Spartak and Traktor face off while HC Sochi hosts Lada in a light KHL Tuesday.
Spartak and Traktor face off again in Moscow, with the Red-and-Whites seeking to rebound from recent losses after an early win over Traktor. HC Sochi and Lada also battle to break tough streaks, with Sochi aiming to continue dominance over the Togliatti side in their Western Conference clash.
After an action-packed Monday, today the stage features only two matches. In Moscow, Spartak faces Traktor for the second time, with the first clash finishing with the Red-and-Whites claiming a 5:3 victory on Sept. 21, in a game that saw defensemen score six out of eight total goals. Spartak didn’t have a great start despite defeating Traktor, and is now on the edge of the playoff zone, but the season is still young. After the win in Chelyabinsk, the Muscovites lost twice in a row, to Metallurg (2:3 OT) and the Shanghai Dragons (1:3), respectively. The Chelyabinsk side only played once after that game in Moscow, celebrating a nice home win over Avangard (5:1). today, Traktor starts a four-game road trip in good shape, with four wins in its last five matches.
19:30: Spartak (3-3-3, 8th W) vs Traktor (5-2-2, 4th E)
About the game
Spartak, who defeated Traktor earlier this season (5:3), enters the second game of a six-match home series on a two-game losing streak.
Traktor starts a four-game road trip fresh off a win over Avangard on Thursday (5:1).
Traktor’s forward Joshua Leivo is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that span.
Traktor’s defenseman Grigory Dronov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points.
Injury list
Spartak: Dmitry Vishnevsky.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s forward Nikita Korostelyov may score his 100th KHL goal (currently at 99).
Spartak’s goalie Dmitry Nikolayev may reach 10 league shutouts.
In the second game of the match day, HC Sochi and Lada will seek a return to victory with both sides struggling lately. Just like the Spartak vs Traktor pair, the two sides already met this season, with HC Sochi claiming an extra time win (5:4 SO) only on Wednesday. Moreover, the Black Sea franchise defeated Lada in the last seven clashes between the two teams, who are currently sitting in second-last and last place in the Western Conference table, respectively. The Togliatti side is now in a long losing streak, and is still seeking its first win under its new head coach, who so far hasn’t been able to change the team’s fate.
19:30: HC Sochi (3-4-1, 10th W) vs Lada (1-7-1, 11th W)
About the game
HC Sochi, who defeated Lada earlier this season (5:4 SO), is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost to SKA on Saturday (2:4).
Lada is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost its previous eight matches.
Lada’s forward Dmitry Kugryshev had at least an assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling four helpers.
Lada’s forward Andrei Chivilyov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Amir Garayev, Danil Mokrushev.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi plays its 700th game in the KHL.
