Key critical cross-conference matchup and Far East derby today
It’s an exciting KHL Sunday with six games on the slate. The day kicks off with Amur and Admiral competing in the second Far East derby of the season. Next, Traktor will host Avtomobilist in another regional derby. Lada welcomes Neftekhimik for the first cross-conference matchup of the day, which also features Ak Bars facing Dinamo Minsk. Metallurg travels to St. Petersburg to take on SKA, while Torpedo hosts Avangard. In Moscow, CSKA will face Severstal for the fourth meeting between these teams this season.
The match day starts with the second Far East derby of the season after Amur recorded a win in Vladivostok on Nov. 2 with Ilya Talaluyev netting the game-winner with fewer than four minutes to the final hooter. The Tigers will try to grab another win not only to improve their record, but also to catch up with Admiral – in KHL history, the Sailors have 34 wins in the Far East derby, against Amur’s 24. The all-time top scorer for the Sailors is defenseman Libor Sulak, who seems to be in great shape – the Czech defenseman had four assists in the last couple of matches. With Sulak’s hat-trick of assists, Admiral returned to victory on Tuesday with a 4:2 victory over Avtomobilist, while Amur lost to Traktor on the same day (1:2 OT).
10:00: Amur (10-11-4, 7th E) vs Admiral (8-11-4, 10th E)
About the game
Amur, who defeated Admiral earlier in the season, enters the last of a six-game home series following an extra-time loss to Traktor on Tuesday (1:2 OT).
Admiral starts a four-game road trip fresh off a win over Avtomobilist also on Tuesday (4:2).
Admiral’s forward Daniil Gutik is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Amur: Roman Abrosimov.
Admiral: Mario Grman, Alexander Shepelev.
In the second Eastern game of the day, Traktor faces Avtomobilist as the teams meet for the fourth time this season. The Motormen won two of these encounters, but are currently on a tough four-match losing streak – a setback that sent them down off the top four in the Eastern Conference. Avtomobilist lost games to both Far East franchises, Barys, and Torpedo – the team is yet to claim a victory in November. Traktor suffered from a loss in Omsk on Thursday (2:3), but has three wins in the last five matches, and is tied with Avtomobilist (and Neftekhimik) at 31 points in the East’s table. After today’s game, the Motormen will return to Yekaterinburg, where Avtomobilist will play the next couple of games.
14:00: Traktor (13-9-5, 6th E) vs Avtomobilist (14-10-3, 5th E)
About the game
Traktor starts a five-game home series following a loss to Avangard on Thursday (2:3).
Avtomobilist ends a four-game road trip on a four-match losing streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1-2 (2:0, 3:5, 1:2 SO).
Traktor’s forward Andrei Svetlakov had at least an assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling four helpers.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Semyon Kizimov, Nikita Tryamkin, Sergei Zborovsky.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s defenseman Sergei Telegin may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Avtomobilist’s forward Anatoly Golyshev may record his 200th league assist (currently at 198).
In Togliatti, Lada will host one of the surprises of the season, Neftekhimik. The Wolves are now the fourth seed in the East and just achieved a remarkable win at home over CSKA, and won four of the last five matches. However, earlier in the season, Lada recorded a 4:1 win over Neftekhimik, and despite a recent loss to Metallurg, the Togliatti side had three wins in the last five, with one SO loss to Dynamo Moscow on Nov. 6. Today’s game promises to be an unpredictable one, and the impact on the standings may be significative, especially for the Eastern Conference’s table, with three teams tied at 31 points.
16:00: Lada (8-15-3, 10th W) vs Neftekhimik (15-11-1, 4th E)
About the game
Lada, who defeated Neftekhimik earlier in the season (4:1), starts a two-game home series following a loss to Metallurg on Wednesday (4:6).
Neftekhimik starts a two-game road trip fresh off a win over CSKA on Friday (3:2).
Lada’s goalie Alexander Trushkov is on a 60:28 shutout streak.
Lada’s forward Riley Sawchuk is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Lada: Alexei Ozhgikhin.
Neftekhimik: Alexander Dergachyov, Nikita Popugayev.
In Cherepovets, Severstal hosts CSKA trying to grab a first win this season over the Muscovites – the Red-and-Blues have three wins over the Steelers already in the current campaign. However, Severstal is higher in the standings, with Andrei Kozyrev’s team currently being the fourth seed in the Western Conference and CSKA in eighth place, tied with SKA at 26 points. The most recent meeting between the two sides was last week, with CSKA claiming a dominant 2:0 win, thus the Cherepovets side will be looking for revenge in today’s matchup.
17:00: Severstal (17-9-0, 4th W) vs CSKA (12-12-2, 8th W)
About the game
Severstal starts an eight-game home series fresh off a win over Spartak on Friday (3:4).
CSKA enters the second game of a four-match road trip after losing to Neftekhimik also on Friday (2:3).
The season series between the two teams is 0-3 (1:2, 2:3, 0:2).
CSKA’s forward Daniel Sprong is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Severstal: Vladislav Tsitsyura.
CSKA: Ivan Drozdov, Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev, Dmitry Samorukov, Colby Williams.
In the last eastern game of the match day, fans in Kazan will be treated to an exciting game between Ak Bars and Dinamo Minsk. With plenty of players, and the Bison’s coach Dmitry Kvartalnov, having lined up for both sides, there will be plenty drama and emotions in a high-stakes game. Both teams won the last couple of matches, and both teams are quite high in the standings. Ak Bars is currently the second seed in the East, while Dinamo Minsk is in third place in the Western Conference. Ten days ago, Dinamo Minsk collected an emotional 4:3 win in Belarus with Vadim Shipachyov scoring the game-winner over his former team with fewer than four minutes to go. Today, similar vibes are to be expected.
17:00: Ak Bars (17-7-2, 2nd E) vs Dinamo Minsk (16-6-3, 3rd E)
About the game
Ak Bars is in the middle of a three-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
Dinamo Minsk, who defeated Ak Bars earlier in the season (4:3), starts a two-game road trip also on a two-match winning streak.
Ak Bars’ defenseman Kirill Lyamin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that stretch.
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Zach Fucale is on a 70:43 shutout streak.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Albert Yarullin.
Dinamo Minsk: Xavier Ouellet.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitry Katelevsky lines up for his 200th league appearance.
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may reach 400 KHL games and 30 league shutouts.
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Zach Fucale may record his 20th KHL shutout.
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Josh Brook lines up for his 100th KHL game.
In Nizhny Novgorod, red-hot Torpedo seeks an eighth straight win as Avangard pays a visit to the city. With Lokomotiv’s loss to Barys yesterday, Torpedo now has an opportunity to climb to the top of the Western Conference standings, but first the team will need to overcome the Hawks in another high-stakes cross-conference matchup. Avangard has only two wins in its last five matches, including a recent one over Traktor with Andrew Poturalski finding the game-winning goal late in the third period, and will be trying to build on its recent win over Traktor to improve its record and cement its spot in the Eastern Conference’s top four. It will be the first meeting between the two sides this season.
17:00: Torpedo (18-8-2, 2nd W) vs Avangard (15-7-3, 3rd E)
About the game
Torpedo enters the third game of a six-match home series on a seven-game winning streak.
Avangard enters the second game of a five-match road trip following a win over Traktor on Thursday (3:2).
Torpedo’s forward Alexei Kruchinin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that stretch.
Torpedo’s defenseman Bobby Nardella had at least one assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Injury list
Torpedo: Mikhail Naumenkov, Nikita Rozhkov.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may record his 20th KHL shutout.
Closing the game night is another exciting cross-conference matchup with SKA hosting Metallurg. The Magnitogorsk side had five straight wins and is dominating the Eastern Conference’s standings, with a six-point gap over second-placed Ak Bars. With 42 points, Magnitka is topping the league. SKA is having a disappointing, and inconsistent, season, with the team sitting in an unusual ninth place in the West. Despite the late improvement, and three straight wins before falling to Salavat Yulaev in the latest game, the St. Petersburg side is now on the wrong side of the playoff line. To return in postseason places, a win today would be a good start.
17:30: SKA (11-10-4, 9th W) vs Metallurg (20-4-2, 1st E)
About the game
SKA plays the lone home game of the series following a loss to Salavat Yulaev on Wednesday (1:2).
Metallurg starts a three-game road trip on a five-match winning streak.
SKA’s goalie Sergei Ivanov is on a 63:36 shutout streak.
Metallurg’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points over that stretch.
Metallurg’s forward Roman Kantserov is also on a five-game scoring streak, but with 8 (4+4) points.
Metallurg’s defenseman Yegor Yakovlev had at least an assist in each of his previous five matches, totaling six helpers.
Injury list
SKA: Matvei Korotky, Vladislav Romanov, Nikita Zaitsev.
Metallurg: Andrei Kozlov.
Milestone alert
SKA’s forward Andrei Loktionov may record his 200th KHL assist (currently at 199).
