Dynamo Moscow faces Lokomotiv, CSKA hosts Dinamo Minsk
Only two games are on tap on a light KHL Monday, with Dynamo Moscow welcoming Lokomotiv and CSKA facing off against Dinamo Minsk seeking revenge for last year’s playoff series, ended in a Belarusian win.
In the first game, Dynamo Moscow faces Lokomotiv for the first time this season. After two losses in a row to Traktor (1:3) and Severstal (3:4) on the road, the Railwaymen returned to victory in games against CSKA (4:1) and SKA (3:1), cementing their place on the top of the Western Conference’s standings with a three-point advantage over the Shanghai Dragons. Dynamo Moscow have hit a confident stride over their last five games, notching four wins (including two in shootouts) and just one loss. Offensively robust, they’ve scored at least three goals in four of these matches. Their only setback came on the road to the Shanghai Dragons, a narrow 2:3 loss. Today’s game will be a clash between two sides in fine shape who will be trying to improve their respective records in a tight Western Conference.
19:00: Dynamo Moscow (9-5-1, 7th W) vs Lokomotiv (11-4-2, 1st W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow plays the lone home game of the series fresh off a win over the Shanghai Dragons (3:2 SO).
Lokomotiv is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous couple of matches.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Jordan Weal is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that stretch.
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Lokomotiv’s forward Artur Kayumov is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Maxim Mamin, Artyom Mikheyev.
Lokomotiv: Andrei Sergeyev, Daniil Tesanov.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10th KHL shutout.
The two Capital teams meet again after last year’s playoffs series, won 4:2 by the Belarusians. After three straight losses, to Dynamo Moscow (3:4 SO), Ak Bars (2:3), and Lokomotiv (1:4), CSKA returned to victory with a 1:0 win in Torpedo as Spencer Martin stopped 30 shots for his second shutout this season. This positive outcome allowed the Muscovites return to the playoff places in the Western Conference, but it’s not enough for the team, who was certainly counting on more than a mere eighth place. Dinamo Minsk lacked consistency in its last outings, following a strong 4:1 win over Traktor with two consecutive losses to the Shanghai Dragons (2:3, 1:2), with another strong win over Torpedo (7:1) and a home loss to Neftekhimik (3:4 OT). The Bison will be hunting a road win today, to improve their record as the team plays the next couple of games on the road.
19:30: CSKA (7-7-2, 8th W) vs Dinamo Minsk (8-4-3, 5th W)
About the game
CSKA plays the lone home game of the series after a road win over Torpedo on Friday (1:0).
Dinamo Minsk starts a two-game road trip after losing to Neftekhimik also on Friday (3:4 OT).
CSKA’s goalie Martin Spencer is on a 67:40 shutout streak.
CSKA’s forward Dmitry Buchelnikov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Sam Anas is on a three-game scoring streak, but with 5 (3+2) points.
Injury list
CSKA: Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev.
Dinamo Minsk: Brady Lyle.
