Ak Bars seeks another win at home against Metallurg; four games on schedule
It’s a busy KHL Wednesday, with the showdown between Ak Bars and Metallurg taking center stage, with the Kazan side currently on a ten-win run. In Omsk, Avangard faces Barys, then Salavat Yulaev hosts Admiral. In the West, SKA will try to build on its recent home win over HC Sochi in a home game against Sibir.
The match day starts in Omsk, with the Hawks seeking a return to victory in a game against Barys after being caught in an unusual two-game losing streak, with home defeats against Severstal (3:4 OT) and Metallurg (1:4). Head coach Guy Boucher is surely disappointed with the eight goals allowed in the last two outings and will demand more attention in the defensive zone. However, Barys shouldn’t be underrated. The team may be only in the seventh place in the Eastern Conference’s table, yet has already defeated Avangard this season (6:2) and showed some offensive potential throughout the season, with several younger players finding the opposition crease in multiple occasions and having two strong offensive options in Mike Vecchione and Reilly Walsh on the blue line. Avangard looks like a favorite in today’s game, but the Kazakhs will be ready to disappoint the Hawks once again in the season. However, the Omsk side won its previous nine home games against Barys, and will be looking to extend its stretch.
16:30: Avangard (4th E) vs Barys (7-8-5, 7th E)
About the game
Avangard enters the fourth game of a five-match home series on a two-game losing streak.
Barys, who defeated Avangard earlier in the season (6:2), is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Neftekhimik on Monday (2:3).
Avangard’s forward Nikolai Prokhorkin is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 9 (5+4) points over that span.
Injury list
Avangard: Nail Yakupov.
Barys: Alikhan Asetov, Nikita Boyarkin, Emil Galimov, Maxim Mukhametov.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may record his 20th shutout.
In Ufa, Salavat Yulaev faces Admiral. The Ufa side appears to be in great shape, with three straight wins, over Traktor (3:2), Sibir (5:2), and Neftekhimik (2:1) – the last two on the road. Admiral has instead lost three games in a row, to Severstal (1:4), twice to Ak Bars (3:5, 2:3 OT), and to Spartak (3:4 SO). The recent success didn’t help Salavat Yulaev climbing up in the Eastern Conference’s standings – the team is still the last seed in the East, but now eighth-seeded Amur are only three points above. The Sailors are for now the ninth team in the conference and will try to return back on track with today’s game in Ufa. Yesterday, Salavat Yulaev announced the return of Sheldon Rempal. The Canadian forward had 61 points in 68 games last year for Ufa and is expected to have a significant role in the team – moreover, he played six seasons with Salavat Yulaev’s recent signing Devin Brosseau.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (6-10-2, 11th E) vs Admiral (6-6-4, 9th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev starts a three-game home series on a three-match winning streak.
Admiral is in the middle of a five-game road trip and lost its previous four matches.
Admiral’s forward Dmitry Zavgorodny is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Danil Alalykin, Anton Berlyov, Pyotr Khokhryakov, Oleg Kuzmin, Alexei Pimenov, Dennis Yan, Nikita Zorkin.
Admiral: Mario Grman, Alexander Shepelev.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Alexander Khokhlachyov may reach 200 KHL assists (currently at 199), while defenseman Alexei Vasilevsky may get to 100.
Admiral may celebrate its 300th KHL win.
In Kazan, Ak Bars and Metallurg meet for the fourth time this year. So far, Metallurg secured two wins, but the Kazan side claimed the last meeting, powered by a double from Grigory Denisenko. Ak Bars is undoubtedly the hottest team in the league, with ten consecutive wins, allowing them to climb up to second place in the Eastern table. However, Metallurg is still the top seed in the East, and quickly rebounded back after a road loss to Neftekhimik on Thursday (3:5). On Monday, Magnitkta claimed a win in Omsk (4:1), with Vladimir Tkachyov netting a goal against his former team. Today’s game promises excitement: will Ak Bars continue its wild ride, or can Metallurg halt the Kazan club and preserve its hold on the Eastern Conference?
19:00: Ak Bars (14-5-1, 2nd E) vs Metallurg (15-3-2, 1st E)
About the game
Ak Bars enters the fourth game of a five-match home series on a ten-game winning streak.
Metallurg ends a four-game road trip following a win in Omsk on Monday (4:1).
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (3:4 SO, 3:6, 4:3).
Metallurg’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points over that span.
Metallurg’s forward Roman Kantserov is also on a four-game scoring streak, but with 7 (4+3) points.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Albert Yarullin.
Metallurg: Andrei Kozlov.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Mikhail Fisenko lines up for his 700th league appearance, while Metallurg’s defenseman Robin Press reaches 300, and Ak Bars’ forward Grigory Denisenko plays his 100th.
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Chmelevsky may score his 200th KHL point (currently at 198).
The action then moves to the Western Conference for a showdown between SKA and Sibir. On Friday, SKA halted a skid and claimed a dominant 8:1 win over HC Sochi, with Matvei Korotky netting his first KHL hat-trick. The St. Petersburg franchise is however still the ninth seed in the Western Conference, and has a three-point gap from eighth-placed Dynamo Moscow. Sibir will seek a return to win after four straight losses. In particular, on Saturday, the Novosibirsk side lost its first shootout of the season in a losing effort to Traktor on home ice (3:4 SO). With this skid, Sibir slipped down to tenth place in the East.
19:30: SKA (7-7-4, 9th W) vs Sibir (7-9-2, 10th E)
About the game
SKA ends a six-game home series following a win over HC Sochi on Friday (8:1).
Sibir starts a three-game road trip on a four-match losing streak.
SKA’s forwards Mikhail Vorobyov and Sergei Plotnikov are on an identical three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Sibir: David Farrance.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Valentin Pyanov may line up for his 600th league appearance.
