October ignites KHL action with six key games
October starts with a blast as the KHL opens with six thrilling matchups across both conferences. Avangard begins a home stand hosting Admiral, while Salavat Yulaev faces off against Sibir in a battle between struggling sides. Avtomobilist meets Amur amid injuries, and Barys hosts Lokomotiv with playoff spots on the line. In the West, Dinamo Minsk aims to extend its winning streak against Severstal, and SKA looks to rebound versus Torpedo.
The first match day of the new month starts in Omsk, where Avangard faces Admiral as the Hawks start a three-game home stand after a 5:2 road win against Salavat Yulaev. After losing to Traktor two games ago, Avangard lost the leadership in the Eastern Conference, now led by Metallurg. The Sailors will try hard to revert the trend as they are now on a three-game losing streak, with defeats coming in games against Dynamo Moscow (3:4 SO), CSKA (4:5), and Barys (0:3), respectively. The Eastern Conference’s standings are pretty packed, and Admiral is currently the ninth seed, but tied at eight points with several other teams.
16:30: Avangard (7-2-0, 3rd E) vs Admiral
About the game
Avangard starts a three-game home series fresh off a win in Ufa on Saturday (5:2).
Admiral enters the second game of a four-match road trip in a three-game losing streak.
Avangard’s defenseman Semyon Chistyakov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that span.
Avangard’s forward Ivan Igumnov is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Avangard: Nail Yakupov.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may record his 20th league shutout.
After their loss to Avangard on Saturday, Salavat Yulaev will be looking for a return to victory in a home game against Sibir. The two sides already met this season, only last week, with Sibir celebrating a 3:2 SO victory with former Ufa forward Scott Wilson netting the decisive shootout attempt. It has been a difficult season so far for Salavat Yulaev, who just lost leading forward Alexander Chmelevsky to Ak Bars – the team has only four points and sits in last place in the Eastern Conference’s tables. Sibir had just one regulation win this season so far, and will be looking for a win after losing to Barys (4:6) and Metallurg (3:4). After today’s match, the team will fly back to Novosibirsk.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (1-5-2, 11th E) vs Sibir (4-5-0, 10th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous six matches.
Sibir, who defeated Salavat Yulaev earlier in the season (3:2 SO), ends a three-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Sibir’s defenseman Chase Priskie had an assist in each of his previous five matches.
Sibir’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Oleg Kuzmin, Alexei Pimenov.
Sibir: Andrei Churkin, David Farrance, Ivan Klimovich.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev plays its 1,200th game in the KHL.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Denis Yan may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Alexei Vasilevsky may record his 100th assist in the league (currently at 99).
In the meantime, injury-plagued Avtomobilist faces Amur. The Tigers start a five-game road trip that will see them far from home for a while, coming off strong after a shutout, 2:0 win over CSKA in their latest home game. The Motormen had finally halted a three-game losing streak on Monday, when they posted a 4:1 home win over Ak Bars with a strong performance from defenseman Jesse Blacker and 35 saves from Evgeny Alikin. Both teams will be seeking for points as they will want to cement their playoffs positioning.
17:00: Avtomobilist (5-4-1, 5th E) vs Amur (3-3-2, 8th E)
About the game
Avtomobilist ends a two-game home series following a win over Ak Bars on Monday (4:1).
Amur starts a five-game road trip fresh off a win over CSKA on Thursday (2:0).
Amur’s goalie Maxim Dorozhko is on a 68:10 shutout streak.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Stephane Da Costa, Brooks Macek, Maxim Osipov, Nikita Tryamkin, Curtis Valk, Sergei Zborovsky.
Amur: Evgeny Svechnikov.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s forward Alexander Sharov may reach 300 KHL points (currently at 298).
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa may record his 300th league assist (currently at 298).
Another team with injury problems is Barys. The Kazakhs will enter today’s game with five players sitting on injury list, but found new forces in American goalie Adam Scheel, who stopped 26 shots on Monday to record his first KHL shutout as Barys got the best of Admiral (2:0). It was Barys’ second consecutive win on home ice after defeating Sibir on Saturday (6:4). The Astana side also showed excellent discipline, ending the game without penalties. Today, however, it will be harder, with Gagarin Cup champs Lokomotiv paying a visit to the Kazakh capital. The Railwaymen are in excellent shape and collected four wins in their last five matches, only losing to Dinamo Minsk in extra time on Monday (2:3 SO).
17:00: Barys (5-4-1, 6th E) vs Lokomotiv (7-1-2, 1st W)
About the game
Barys ends a four-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Lokomotiv is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Dinamo Minsk on Monday (2:3 SO).
Barys’ goalie Adam Scheel is on a 108:16 shutout streak.
Barys’ forward Mason Morelli is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Barys: Alikhan Asetov, Nikita Boyarkin, Ivan Nikolishin, Roman Starchenko, Tyce Thompson.
Lokomotiv: Daniil Tesanov.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s defenseman Andrei Sergeyev may reach 300 career points (currently at 297).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10th KHL shutout.
The action then moves to the Western Conference. After defeating table-topping Lokomotiv, Dinamo Minsk has a second showdown against Severstal today, following a 4:2 win last week. The Belarusians are now on a four-game winning streak, having won all the matches in their season opening home series, and are one of the hottest teams in the league. The Cherepovets side didn’t play after the loss to the Bison, and will return to games today after five days, following two consecutive losses. Dmitry Kvartalnov’s possible milestone might add a further layer of motivation to the home side.
19:30: Dinamo Minsk (6-1-2, 3rd W) vs Severstal (4-5-0, 10th W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk, who defeated Severstal earlier in the season (4:2), enters the fifth game of a six-match home series on a four-match winning streak.
Severstal enters the fourth game of a six-match road trip following two straight losses.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vitaly Pinchuk is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Severstal: Thomas Gregoire, Adam Liska, Artyom Shchuchinov, Konstantin Shostak.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s head coach Andrei Kvartalnov may celebrate his 600th KHL win.
Severstal’s forward Nikolai Chebykin may reach 100 points in the league (currently at 98).
In the final game of today, SKA faces Torpedo for the third time this season. The Nizhny Novgorod side defeated SKA both times (3:2 OT, 5:2), and today Igor Larionov will try to collect his first win over his former team. The two sides met on Monday, when a double by Vladislav Firstov and a couple of helpers from Rob Nardella helped Torpedo celebrate a well-deserved win in St. Petersburg. Torpedo is currently the second seed in the Western Conference, and will try to increase its advantage over its direct rivals. After today’s game, the team will fly back home, where they will play the next three games.
19:30: SKA (5-3-1, 6th W) vs Torpedo (7-2-1, 2nd W)
About the game
SKA ends a two-game home series following a loss to Torpedo on Monday (2:5).
Torpedo, who defeated the St. Petersburg side twice this season (3:2 OT, 5:2), ends a two-game road trip and most recently defeated SKA.
SKA’s forward Valentin Zykov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
SKA: Andrei Pedan, Vladislav Romanov, Nikita Zaitsev, Ivan Zinchenko.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Alexei Kruchinin may net his 100th KHL tally (currently at 99).
