Big game in Minsk as CSKA visit Belarus
The central stage in a light KHL Monday will be in Minsk, where Dinamo Minsk hosts CSKA as the teams meet for the second time in the current season. Earlier on, in the East, Metallurg faces the Shanghai Dragons and Barys welcomes Neftekhimik.
This light match day starts in Magnitogorsk, with Metallurg facing the Shanghai Dragons. Magnitka isn’t in its best moment, with two losses in its last three matches. They defeated Avangard on Monday (1:4), but suffered defeats from Neftekhimik (3:5) and Ak Bars (0:4) – an unusual game with Metallurg failing to score and that cost the team the first spot in the East. However, with ten goals allowed in this stretch, head coach Andrei Razin will also want more defensive consistency and better goaltending. The Shanghai Dragons returned to win on Saturday, defeating Severstal after five straight losses (6:3). Kevin Labanc scored his first KHL goal and the Chinese franchise will now try to return back to the Western Conference’s top four. Metallurg won its previous twelve home games against the Dragons, and after today’s contest will travel to the Far East.
14:30: Metallurg (15-4-2, 2nd E) vs Shanghai Dragons (10-5-5, 6th W)
About the game
Metallurg plays the lone home game of the series following a loss to Ak Bars on Wednesday (0:4).
The Shanghai Dragons are in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Severstal on Saturday (6:3).
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Nikita Popugayev is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Metallurg: Andrei Kozlov.
Shanghai Dragons: Parker Foo, Spencer Foo, Jeremy Groleau, Riley Sutter.
Milestone alert
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Ryan Spooner may reach 200 KHL assists (currently at 198).
In Kazakhstan, Barys kicks off a new home series trying to return to victory after three straight losses as Neftekhimik pays a visit to Astana. After defeating Amur on home ice, Barys lost all three games in its successive road trip, namely to Neftekhimik (2:3), Avangard (3:4), and Traktor (6:3). Despite the setback, the Kazakhs remain in the playoff’s places, now in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference’s table. Most recently, Barys announced the signing of Max Willman, who has 68 games in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers and the New Jersey Devils. Coming to Astana is Neftekhimik, who also lost its last game. The Wolves are currently four points above Barys, in sixth place. They will be seeking for a win as they only have two victories in their last five matches.
17:30: Barys (7-10-5, 8th E) vs Neftekhimik (11-10-1, 6th E)
About the game
Barys starts a four-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Neftekhimik, who defeated Barys earlier in the season (3:2), is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Avangard on Saturday (1:2).
Barys’ forward Mike Vecchione is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Barys’ defenseman Reilly Walsh is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Barys: Nikita Boyarkin, Emil Galimov, Maxim Mukhametov.
Neftekhimik: Alexander Dergachyov, Nikita Popugayev, Luka Profaca.
Closing a light KHL Monday is a showdown between Dinamo Minsk and CSKA, who meet for the second time this season. The Belarusians enter today’s game on a four-game winning streak, all achieved after CSKA defeated them on Oct. 20 (3:5) in Moscow. After that game, CSKA won another two games, over SKA (4:3) and Amur (2:1), but then lost to Spartak (2:3) and Dynamo Moscow (2:3). The Belarusians are currently tied with Dynamo Moscow at 27 points, while CSKA is in eighth place and will be looking for points to avoid lagging behind other Western teams. Dinamo Minsk won its previous six home games against CSKA, including in last year’s playoffs. After today’s game, CSKA will fly back to Moscow, where the team will play the next three matches.
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (12-5-3, 4th W) vs CSKA (10-9-2, 8th W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk enters the fourth game of an eight-match home series on a four-game winning streak.
CSKA, who defeated Dinamo Minsk earlier this season (5:3), ends a three-game road trip after two consecutive losses.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Sam Anas is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 12 (7+5) points over that span.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vitaly Pinchuk is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points.
Injury list
CSKA: Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev.
