SKA looks to revert the trend against HC Sochi, Dinamo Minsk faces the Shanghai Dragons
Four games are on tap today, with one game in the East as Barys faces Amur and three clashes in the West, with Lada hosting Torpedo, Dinamo Minsk seeking revenge against the Shanghai Dragons, and SKA trying to return to victory against HC Sochi.
The KHL match day will start in Kazakhstan, with Barys facing Amur for the second time this season. On Sept. 9, Amur had a quick start, building a two-goal advantage, but the Kazakhs rallied back and won after shootouts. More than a month and a half later, the teams are tied at 17 points in the Eastern Conference, and are among the sides who will be fighting for a playoff spot. The Tigers are in better shape, with four straight wins and a SO loss to Severstal (2:3 SO) in the last five matches. Amur has fifteen goals – three per game – and only seven goals allowed. However, Barys shouldn’t be underrated. The Kazakhs had only one win in the same span, but they did defeat Avangard (6:2), and three times did they manage to send the game to extra time. Today’s game in Astana can easily go either way.
17:30: Barys (6-7-5, 8th E) vs Amur (7-6-3, 7th E)
About the game
Barys, who defeated Amur earlier in the season (4:3 SO), ends a five-game road trip following a loss to Ak Bars on Saturday (2:3 SO).
Amur starts a four-game road trip after losing to Severstal on Sunday (2:3 SO).
Barys’ defenseman Samat Daniyar and Amur’s forward Yaroslav Likhachyov are on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that stretch.
Amur’s forward Ignat Korotkikh is on a three-game scoring streak, but with 6 (3+3) points.
Injury list
Barys: Alikhan Asetov, Nikita Boyarkin, Emil Galimov, Maxim Mukhametov.
Amur: Roman Abrosimov, Ildar Gizdatullin.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for three games. First, Lada seeks a return to victory hosting Torpedo. The Togliatti side had another shuffle this week, releasing goalie Maxim Tretiak and trading for 25-years-old forward Pavel Gogolev from Sibir. So far, all the moves didn’t make their effect, with Lada losing its last four matches and being last in the West tied with Sochi, but there is still time. Today, the opposition will be Torpedo, a team that defeated the Togliatti side three times this season already – the last only two games ago, on Sunday. The Nizhny Novgorod squad enters today’s game on a two-game winning streak, after defeating Lada and HC Sochi (3:1), and accumulated three wins in its last five outings. Not only is Torpedo in good form – the team is also the third seed in the Western Conference’s table. The two sides will meet again on Oct. 30.
18:00: Lada (4-12-2, 10th W) vs Torpedo (11-8-1, 3rd W)
About the game
Lada ends a two-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
Torpedo, who defeated Lada three times this season so far (3:4, 1:5, 3:5), ends a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Injury list
Lada: Alexei Ozhgikhin.
Torpedo: Nikita Rozhkov.
Milestone alert
Torpedo plays its 1,100th game in the KHL.
The central stage in the Western Conference, however, will be taken by the game between Dinamo Minsk and the Shanghai Dragons. It will be the third confrontation between the two sides this season, with the Dragons claiming two wins in the previous clashes. However, the Chinese franchise lost two games in a row, in extra time to Moscow teams: 2:3 SO to Dynamo, and 6:7 SO to Spartak, after wasting a three-goal advantage in the third period. Today, the Dragons will try to regroup and return to win, but they will be facing a strong opponent in Dinamo Minsk. The Belarusians just shut out Lada in Togliatti on Wednesday (4:0) and will be looking to build on that victory to improve their record.
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (9-5-3, 6th W) vs Shanghai Dragons (9-3-4, 4th W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk starts an eight-game home series fresh off a win over Lada on Wednesday (4:0).
The Shanghai Dragons, who defeated Dinamo Minsk twice this season so far (3:2, 2:1), are in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost their previous couple of matches.
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Zach Fucale is on a 71:37 shutout streak.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Sam Anas is on a five-game scoring streak, with 9 (5+4) points over that stretch.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vitaly Pinchuk is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Stanislav Galiyev is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (5+1) points.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Gage Quinney is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that span.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Borna Rendulic is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Nikita Popugayev is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Brady Lyle.
Shanghai Dragons: Spencer Foo, Jeremy Groleau, Riley Sutter.
Milestone alert
The Shanghai Dragons are still seeking their 200th KHL win.
Shanghai Dragons’ defenseman Alexander Bryntsev lines up for his 600th league appearance.
Then, in St. Petersburg, SKA will try to revert the trend as HC Sochi pays a visit to the Russian Northern capital. SKA lost eight of its last nine matches, with a lone home win over Avtomobilist ten days ago. SKA is currently the ninth seed in the Western Conference – definitely not where the team was hoping to be before the season, when Igor Larionov was hired as the new head coach. HC Sochi is also not in the best position, with six straight losses, and the last place in the West, shared with Lada. In the only earlier confrontation between the teams, SKA celebrated a 4:2 win in Sochi. In that game, Rocco Grimaldi scored for the team – a feat that he didn’t repeat since. Today, it can be a good chance for SKA to return to victories and maybe build some momentum. HC Sochi just announced to have signed goalie Maxim Tretiak after he dissolved his contract with Lada.
19:30: SKA (6-7-4, 9th W) vs HC Sochi (4-9-2, 11th W)
About the game
SKA, who defeated HC Sochi earlier in the season (4:2), enters the fifth game of a six-match road trip on a three-game losing streak.
HC Sochi starts a three-game road trip on a six-match losing streak.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Pavel Khomchenko, Vasily Machulin, Maxim Sushko, Mark Verba.
