December starts with four games!
Four games are on tap today, one in the East with Sibir facing Barys, and three in the Western Conference, with Severstal seeking a return to the top in a home game against Traktor, CSKA welcoming Salavat Yulaev and Dynamo Moscow hosting Torpedo.
The matchday starts in Novosibirsk again, with Sibir facing Barys in the lone Eastern game of the day. Both sides will be seeking a win after losing the last two and three matches, respectively. It will be the team’s fourth meeting so far this season, with Sibir claiming two wins – both in extra time. Yesterday, both Admiral and Amur lost, and this will give Barys and Salavat Yulaev an excellent chance to climb up in the standings on an incredibly tight Eastern Conference’s table, with four teams within a one-point range. Sibir is at the foot of the Conference’s standings, with a six-point gap to Barys and Salavat Yulaev. Today’s game will be key for both sides with regards to playoff qualification chances. After today’s confrontation, Barys will fly back to Astana, where the Kazakhs will play the next couple of games, including another clash with Sibir on Dec. 7.
15:30: Sibir (9-19-3, 11th E) vs Barys (11-16-5, 10th E)
About the game
Sibir is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Barys ends a three-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (4:6, 1:0 SO, 4:3 SO).
Sibir’s forward Sergei Shirokov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Barys’ forward Max Willman is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 4 (3+1) points.
Injury list
Sibir: Yegor Alanov, Valentin Pyanov.
Barys: Tyler Wotherspoon.
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).
Barys’ head coach Mikhail Kravets may celebrate his 200th win in the KHL.
The action then moves to the West for the next three games. Severstal will seek a return to the top of the standings in a home game against Traktor. Yesterday, Dinamo Minsk celebrated a win in Vladivostok and surpassed the Steelers and Lokomotiv at the top of the Western Conference’s standings. Three days earlier, Severstal defeated a direct rival in the standings, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (2:0). Thanks to that victory, the Cherepovets side briefly moved to the top of the Western Conference, but was later overtaken by the Belarusians. However, Andrei Kozyrev’s men trail the Bison by just one point, meaning a win would return them to first place. Traktor has allowed only one goal over its last two games, crushing the Shanghai Dragons (9:0) and HC Sochi (6:1). With 35 points, the Chelyabinsk team sits sixth in the East. Sergei Zubov is expected to appear behind the bench for the upcoming game. In addition, Traktor has signed goaltender Dmitry Lozebnikov to a try-out contract.
19:00: Severstal (22-10-0, 2nd W) vs Traktor (15-12-5, 6th E)
About the game
Severstal enters the seventh game of an eight-match home series following a win over Lokomotiv on Friday (2:0).
Traktor starts a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Severstal’s goalie Alexander Samoilov is on a 60:14 shutout streak.
Severstal’s forward Daniil Aimurzin is on a six-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that stretch.
Traktor’s forward Joshua Leivo is on a four-game scoring streak, with 11 (5+6) points.
Traktor’s forward Mikhail Grigorenko is also on a four-game scoring streak, but with 9 (1+8) points.
Traktor’s defenseman Grigory Dronov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points.
Traktor’s forward Vitaly Kravtsov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points.
Injury list
Severstal: Mikhail Fomin, Ilya Kvochko, Vladislav Tsitsyura.
Traktor: Sergei Mylnikov.
Two games are then scheduled in Moscow, with CSKA hosting Salavat Yulaev. The Ufa side is riding a two-game winning streak after defeating Neftekhimik (3:1) and Barys (7:4). With 27 points, the visitors sit ninth in the Eastern Conference, just behind Admiral and Amur. CSKA finds itself in a similar position in the West — ninth place and one point behind SKA. In their previous game, Igor Nikitin’s men defeated Lada (4:2), marking their second win in the last five outings. In the near future, however, the team will be without forward Dmitry Buchelnikov, who has been placed on the injured list. Notably, the teams completed a trade earlier this season, with goaltender Alexander Samonov moving to CSKA. Will he take the ice against Salavat Yulaev?
19:30: CSKA (14-14-3, 9th W) vs Salavat Yulaev (12-15-3, 9th E)
About the game
CSKA enters the third game of a four-match home series following a win over Lada on Thursday (4:2).
Salavat Yulaev starts a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
CSKA’s defenseman Jeremy Roy is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that stretch.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Artyom Pimenov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
CSKA: Dmitry Buchelnikov, Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev.
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin.
In the second Moscow game, Dynamo Moscow faces Torpedo. The Blue-and-Whites are coming off two consecutive wins over Amur (4:2) and Lokomotiv (1_0). With 38 points, Vyacheslav Kozlov’s team sits fifth in the Western Conference. The Moscow club also recently signed forward Ansel Galimov to a tryout agreement. Torpedo is one spot higher in the standings, three points ahead of Dynamo. Three days ago, the Nizhny Novgorod side fell at home to Minsk (1:2).
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (18-10-2, 5th W) vs Torpedo (19-10-3, 4th W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow, who defeated Torpedo earlier in the season (4:1), ends a five-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Torpedo starts a four-game road trip following a loss to Dinamo Minsk on Friday (1:2).
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin is on a 100:41 shutout streak.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Maxime Comtois is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that span.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Dylan Sikura is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Dmitry Shevchenko may line up for his 400th KHL game.
