Lokomotiv seeks return to victory against Sibir; three games today
Three games are scheduled in this light KHL Monday, starting with Lokomotiv trying to return celebrating in a home game against Sibir following two straight defeats. Then, two more games are on tap in Moscow, with Dynamo facing Amur and CSKA clashing with SKA in an always-exciting rivalry match.
The matchday starts in Yaroslavl, with Lokomotiv taking on Sibir. The Railwaymen will be willing to bounce back and return to victory after a rocky period, with three losses in the last four matches, to Barys (0:4), the Shanghai Dragons (3:4 OT), and Amur (4:6), while defeating Salavat Yulaev on Nov. 17 (4:3 OT). This streak cost Lokomotiv the undisputed lead in the Western Conference, but the team is still on the top of the standings, tied with Torpedo and Dinamo Minsk. Sibir comes to Yaroslavl on a two-game winning streak. After parting ways with Vyacheslav Butsayev, the Novosibirsk franchise improved its record and celebrated wins over Dynamo Moscow (4:3 SO) and HC Sochi (2:1). After these wins, Sibir remained at the foot of the Eastern Conference standings. Moreover, Lokomotiv won its last ten home games against the Novosibirsk side.
19:00: Lokomotiv (19-8-3, 1st W) vs Sibir (9-17-3, 11th E)
About the game
Lokomotiv ends a five-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Sibir ends a three-game road trip following two straight wins.
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Polunin had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Lokomotiv’s forward Byron Froese is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Andrei Sergeyev, Daniil Tesanov.
Sibir: Chase Priskie, Valentin Pyanov, Sergei Shirokov.
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.
Sibir’s forward Arkhip Nekolenko may score his 100th point in the KHL (currently at 99).
Sibir’s forward Kirill Rasskazov may also reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
The action then moves to Moscow for a couple of matches. Dynamo Moscow faces Amur trying to return to victory after losing to Spartak (2:4) and Sibir (3:4 SO). Vyacheslav Kozlov is yet to record his first win as the new head coach for the Blue-and-Whites, and today he will try to finally help the team improve its record. Today’s opposition, however, showed to be in good shape, with the Tigers having two impressive road wins over Traktor and Lokomotiv, both with a 6:4 score. Amur is now the seventh seed in the East, while Dynamo Moscow is out of the top four in the West, with a six-point gap to fourth placed Severstal. Earlier in the season, the Blue-and-Whites collected a win over Amur, and today’s game marks the 1,200 KHL game for Dynamo Moscow – that may add an extra layer of motivation for the home side.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (16-10-2, 5th W) vs Amur (12-12-4, 7th E)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow, who defeated Amur earlier in the season (3:1), is in the middle of a five-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Amur enters the third game of a four-match road trip on a two-game winning streak.
Amur’s forward Alex Galchenyuk is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that span.
Amur’s forward Evgeny Svechnikov is on a four-game scoring streak instead, with 6 (4+2) points.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Amur: Roman Abrosimov.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin may record his 50th KHL win.
In the other Moscow game, CSKA faces SKA. Both teams aren’t where they wanted to be before the start of the season, with their eighth and ninth place in the Western Conference’s table, respectively. It will be the second meeting between the teams this season, with CSKA celebrating a 4:3 road win in St. Petersburg with Daniel Sprong netting the game-winner. However, the Muscovites only won twice in the last five matches, while SKA seems to be in better shape, with four wins in the last five matches, including an impressive 4:3 win over league-leading Metallurg, with two points from Trevor Murphy. However, SKA’s last game is dated more than a week ago, and it won’t be easy for the team to recover its pace after such a long pause. Just as usual, it will be an exciting game in Moscow between these two Western titans.
19:30: CSKA (13-13-3, 8th W) vs SKA (12-10-3, 9th W)
About the game
CSKA, who defeated SKA earlier in the season (4:3), starts a four-game home series following a loss to Dinamo Minsk on Thursday (2:5).
SKA starts a six-game road trip fresh off a win over Metallurg on Nov. 16 (4:3).
CSKA’s forward Dmitry Buchelnikov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Injury list
CSKA: Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev, Colby Williams.
SKA: Matvei Korotky, Vladislav Romanov, Nikita Zaitsev.
Milestone alert
SKA’s forward Andrei Loktionov may record his 200th KHL assist.
