Severstal looking to stretch its winning streak against Dynamo Moscow!
Only three games are on tap on a light KHL Thursday, with Severstal hosting Dynamo Moscow, Torpedo facing Lada, and Dinamo Minsk welcoming Amur.
In Cherepovets, Severstal will be looking to stretch its winning streak in a home game against Dynamo Moscow. The Steelers won their previous eight matches and climbed up to first place in the Western Conference, tied with Lokomotiv at 28 points. Two of the best Severstal’s wins were a 4:1 victory over the Shanghai Dragons, a dominant performance at home that showcased Severstal’s control over the pace and their offensive depth, and a 4:3 win in Omsk: a hard-fought away victory against a strong Avangard side, underlining Severstal’s ability to secure critical points in challenging environments and against playoff-contending opposition. The team’s consecutive wins have been built on strong team play, disciplined defense, and effective special teams, despite not leading the league in either scoring or defense. Dynamo Moscow enters today’s game on a two-match winning streak; the Blue-and-Whites are currently the seventh seed in the West, tied with the Shanghai Dragons at 23 points.
19:00: Severstal (14-6-0, 1st W) vs Dynamo Moscow (11-6-1, 7th W)
About the game
Severstal enters the third game of a four-match home series on an eight-game winning streak.
Dynamo Moscow ends a three-game road trip following two consecutive wins.
Severstal’s defenseman Ioannis Kaldis is on a five-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points over that span.
Severstal’s forward Ilya Kvochko is also on a five-game scoring streak, but with 5 (1+4) points.
Severstal’s forward Mikhail Ilyin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Severstal’s forward Daniil Aimurzin had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Anton Slepyshev is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that stretch.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points.
Injury list
Severstal: Vladimir Grudinin, Adam Liska, Kirill Tankov, Vladislav Tsitsyura, Grigory Vashchenko.
Dynamo Moscow: Artyom Mikheyev.
In the meantime, in Nizhny Novgorod, Torpedo faces Lada. It will be the fourth meeting between the two sides in this season, with the Nizhny Novgorod side taking three games to Lada’s one. However, this only Lada’s win happened in the most recent clash, with the Togliatti side celebrating an extra-time victory (3:2 SO), less than a week ago. After that loss, Torpedo rebounded back with a home win over Avtomobilist (7:4) as the team retained the third spot in the Western Conference. Lada then traveled to Yaroslavl – only a last-gasp goal gave Lokomotiv the win and meant no points in the standings for the Togliatti side, who is currently the tenth seed in the West. Yesterday, the franchise announced the signing of veteran forwards Anton Burdasov (220 career goals) and Nikita Setdikov in another attempt to improve its roster and push for a playoff qualification.
19:00: Torpedo (12-8-2, 3rd W) vs Lada (5-13-2, 10th W)
About the game
Torpedo ends a two-game home series following a win over Avtomobilist on Sunday (7:4).
Lada enters the second game of a seven-match road trip following a loss to Lokomotiv on Tuesday (2:3).
The season series between the two teams is 3-1 (4:3, 5:1, 5:3, 2:3 SO).
Torpedo’s forward Maxim Letunov had at least an assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling five helpers.
Injury list
Torpedo: Mikhail Naumenkov, Nikita Rozhkov.
Lada: Alexei Ozhgikhin.
In the final game of the match day, Dinamo Minsk hosts Amur. The Belarusians are in a hot streak, with three straight victories after defeating Lada (4:0), the Shanghai Dragons (2:1 SO), and HC Sochi (8:2). The Belarusians are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference’s table, tied with Spartak at 25 points. On Tuesday, the Tigers lost their four consecutive game, to Severstal (2:6) and they will try to return to victory today as Amur will be seeking points to protect their eighth place in the East’s standings, with Salavat Yulaev climbing up after a recent spruce of victories. After today’s game, Amur will fly back home, where the team will host Admiral in the first Far East derby of the season.
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (11-5-3, 4th W) vs Amur (7-9-3, 8th E)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk enters the third game of an eight-match home series on a three-game winning streak.
Amur ends a four-game road trip on a four-match losing streak.
Dinamo Minsk's forward Sam Anas is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 11 (7+4) points over that span.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vitaly Pinchuk is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Alex Limoges is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points.
Injury list
Amur: Roman Abrosimov, Artur Gizdatullin.
Milestone alert
Amur’s goalie Maxim Dorozhko may reach 50 KHL wins.
Amur’s forward Evgeny Svechnikov lines up for his 100th league appearance.
