistrov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Albert Yarullin.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov may reach 400 KHL points (currently at 396).
Ak Bars’ defenseman Ilya Karpukhin may score his 100th league point.
Ak Bars’ goalie Mikhail Berdin may line up for his 100th league appearance.
14:30: Salavat Yulaev (1-4-2) vs Avangard (6-2-0)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev starts a three-game home series on a five-match losing streak.
Avangard, who defeated Salavat Yulaev earlier in the season (3:2 OT), ends a four-game road trip following a loss to Traktor on Thursday (1:5).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Maxim Kuznetsov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Artyom Pimenov, Dean Stewart.
Avangard: Nail Yakupov.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Denis Yan may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Andrei Vasilevsky may record his 100th career assist (currently at 99).
Avangard’s forward Konstantin Okulov may reach 450 league points (currently at 449).
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may record his 20th KHL shutout.
15:00: Barys (3-4-1) vs Sibir (4-3-0)
About the game
Barys enters the second game of a four-match home series on a four-game losing streak.
Sibir starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over Salavat Yulaev on Wednesday (3:2 SO).
Sibir’s defenseman Charlie Priskie had an assist in each of his previous four matches.
Injury list
Barys: Alikhan Asetov, Nikita Boyarkin, Tamirlan Gaitamirov, Ivan Nikolishin, Roman Starchenko, Tyce Thompson.
Sibir: Andrei Churkin, David Farrance, Ivan Klimovich.
17:00: HC Sochi (3-3-1) vs SKA (4-2-1)
About the game
HC Sochi starts a three-game home series fresh off a win over Lada on Wednesday (5:4 SO).
SKA plays the lone road game of the series following a loss to Avangard on Tuesday (2:4).
SKA’s defenseman Brennan Menell is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points over that span.
SKA’s defenseman Sergei Sapego had an assist in each of his previous four matches.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Amir Garayev.
SKA: Andrei Pedan, Vladislav Romanov, Nikita Zaitsev, Ivan Zinchenko.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s forward Rafael Bikmullin lines up for his 300th league appearance.
17:00: Torpedo (6-1-1) vs Neftekhimik (5-3-0)
About the game
Torpedo plays the lone home game of the series on a two-match losing streak.
Neftekhimik starts a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Neftekhimik’s forward Evgeny Mityakin is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 9 (5+4) points over that span.
Neftekhimik’s forward Danil Yurtaikin is on a five-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Alexander Dergachyov, Nikita Khoruzhev, Maxim Sushko.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Vasily Atanasov may score his 100th career point (currently at 99).
Torpedo’s forward Alexander Kruchinin may net his 100th league tally (currently at 99).
