Avangard faces Lokomotiv, CSKA takes on Metallurg in a busy KHL Thursday
The new matchday features six games, starting with a heavyweight clash between East leader Avangard and West-topping Lokomotiv. Ak Bars hosts Amur hoping to rebound in Kazan, while Spartak and SKA renew their heated rivalry. Torpedo welcomes Severstal with offense on display, Sochi meets Admiral on the Black Sea shore, and CSKA takes on in-form Metallurg to close out a high-stakes KHL evening.
After collecting a road win in Astana (5:1), Lokomotiv travels north to Omsk, where the Railwaymen will meet one of the league’s hottest teams. After falling to Traktor last Thursday, the Hawks celebrated two straight wins against Salavat Yulaev (5:2) and Admiral (6:1), and today’s game promises to be a crucial one due to the level of the competition and the stakes, with both sides being on the top of their conference. After today’s game, Lokomotiv will fly back to Yaroslavl, where the Railwaymen will face SKA just to have another short road trip right after that game. Avangard, instead, will face Avtomobilist twice in its next couple of games.
16:30: Avangard (8-2-0, 1st E) vs Lokomotiv (8-1-2, 1st W)
About the game
Avangard enters the second game of a four-match home series on a two-game winning streak.
Lokomotiv ends a three-game road trip after defeating Barys on Wednesday (5:1).
Avangard’s defenseman Semyon Chistyakov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Avangard: Nail Yakupov.
Lokomotiv: Daniil Tesanov.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may celebrate his 20th league shutout, while Lokomotiv’s Alexei Melnikov may reach 10.
Lokomotiv’s forward Georgy Ivanov lines up for his 500th KHL appearance.
In the other Eastern Conference game of the night, Ak Bars welcomes Amur as the Kazan side starts a three-game home stand. Ak Bars’ season has been disappointing so far, and after two consecutive wins over Barys (2:1) and Metallurg (4:3), the team suffered again from a loss in a road game in Yekaterinburg, with the game being its sixth defeat in just ten games. The Motormen also handed Amur a loss in the Tigers’ last game, again in Yekaterinbug. Despite an early goal by Ignat Korotkikh, Avtomobilist collected a 3:1 home win. Amur is currently the eighth seed in the East and will be seeking points to improve its positioning in the conference’s table.
19:00: Ak Bars (4-5-1, 7th E) vs Amur (3-4-2, 8th E)
About the game
Ak Bars starts a three-game home series after losing to Avtomobilist on Monday (1:4).
Amur enters the second game of a five-match road trip also after a loss to Avtomobilist, on Wednesday (1:3).
Injury list
Ak Bars: Albert Yarullin.
Amur: Evgeny Svechnikov.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Chmelevsky may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
The action then moves to the Western Conference with a classic rivalry matchup between Spartak and SKA. The games between these two sides are always heated and emotions should be through the roof today as well. Spartak just returned to winning games with a 6:3 home victory against Traktor after two straight losses, while SKA lost twice in a row to Torpedo (2:5, 2:3 OT). In KHL history, SKA has 48 wins against only 24 for Spartak. Only one point separates the two teams in the Western Conference’s standings. It will be Nikolai Goldobin’s first game in Moscow against Spartak after the forward moved from the Red-and-Whites organization to SKA this summer. Several other players who lined up for both sides will add an extra layer of excitement to the clash.
19:00: Spartak (4-3-3, 7th W) vs SKA (5-3-2, 5th W)
About the game
Spartak enters the third game of a six-match home series following a 6:3 win over Traktor on Tuesday (6:3).
SKA starts a three-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
SKA’s forward Nikolai Goldobin had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Injury list
Spartak: Dmitry Vishnevsky.
SKA: Andrei Pedan, Vladislav Romanov, Nikita Zaitsev, Ivan Zinchenko.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s goalie Dmitry Nikolayev may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
Then, Torpedo faces Severstal. The Nizhny Novgorod side collected two consecutive wins over SKA after losing its previous three matches and climbed up to second place in the Western Conference. Severstal just traded wins with Dinamo Minsk in a double confrontation between September and October, with the Bison claiming the first game and Severstal celebrating a 5:2 road win in the second match, with Danil Aimurzin finally netting his first of the season. Today’s game promises to be an exciting matchup, with two offensive teams who will be willing to play offensive hockey. On top of that. Severstal won its last five games in Nizhny Novgorod.
19:00: Torpedo (8-2-1, 2nd W) vs Severstal (5-5-0, 8th W)
About the game
Torpedo starts a three-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Severstal enters the fifth game of a six-match road trip following a win over Dinamo Minsk on Wednesday (5:1).
Injury list
Severstal: Thomas Gregoire, Adam Liska, Andrei Shchuchinov, Konstantin Shostak.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s defenseman Vladimir Zhuravlyov lines up for his 300th league appearance.
Torpedo’s forward Alexei Kruchinin may net his 100th KHL tally (currently at 99).
Severstal’s forward Nikolai Chebykin may reach 100 career points (currently at 98).
On the Black Sea shore, HC Sochi will seek another win as today the team faces Admiral. Sochi won two of its last three matches, but both victories came against Lada. The Sailors will be a much tougher opposition, even if Admiral is on a cold streak, with four consecutive losses, with only one goal scored in its last two games. Today, the Sailors will be looking for a return to win.
19:30: HC Sochi (4-4-1, 9th W) vs Admiral (3-4-2, 9th E)
About the game
HC Sochi ends a three-game home series following a win over Lada on Tuesday (4:0).
Admiral enters the third game of a four-match road trip on a four-game losing streak.
HC Sochi’s goalie Pavel Khomchenko is on a 60:16 shutout streak.
HC Sochi’s forward Pavel Tyanulin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that stretch.
HC Sochi’s forward Jean-Christophe Beaudin is equally on a three-game scoring streak, but with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Danil Mokrushev, Igor Shvyryov.
Admiral: Ostap Safin.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s goalie Pavel Khomchenko may record his 10th KHL shutout.
Finally, CSKA welcomes Metallurg in another exciting matchup. It will be the second clash between the two sides this season, with Magnitka claiming a 5:4 win on home soil on Sept. 21. CSKA’s season has been a roller coaster so far, but now the Muscovites have two wins in three matches, and will be on the lookout to build a winning streak with today’s game. Metallurg is one of the hottest teams in the league, and has four wins in its last five matches as the team starts a road trip today. Most recently, the Magnitogorsk side signed Evgeny Kuznetsov to a one-year deal, but the forward, who lined up last year for SKA, won’t be joining the team in the road trip, practicing at home to gain game pace.
19:30: CSKA (5-4-1, 6th W) vs Metallurg (7-1-2, 2nd E)
About the game
CSKA is in the middle of a three-game home series and defeated Lada on Sunday (7:2).
Metallurg, who defeated CSKA earlier this season (5:4), starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over Sibir on Monday (4:3).
Metallurg’s forward Dmitry Silantyev is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 14 (6+8) points over that span.
Metallurg’s forward Roman Kantserov is also on an eight-game scoring streak, but with 10 (5+5) points.
Metallurg’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov had at least an assist in each of his previous five games, totaling six helpers.
Metallurg’s defenseman Alexei Maklyukov had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
CSKA: Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s defenseman Vladislav Provolnev lines up for his 500th league appearance.
CSKA’s forward Nikolai Kovalenko may record his 100th KHL assist (currently at 99).
Metallurg’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov may reach 400 points in the KHL (currently at 398).
