A light but lively match day with three high-stakes games
Three games await on a light KHL Saturday, as Spartak hosts Lada looking to extend its winning run, Metallurg welcomes Barys for their third meeting of the season, and Sibir faces Avtomobilist in a desperate attempt to return into playoff consideration.
A light KHL match day starts in Novosibirsk, with Sibir facing Avtomobilist as both sides will be seeking a return to win after recent setbacks. After collecting a win in Sochi, Sibir suffered from another loss when the team traveled to Yaroslavl for the next game, with the KHL reigning champs leaving no chance to the opposition in a strong 4:1 home win. Sibir is thus remaining at the foot of the Eastern Conference’s table with a growing gap from the playoff places. However, the team may leverage on today’s milestone for a morale boost. Recently, Sibir made a trade with Torpedo, sending forward Vladimir Tkachyov in exchange for forwards Mikhail Abramov and Anton Kosolapov. The Motormen, who had a commanding win over Sibir earlier in the season lost their last couple of matches, to Metallurg at home (4:5) and to Spartak in Moscow (1:3), but are still in the East’s top four – they will be looking for a win today to further climb up in the standings and reverting the trend. After today’s clash, Avtomobilist will fly back to Yekaterinburg for a five-game homestand before traveling to Novosibirsk to face Sibir again on Dec.23.
13:30: Sibir (9-18-3, 11th E) vs Avtomobilist (16-12-3, 4th E)
About the game
Sibir starts a three-game home series following a loss to Lokomotiv on Monday (1:4).
Avtomobilist, who defeated Sibir earlier in the season (7:1), ends a two-game road trip after losing the last couple of matches.
Avtomobilist’s forward Reid Boucher is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Sibir: Yegor Alanov, Valentin Pyanov, Sergei Shirokov.
Avtomobilist: Sergei Zborovsky.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Arkhip Nekolenko may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Sibir’s forward Kirill Rasskazov may record his 100th career assist (currently at 99).
Sibir plays its 1,100th KHL game.
In Magnitogorsk, table-topping Metallurg will also seek a return to victory after a loss against SKA. Today, the opposition is Barys. This season, the Kazakhs managed to score just twice against Metallurg in their two meetings (1:5, 1:4). The visitors make another trip to Magnitogorsk after back-to-back losses to Avangard (2:5) and Salavat Yulaev (4:7). With 27 points, Mikhail Kravets’ team—whose next win would be his 200th in the KHL—has dropped to the second-to-last spot in the Eastern Conference. However, the gap to their rivals is minimal, and the Astana side still has every chance to climb back into the playoff zone soon – especially considering that their goalie Nikita Boyarkin is going to have his season debut soon after returning from an injury that he suffered last season. Metallurg, despite a 1:3 loss to Avangard two days ago, continues to lead confidently with 48 points and showed excellent shape in the last stretch.
14:30: Metallurg (23-6-2, 1st E) vs Barys (11-15-5, 10th E)
About the game
Metallurg ends a three-game home series after a loss to Avangard on Thursday (1:3).
Barys is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.
The season series between the two teams is 2-0 (5:1, 4:1).
Injury list
Metallurg: Andrei Kozlov.
Barys: Tyler Wotherspoon.
Milestone alert
Barys’ head coach Mikhail Kravets may celebrate his 200th KHL win.
The action then moves to Moscow for a game between Spartak and Lada. The Red-and-Whites head into the game against Lada on a two-game winning streak. The Muscovites delivered strong defensive performances against Ak Bars (1:0) and Avtomobilist (3:1), with forward Adam Ruzicka scoring twice in the matchup with the Motormen. Alexei Zhamnov’s team wraps up a three-game home stand, while Lada concludes a four-game road trip. Over this stretch, the Togliatti team managed just one win — against HC Sochi (5:3). Two days ago, Pavel Desyatkov’s men fell to CSKA. Lada remains second-to-last in the Western Conference with 23 points, while Spartak sits sixth with 35.
17:00: Spartak (16-12-3, 6th W) vs Lada (10-18-3, 10th W)
About the game
Spartak ends a three-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Lada ends a four-game road trip following a loss to CSKA on Thursday (2:4).
Injury list
Spartak: Dmitry Vishnevsky.
Lada: Andrei Obidin, Alexei Ozhgikhin.
Milestone alert
Lada’s forward Nikita Mikhailov may score his 100th career point (currently at 99).
