Second Green Derby of the season, five games scheduled for today
Five games are on tap on an exciting KHL Tuesday after yesterday’s two games. The center stage in the Eastern Conference will be taken by the second Green Derby of the season between Salavat Yulaev and Ak Bars, while Barys faces Sibir and Traktor clashes with Avangard. Then, in the West, Dinamo Minsk seeks a return to victory against Torpedo, while the Shanghai Dragons host Dynamo Moscow in an exciting game between two sides in excellent form.
The match day starts in Astana, where Barys welcomes Sibir as the teams face for the third time this season, with the sides trading wins so far. The club is currently on a downward trend in both form and standings, struggling to secure points against conference rivals and losing five games in a row. However, despite the setback, the few points gathered in extra time games allowed Barys to remain in the playoffs zone, yet the team will have to do much better to retain a spot in the Eastern Conference top eight. Sibir has been in a slightly better form, with two wins – both after SO – in the last five matches. Goal scoring remains a challenge in regulation for Sibir, with only one game above two goals scored in this streak. Today’s game will be key for both sides, with the Kazakhs entering the match with five straight home series over Sibir. The Novosibirsk side will fly back home after today’s clash, where they will play the next four games – a key stretch for Sibir and its playoff hopes.
17:00: Barys (5-7-3, 7th E) vs Sibir (6-7-0, 10th E)
About the game
Barys enters the second game of a five-match home series on a five-game losing streak.
Sibir ends a three-game road trip following an extra-time win over Neftekhimik on Sunday (3:2 SO).
The teams traded wins this season so far (6:4, 0:1 SO).
Barys’ defenseman Reilly Walsh is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that stretch.
Barys’ forward Semyon Simonov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Barys: Alikhan Asetov, Nikita Boyarkin.
Sibir: David Farrance.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Vladislav Kara may reach 100 points in the KHL (currently at 98).
Sibir’s head coach Vladislav Butsayev celebrates his 450th game in the league.
Then, the second Green Derby of the season will take place. In the first edition, in Kazan, Ak Bars celebrated a 3:1 win. However, Salavat Yulaev won the last eight home games against the Kazan side. The key figure of the game will most likely be Alexander Chmelevsky. The forward returns to Ufa after leaving the team in late September to join Ak Bars in a trade that also saw defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk moving to the Bashkortostan capital. Today’s game may be a good chance for the forward to net his first goal with his new jersey. Salavat Yulaev enters today’s derby after two losses in Moscow, to Dynamo (1:4) and Spartak (1:2). Ak Bars is instead on a four-win run and will try to stretch its winning streak to return to the top four places of the Eastern Conference’s table.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (3-7-2, 11th E) vs Ak Bars (8-5-1, 5th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev plays the lone home game of the series on a two-match losing streak.
Ak Bars, who defeated Salavat Yulaev earlier this season (3:1), enters the second game of a four-match road trip on a four-game winning streak.
Ak Bars’ defenseman Mitchell Miller is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ defenseman Nikita Lyamkin is also on a four-game scoring streak, but with 4 (1+3) points.
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Pyotr Khokhryakov, Gleb Kuzmin, Dean Stewart.
Ak Bars: Albert Yarullin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Alexander Khokhlachyov may reach 200 KHL assists (currently at 198), while defenseman Alexei Vasilevsky may reach 100 (currently at 99).
In the last Eastern game of the day, Traktor faces Avangard with the team being at the second showdown this season. On Sept. 25, a double by Joshua Leivo lifted Traktor to a 5:1 home win. Recently, Traktor halted a three-game skid when the team celebrated two straight victories, against Barys (3:2 OT) and Lokomotiv (3:1), respectively, and the Black-and-Whites are currently the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Right above Traktor in the standings is Avangard – today’s opposition. The Hawks just celebrated a triumphal 5:1 road win against Metallurg, with two powerplay goals coming from defenseman Maxim Lajoie.
17:00: Traktor (7-4-4, 4th E) vs Avangard (10-4-0, 3rd E)
About the game
Traktor, who defeated Avangard earlier this season (5:1), enters the third game of a four-match home series following two straight wins.
Avangard enters the third game of a four-match road trip after defeating Metallurg on Sunday (5:1).
Avangard’s forward Nikolai Prokhorkin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Avangard: Nail Yakupov.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Andrei Svetlakov may net his 100th league tally (currently at 99).
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may record his 20th KHL shutout.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for two games, starting with Dinamo Minsk hosting Torpedo. It will be the second clash of the two teams this season, with the Belarusians claiming a 3:2 win on Sept. 24, with Vitaly Pinchuk netting a hat-trick for the Bison. However, Dinamo Minsk just lost twice in a row to the Shanghai Dragons, slipping down in the standings and getting out of the top four. Torpedo is higher in the Western Conference’s table after returning to victory against Barys on Sunday (5:3) following two straight losses to Metallurg (1:5, 1:4). With both teams playing an open, offensive style of hockey, it’s expected that the fans at the Minsk Arena will be treated with goals and emotions.
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (7-4-2, 6th W) vs Torpedo (9-6-1, 2nd W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk starts a two-game home series following two consecutive losses to the Shanghai Dragons.
Torpedo ends a three-game road trip after defeating Barys on Sunday (5:3).
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Yegor Borikov.
After two straight victories over Dinamo Minsk, the Shanghai Dragons face Dynamo Moscow in great shape with four wins in the last five matches. However, earlier in the season, the Blue-and-Whites defeated the Chinese Franchise, albeit in extra time (3:2 OT), and they never achieved a home win over Dynamo Moscow at the KHL level. This means that it won’t be an easy game for the Dragons, despite their recent form. The Blue-and-Whites are equally in strong shape, with four consecutive wins and they will try to get the ball rolling in St. Petersburg.
19:30: Shanghai Dragons (8-3-2, 3rd W) vs Dynamo Moscow (8-4-1, 5th W)
About the game
The Shanghai Dragons enter the third game of a four-match home series following two straight wins.
Dynamo Moscow starts a two-game road trip on a four-match winning streak.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Maxime Comtois is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that stretch.
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Daniil Pylenkov had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Shanghai Dragons: Parker Foo, Jeremy Groleau, Riley Sutter.
Dynamo Moscow: Maxim Mamin, Artyom Mikheyev.
