Four-game drama unfolds on KHL Saturday
Four games headline today’s KHL slate, starting with Metallurg vs Admiral as Magnitogorsk opens a three-game home stand and Admiral ends a four-game road trip. Sochi hosts Sibir in a first meeting, Lokomotiv welcomes Amur for an East-West duel, and Dinamo Minsk faces Spartak to conclude the day’s matchups, with playoff stakes looming in both conferences.
The matchday starts with a game in Magnitogorsk, with Metallurg hosting Admiral. Metallurg will begin a three-game home stand, while Admiral will wrap up their four-game road trip. The first meeting between the teams this season took place on Nov. 5 in Vladivostok, where Metallurg came out on top. At the moment, Andrei Razin’s team is riding a two-game winning streak in the Ural derbies, having defeated Traktor (4:3) and Avtomobilist (5:4). With 46 points, the Steelers continue to confidently lead the Eastern Conference. Admiral has 25 points and are battling for a playoff spot amid very high competition. The Sailors have collected points in four straight games; in their most recent outing, they fell to Severstal in extra time (2:3 OT). For Metallurg, forwards Dmitry Silantyev and Daniil Vovchenko are expected to return to the lineup.
14:30: Metallurg (22-5-2, 1st E) vs Admiral (10-11-5, 9th E)
About the game
Metallurg, who defeated Admiral earlier in the season (2:1), starts a three-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Admiral ends a four-game road trip after losing to Severstal on Thursday (2:3 OT).
Metallurg’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 14 (4+10) points over that stretch.
Metallurg’s defenseman Robin Press is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points.
Metallurg’s forward Alexander Petunin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Admiral’s forward Stepan Starkov had at least one assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling four helpers.
Injury list
Metallurg: Andrei Kozlov.
Admiral: Mario Grman, Nikita Soshnikov.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s defenseman Pavel Koledov lines up for his 700th KHL match.
The action then moves to the Western Conference. Sochi will face Sibir for the first time this season. The current campaign has been extremely difficult for both teams. The visitors, with 19 points, sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, while the hosts, with the same number of points, occupy last place in the West. Both clubs have undergone coaching changes this season — and Sibir have done so twice. Two days earlier, they managed to earn their first victory under Yaroslav Luzenkov. Their 13-game losing streak was snapped in Moscow after a matchup against Dynamo (4:3 SO). It was the team’s first win since Oct. 14. Dmitry Mikhailov’s men have collected points in each of their last three games, against the Shanghai Dragons (4:2), Barys (1:2 OT), and Salavat Yulaev (2:1).
17:00: HC Sochi (7-14-5, 11th W) vs Sibir (8-17-3, 11th E)
About the game
HC Sochi enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following a win over Salavat Yulaev on Wednesday (2:1).
Sibir is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Dynamo Moscow on Thursday (4:3 SO).
Injury list
HC Sochi: Matvei Guskov, Noel Hoefenmayer, Ilya Samsonov.
Sibir: Chase Priskie, Valentin Pyanov, Sergei Shirokov.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s forward Sergei Popov and Sibir’s defenseman Andrei Churkin may line up for his 200th KHL game.
HC Sochi’s goalie Pavel Khomchenko may record his 10th league shutout.
Sibir’s forward Arkhip Nekolenko may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Sibir’s forward Kirill Rasskazov may record his 100th league assist (currently at 99).
Then, in Yaroslavl, Lokomotiv will face Amur for the first time this season. The Ralwaymen will play the penultimate game of their five-game home stand, while Khabarovsk begin the second outing of their four-game road trip, which started with a win over Traktor Chelyabinsk (6:4). The Tigers, who continue to play under interim head coach Alexander Andriyevsky, sit in the Eastern Conference playoff zone with 26 points, but only narrowly ahead of their rivals. Lokomotiv lead the Western Conference with 41 points. Three days earlier, Bob Hartley’s men were unable to overcome the Shanghai Dragons on home ice, falling in extra time (3:4 OT).
17:00: Lokomotiv (19-7-31st W) vs Amur (11-12-4, 8th E)
About the game
Lokomotiv enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following a loss to the Shanghai Dragons on Wednesday (3:4 OT).
Amur enters the second game of a four-match road trip after defeating Traktor on Thursday (6:4).
Amur’s forward Alex Galchenyuk is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Amur’s forward Evgeny Svechnikov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Richard Panik, Andrei Sergeyev, Daniil Tesanov, Alexander Volkov.
Amur: Roman Abrosimov.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Beryozkin may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10th league shutout.
Closing the match day is a game in Belarus between Dinamo Minsk and Spartak. The Red-and-Whites will wrap up their three-game road trip. The first meeting between the teams this season took place on Sept. 9 in Moscow, where the Bison celebrated a shutout win. The Belarusians approach the upcoming game after a home victory over CSKA (5:2). Thanks to that win, Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team reduced the gap to just two points from Lokomotiv and Torpedo, who are tied at the top of the Western Conference. They currently sit in fourth place. Spartak are seventh with 31 points. Alexei Zhamnov’s team traveled to the Belarusian capital from Nizhny Novgorod, where they narrowly fell to Torpedo (3:4). It was their third loss in their last four games. Will they manage to avoid another one?
17:10: Dinamo Minsk (18-7-3, 4th W) vs Spartak (14-11-3, 7th W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk, who defeated Spartak earlier in the season (3:0), ends a two-game home series following a win over CSKA on Thursday (5:2).
Spartak ends a three-game road trip after losing to Torpedo also on Thursday (3:4).
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Sam Anas is on a five-game scoring streak, with 8 (5+3) points over that stretch.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vitaly Pinchuk is also on a five-game scoring streak, but with 7 (4+3) points.
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Ty Smith had an assist in each of his previous four matches.
Spartak’s forward Ivan Morozov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (4+3) points over that span.
Spartak’s forward Danil Pivchulin is also on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points.
Spartak’s defenseman Joseph Keane is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Xavier Ouellet.
Spartak: German Rubtsov, Ivan Vorobyov.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may reach 30 KHL shutouts, while his teammate Zach Fucale may reach 20.
Spartak’s forward Nathan Todd lines up for his 100th KHL game.
