Third meeting this season between Dinamo Minsk and CSKA, six games on tap
It’s a rich KHL match day, with six games in total, starting with Traktor facing Amur and Avtomobilist welcoming Metallurg. Then, in the West, Severstal faces Admiral, Dynamo Moscow hosts Sibir, Torpedo clashes with Spartak, and Dinamo entertains CSKA as the teams meet for the third time this season.
The KHL matchday starts in the Urals, with Traktor facing Amur and Avtomobilist welcoming Metallurg. It will be the second meeting between Traktor and the Tigers, with the Black-and-Whites claiming an extra time win last week in Khabarovsk. However, Traktor lost its last three matches, including Tuesday’s showdown against Metallurg, with Raphael-Pier Richer debuting as acting head coach following the departure of Benoit Groulx. Traktor is now the sixth seed in the East, two spots above Amur, who lost the last couple of games and will also be looking for a return to victory.
17:00: Traktor (13-11-5, 6th E) vs Amur (10-12-4, 8th E)
About the game
Traktor, who defeated Amur earlier in the season (2:1 OT), is in the middle of a five-game home series and lost its previous three matches.
Amur starts a four-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Amur’s forward Alex Galchenyuk is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that stretch.
Amur’s forward Evgeny Svechnikov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Amur: Roman Abrosimov.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s defenseman Sergei Telegin may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
In the meantime, in Yekaterinburg, Avtomobilist faces Metallurg. After a losing streak, the Motormen returned to win in Chelyabinsk and achieved two consecutive victories. The team retained its place in the Eastern Conference’s top spot, but they have a significant gap to league-topping Metallurg. The Magnitogorsk franchise, who also sports the league’s top offense with 109 tallies, lost a game in St. Petersburg, but has eight wins in the last ten matches. Magnitka currently has a nine-point advantage over Avtomobilist, who will be trying to cut Metallurg’s lead. It will be the first clash between the two Urals franchises this season. After the game, Avtomobilist will depart for a new road trip, while Metallurg will travel back home for the next three games – after this short series, the Motormen and Magnitka will face again in Yekaterinburg, on Dec. 3.
17:00: Avtomobilist (16-10-3, 4th E) vs Metallurg (21-5-2, 1st E)
About the game
Avtomobilist ends a two-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Metallurg ends a three-game road trip following a win over Traktor on Tuesday (4:3).
Avtomobilist’s forward Maxim Denezhkin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points over that span.
Avtomobilist’s forward Brooks Macek is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 3 (1+2) points.
Avtomobilist’s forward Stepan Khripunov had at least an assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling four helpers.
Metallurg’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 12 (4+8) points over that stretch.
Metallurg’s defenseman Robin Press is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Semyon Kizimov, Nikita Tryamkin, Sergei Zborovsky.
Metallurg: Andrei Kozlov.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s forward Roman Kantserov may reach 100 league points (currently at 99).
Metallurg’s forward Vladislav Tkachyov may instead 300 (currently at 298).
The action then moves to the Western Conference for three games, starting with Severstal facing Admiral. Both teams are in excellent shape, with three straight wins. What does change, however, is the team’s positioning: Severstal ranks third in the West, whereas Admiral is currently outside the playoff picture in the East. On Oct. 21, the Steelers achieved a 4:1 win in Vladivostok.
19:00: Severstal (19-9-0, 3rd W) vs Admiral (10-11-4, 9th E)
About the game
Severstal, who defeated Admiral earlier in the season (4:1), enters the third game of an eight-match home series on a three-game winning streak.
Admiral enters the third game of a four-match road trip also on a three-game winning streak.
Severstal’s forward Daniil Aimurzin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Severstal’s forward Nikolai Chebykin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Admiral’s forward Kyle Olson is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Severstal: Vladislav Tsitsyura.
Admiral: Mario Grman, Nikita Soshnikov.
In Moscow, Dynamo Moscow faces Sibir, who will be trying to finally halt its thirteen-game skid. The two sides met on Saturday, in the first game following Vyacheslav Butsayev’s firing, with the Muscovites running away with a 3:2 victory. After that game, the Novosibirsk side suffered from another loss, when the Shanghai Dragons scored three unanswered goals on Monday. That game marked Sibir’s longest-ever losing streak in the KHL history. The Blue-and-Whites also lost their last outing, a 2:4 defeat to Spartak – coincidentally it was also the first game for Dynamo Moscow’s new acting coach, Vyacheslav Kozlov. Today, Dynamo will want to return to win and close the gap from fourth-placed Dinamo Minsk.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (16-10-1, 5th W) vs Sibir (7-17-3, 11th E)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow, who defeated Sibir earlier in the season (3:2), starts a five-game home series following a loss to Spartak on Tuesday (2:4).
Sibir starts a three-game road trip on a thirteen-match losing streak.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Artyom Mikheyev.
Sibir: Chase Priskie, Valentin Pyanov, Sergei Shirokov.
Disqualifications
Sibir’s forward Alexander Pershakov serves a one-game ban.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin may celebrate his 50th KHL win.
Sibir’s defenseman Artyom Zhukov may line up for his 100th league appearance.
Sibir’s forward Kirill Rasskazov may record his 100th assist in the KHL (currently at 99).
Then, Torpedo faces Spartak. The first meeting between the teams this season took place on Sept. 14 in Moscow, where Torpedo snatched the win (4:3 OT). At the moment, Alexei Isakov’s team is coming off two straight home losses — to Avangard (2:6) and Admiral (1:2 SO). With 39 points, they remain second in the Western Conference. Spartak are eight points behind them. Alexei Zhamnov’s team traveled to Nizhny Novgorod from Moscow, where they had just defeated Dynamo in another capital derby (4:2). That victory was their first in their last three games. Will the Red-and-Whites be able to get their revenge on Torpedo, or will the Nizhny Novgorod side grab a win and surpass Lokomotiv at the top of the Western Conference’s table?
19:30: Torpedo (18-9-3, 2nd W) vs Spartak (14-10-3, 6th W)
About the game
Torpedo, who defeated Spartak earlier in the season (4:3 OT), enters the fifth game of a six-game home series on a two-game losing streak.
Spartak is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Dynamo Moscow on Tuesday (4:2).
Torpedo’s goalie Denis Kostin is on a 62:07 shutout streak.
Torpedo’s defenseman Bobby Nardella had at least an assist in each of his previous five matches, totaling six helpers.
Spartak’s forward Danil Pivchulin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward Ivan Morozov is also on a four-game scoring streak, but with 5 (3+2) points.
Injury list
Torpedo: Mikhail Naumenkov, Nikita Rozhkov.
Spartak: Nikita Buruyanov, German Rubtsov, Ivan Vorobyov.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Dmitry Shevchenko lines up for his 400th league appearance.
In the closing game of the match day, Dinamo Minsk returns home to face CSKA. The Belarusians will continue their run of games against the former clubs of their head coach, Dmitry Kvartalnov. Over the past eight days, the Bison have already faced Sibir (7:0), Ak Bars (7:3), and Severstal (2:4). Their next opponents will be CSKA – and this will already be the third meeting between them this season.
CSKA enter the new matchup after a game in Kazan, where Igor Nikitin’s team confidently defeated Ak Bars (4:1). Thanks to that win, the visitors climbed back to eighth place in the Western Conference, pushing SKA down by one point. Minsk, with 37 points, sit in fourth place and trail the leading Lokomotiv by just three points, while also having a game in hand.
19:30: Dinamo Minsk (17-7-3, 4th W) vs CSKA (13-12-3, 8th W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk starts a two-game home series and lost to Severstal on Tuesday (2:4).
CSKA ends a four-game road trip after a win against Ak Bars (4:1).
The teams traded wins earlier in the season (3:5, 2:0).
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Sam Anas is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (4+3) points over that stretch.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vitaly Pinchuk is also on a four-game scoring streak, but with 6 (4+2) points.
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Ty Smith had one assist in each of his previous three matches.
CSKA’s forward Daniel Sprong is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points over that span.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Xavier Ouellet.
CSKA: Ivan Drozdov, Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev, Colby Williams.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may line up for his 400th KHL game and may record his 30th league shutout.
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Zach Fucale may reach 20 league shutouts.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Nikita Pyshkailo and defenseman Rob Hamilton line up for their 200th league appearance.
