The match day starts in Novosibirsk, with Sibir taking on Ak Bars as the teams meet for the first time this season. Sibir confirmed to be a strong side on the shootouts, with three wins in the last five matches – all after postgame shootout, over Barys (twice, 1:0 SO, 4:3 SO) and Neftekhimik (3:2 SO) respectively. This good series helped the Novosibirsk side climb closer to the playoff places: Sibir is currently in tenth place in the Eastern Conference’s table, but tied with other three teams at 14 points. Ak Bars is instead the fourth seed in the East and won its last five matches, including the Green Derby against Salavat Yulaev on Tuesday (4:1), with Alexander Chmelevski netting his first goal for Kazan. Fans at the Sibir arena can expect an exciting game as both sides will be seeking a win.
15:30: Sibir (7-7-0, 10th E) vs Ak Bars (9-5-1, 4th E)
About the game
Sibir starts a four-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Ak Bars enters the third game of a four-match road trip on a five-match winning streak.
Sibir’s forward Arkhip Nekolenko is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ defenseman Mitchell Miller is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points over that stretch.
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Sibir: David Farrance.
Ak Bars: Albert Yarullin.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Vladislav Kara may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Following is Metallurg facing Salavat Yulaev. The Ufa franchise sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference’s standings, yet it’s one of the few teams that managed to defeat Metallurg this season, celebrating a 3:2 OT win on Sept. 8 with Alexander Chmelevski netting his first goal of the season before moving to Ak Bars. However, the season then went in opposite directions for the teams, with the Ufa franchise accumulating loss after loss and Metallurg reaching the top of the conference standings, where it still sits despite a home loss to Avangard on Sunday (1:5). Magnitka will seek a return to victory, while Salavat Yulaev will want to grab some points to climb up in the standings after a loss to Ak Bars in the Green Derby.
17:00: Metallurg (11-2-2, 1st E) vs Salavat Yulaev (3-8-2, 11th E)
About the game
Metallurg enters the third game of a four-match home series following a loss to Avangard on Sunday (1:5).
Salavat Yulaev, who defeated Metallurg earlier this season (3:2 OT), starts a two-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
Metallurg’s forward Daniil Vovchenko is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Pyotr Khokhryakov, Oleg Kuzmin, Dean Stewart.
In the last Eastern game of the day, Barys hosts Avangard trying to halt a six-game skid. However, the Astana franchise had several games ending in extra time, and they are still in contention for a playoff spot with 14 points in the standings. Avangard, on the other hand, is in much better shape. After losing twice to Avtomobilist last week, the Hawks had two straight road wins over strong opponents, defeating Metallurg (5:1) and Traktor (8:5), with a four-game performance by Andrew Poturalski, who is now leading the league with 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists), tied with Traktor’s Joshua Leivo. Moreover, two Avangard d-men are on the top of the scoring race on the blue line, Maxim Lajoie and Damir Sharipzyanov. The fans at the Barys Arena will be treated with an exciting contest. After today’s game, the Hawks will fly back to Omsk, where they will play the next five matches, including a revenge game against Barys next Oct. 29.
17:30: Barys (5-7-4, 10th E) vs Avangard (11-4-0, 2nd E)
About the game
Barys is in the middle of a five-game home series and lost its previous six matches.
Avangard ends a four-game road trip on a two-game winning streak.
Barys’ defenseman Reilly Walsh is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that span.
Barys’ forward Semyon Simonov is also on a four-game scoring streak, but with 4 (2+2) points.
Avangard’s forward Nikolai Prokhorkin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Barys: Alikhan Asetov, Nikita Boyarkin, Emil Galimov, Maxim Mukhametov.
Avangard: Nail Yakupov.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may record his 20th league shutout.
Closing an exciting match day is a rematch between the Shanghai Dragons and Dynamo Moscow. The two teams will be at their third encounter this season, with the most recent just two days ago, with the Chinese franchise celebrating a 3:2 regulation win. Earlier, the Blue-and-Whites achieved a 3:2 OT win. Until yesterday, the Dragons were on the top of the Western Conference’s standings, tied with Lokomotiv, and today they have a chance to return there should they defeat Dynamo again. However, the Blue-and-Whites are in good shape, with four straight victories before the game against the Dragons. Today will be another exciting game in St. Petersburg.
19:30: Shanghai Dragons (9-3-2, 2nd W) vs Dynamo Moscow (8-5-1, 8th W)
About the game
The Shanghai Dragons end a four-game home series on a three-match winning streak.
Dynamo Moscow ends a two-game road trip after a loss to the Shanghai Dragons on Tuesday (2:3).
The teams traded wins this season so far (2:3 OT, 3:2).
Shanghai Dragons’ defenseman Adam Clendening had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Gage Quinney is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that stretch.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Jordan Weal is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 4 (1+3) points.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Cedric Paquette is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Shanghai Dragons: Parker Foo, Jeremy Groleau, Riley Sutter.
Dynamo Moscow: Maxim Mamin, Artyom Mikheyev.
Milestone alert
The Shanghai Dragons’ organization may celebrate its 200th KHL win.