Four matches today, all the action in the East
Today’s KHL matchday features four exciting Eastern Conference showdowns. Kicking off in Khabarovsk, Amur hosts league leaders Metallurg, while in Vladivostok, Admiral seeks to halt their slump against Avangard. Later, Barys takes on Avtomobilist in Astana, aiming to end a losing streak, and the schedule wraps up with Neftekhimik facing Salavat Yulaev in Ufa.
Following a Western Conference bonanza yesterday, today the matchday kicks off in the Far East. In Khabarovsk, Amur faces Metallurg, just claiming a road win in Vladivostok. Both teams won their previous couple of matches, and will be trying to build on the positive streak. The Tigers defeated Admiral (3:2) and Avangard (3:2 OT), while Magnitka got the best of the Shanghai Dragons (6:1) and the Sailors (2:1). Metallurg is riding at the top of the Eastern Conference’s standings, while Amur will try to protect its positioning, just above the playoffs line.
12:15: Amur (9-10-3, 7th E) vs Metallurg (17-4-2, 1st E)
About the game
Amur enters the third game of a six-match home series following two straight wins.
Metallurg is in the middle of a three-game road trip and also won its previous two matches.
Amur’s forward Ilya Talaluyev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Amur: Roman Abrosimov, Alex Broadhurst, Timur Gizdatullin.
Metallurg: Andrei Kozlov.
Milestone alert
Amur’s forward Ilya Talaluyev may reach 100 career points (currently at 99).
In the second Far East game of the day, Avangard pays a visit to Vladivostok. The Sailors will try to return to victory after eight losses, but the Hawks have already collected a win over Admiral earlier in the season. Recently, Admiral has suffered its eighth consecutive defeat. The Vladivostok team last won on Oct. 15, which was their 299th victory in KHL history. They’ve been unable to secure their 300th win for three weeks now. Before losing to Amur despite Klim Kostin’s debut, Avangard won twice in a row, against Neftekhimik (2:1) and Barys (4:3). The Hawks still earned a point in Khabarovsk, and are now third in the Eastern Conference’s standings, while Admiral is sitting in last place. After today’s game, Avangard will fly back to Omsk, where the team will play its next couple of games.
12:30: Admiral (6-10-4, 11th E) vs Avangard (14-6-32, 3rd E)
About the game
Admiral enters the second game of a four-match home series and lost its previous eight matches.
Avangard, who defeated Admiral earlier in the season (6:1), ends a two-game road trip and lost to Amur on Wednesday (2:3 OT).
Avangard’s forward Konstantin Okulov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Admiral: Mario Grman, Alexander Shepelev, Stepan Starkov.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s defenseman Libor Sulak lines up for his 300th KHL game.
Admiral is still seeking to celebrate its 300th KHL win.
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may record his 20th league shutout.
In Kazakhstan, Barys will also try to return to winning games in a home contest with Avtomobilist. The Kazakhs lost their last five matches – while most of them were close games, only lost by a single goal, the standings are now suffering for Barys, who fell on the wrong side of the playoffs line, also having played more games than its competitors. A win today would give some relief to Barys, and two precious points for the standings. Coming to Astana is Avtomobilist. The Motormen lost to Torpedo the second direct contest in a week, this time failing to score (0:2). After the defeat, Avtomobilist slipped down to fourth place in the East.
17:30: Barys (7-12-5, 9th E) vs Avtomobilist (14-8-2, 4th E)
About the game
Barys enters the third game of a four-match home series on a five-game losing streak.
Avtomobilist starts a four-game road trip after a loss to Torpedo on Sunday (0:2).
Injury list
Barys: Nikita Boyarkin, Emil Galimov, Maxim Mukhametov, Tyler Wotherspoon.
Avtomobilist: Semyon Kizimov, Nikita Tryamkin, Sergei Zborovsky.
In the closing game of the day, Neftekhimik hosts Salavat Yulaev. The teams met on Oct. 25 in Nizhnekamsk, with the Ufa team claiming a 2:1 road win. Today, the challenge moves to the Bashkortostan capital. The hosts are on a roll, with four wins in their last five matches and a return to the playoff places – Salavat Yulaev is now the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference’s table. After the home loss to Salavat Yulaev, Neftekhimik won three of its next four matches, only losing to Avangard on Saturday (1:2). The Wolves then celebrated wins in Astana (5:2) and Chelyabinsk (4:3). The team is currently in fifth place in the East. After today’s contest, Salavat Yulaev heads back to Ufa for the next set of games.
19:00: Neftekhimik (13-10-1, 5th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (9-11-2, 8th E)
About the game
Neftekhimik starts a three-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Salavat Yulaev, who defeated Neftekhimik earlier in the season (2:1), ends a two-game road trip following a win over Barys on Wednesday (2:1).
Neftekhimik’s forward Danil Yurtaikin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Alexander Dergachyov, Nikita Popugayev, Luka Profaca.
Salavat Yulaev: Daniil Alalykin, Anton Berlyov, Pyotr Khokhryakov, Oleg Kuzmin, Alexei Pimenov, Dennis Yan, Nikita Zorkin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Alexei Vasilevsky may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
