Teams across both conferences gear up for a heavy action day
Eight games highlight a packed KHL matchday, with action unfolding across both conferences. Traktor opens the day by welcoming CSKA, while Salavat Yulaev renews its rivalry with visiting Ak Bars. Avtomobilist entertains Severstal as Barys seeks a rebound against a surging Spartak side. Lada takes on Dynamo Moscow in Togliatti, and the Shanghai Dragons challenge Torpedo in St. Petersburg. The slate wraps up as Neftekhimik squares off with Metallurg in a key Eastern showdown.
An action-packed matchday starts with an exciting showdown between Traktor and CSKA. Both sides will be eager to win as both sides lost their last couple of matches. The Black-and-Whites fell to Severstal (2:3) and Ak Bars (3:4), while CSKA suffered two extra time losses, to Salavat Yulaev (2:3 SO) and Torpedo (4:5 SO), respectively. As the teams head to their first meeting in the current campaign, Traktor is now the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, tied with Neftekhimik at 35 points, while CSKA is on a disappointing ninth place in the West.
17:00: Traktor (15-14-5, 5th E) vs CSKA (14-14-5, 9th W)
About the game
Traktor starts a three-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
CSKA starts a four-game road trip also on a two-match losing streak.
Traktor’s forward Mikhail Grigorenko is on a six-game scoring streak, with 12 (2+10) points over that span.
Traktor’s forward Vitaly Kravtsov is also on a six-game scoring streak, also with 12 (4+8) points.
CSKA’s defenseman Jeremy Roy is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
CSKA’s defenseman Ivan Patrikhayev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Traktor: Sergei Mylnikov, Andrei Svetlakov.
CSKA: Dmitry Buchelnikov, Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Alexander Rykov and CSKA’s defenseman Jeremy Roy line up for their 100th league appearance.
In Ufa, Salavat Yulaev and Ak Bars clash in the third Green Derby of the season. Ak Bars so far swept up the series, so the Ufa team will try to snag a first win. However, it won’t be easy. The Kazan side won its last three matches, with wins coming in games against SKA (5:2), the Shanghai Dragons (4:1), and Traktor (5:3). Salavat Yulaev has instead lost its last outing, in St. Petersburg to the Dragons (3:2), but had three straight wins before that road defeat. Ak Bars holds firmly its second place in the Eastern Conference, while Salavat Yulaev is the seventh seed, tied with Amur, who yesterday lost to reigning Gagarin Champs Lokomotiv.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (13-16-3, 7th E) vs Ak Bars (22-10-2, 2nd E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev starts a two-game home series following a defeat to the Shanghai Dragons on Tuesday (2:3).
Ak Bars starts a two-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 0-2 (1:3, 1:4).
Salavat Yulaev’s forwards Jake Rodewald and Sheldon Rempal are on an identical three-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that stretch.
Ak Bars’ forward Nikita Dynyak is equally on a three-game scoring streak, but with 5 (3+2) points.
Ak Bars’ forward Artur Brokvin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin.
Ak Bars: Albert Yarullin.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Chmelevsky may reach 100 KHL goals (currently at 99).
Ak Bars’ forward Vladimir Alistrov lines up for his 300th league appearance.
In the meantime, Avtomobilist hosts Severstal. Despite losing its last game to Dynamo Moscow in extra time on Tuesday (0:1 OT), and Lokomotiv’s win in Khabarovsk, the Steelers remain on the top of the Western Conference’s standings. Severstal has three wins in the last five matches, with goalie Alexander Samoilov showing top shape in this stretch. Avtomobilist showed a lack of consistency – as the team did most of the season so far – losing twice to regional rival Metallurg and once to Spartak. Despite the setback, and despite seeing their injury list populate again, the Motormen still hold a spot in the Eastern Conference’s top four, and are still waiting to celebrate their 500th win in the KHL.
17:00: Avtomobilist (17-13-3, 4th E) vs Severstal (23-10-1, 1st W)
About the game
Avtomobilist enters the second game of a five-match home series after a loss to Metallurg on Tuesday (5:6).
Severstal, who defeated Avtomobilist earlier in the season (2:0), starts a two-game road trip after a loss to Dynamo Moscow also on Tuesday (0:1 OT).
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Stephane Da Costa, Maxim Denezhkin, Sergei Zborovsky.
Severstal: Marek Fomin, Vladislav Tsitsyura.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist may celebrate its 500th win in the KHL.
Severstal’s forward Alexander Skorenov will be looking for his 100th point in the league (currently at 99).
In Kazakhstan, Barys faces Spartak trying to return to victory after four consecutive losses. The Kazakhs are now sitting in penultimate place in the Eastern Conference’s standings, but at the moment, it’s less about the positioning and more about game-to-game performance as the Eastern table is very tight, especially close to the playoffs line. Spartak is in an opposite direction. The Red-and-Whites won their last four straight games and closed the gap to the Western top four to only four points.
17:30: Barys (11-17-5, 10th E) vs Spartak (18-12-3, 6th W)
About the game
Barys starts a two-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
Spartak enters the second game of a twelve-match road trip following four straight wins.
Barys’ forward Max Willman is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points over that stretch.
Spartak’s forward Adam Ruzicka is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points.
Spartak’s forward Mikhail Maltsev is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 4 (2+2) points.
Spartak’s forward Nikita Korostelyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Spartak’s forward Danil Pivchulin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Barys: Tyler Wotherspoon.
Spartak: Dmitry Vishnevsky.
Milestone alert
Barys’ head coach Mikhail Kravets may reach 200 KHL wins.
In Togliatti, Lada faces Dynamo Moscow. The Blue-and-Whites, who celebrated a win over Lada earlier in the season, enter the game on a four-game winning streak, with three of those victories coming via shutouts. The last team to score against Vyacheslav Kozlov’s men was Amur on November 24 (4:2). Since then, they have defeated Lokomotiv (1:0), Torpedo (4:0) and Severstal (1:0 OT). Lada have lost their last two outings, falling to CSKA (2:4) and Spartak (4:5). Will Pavel Desyatkov’s team, who is in tenth spot in the West, be able to find a way past the Blue-and-Whites’ net?
18:00: Lada (10-19-3, 10th W) vs Dynamo Moscow (20-10-2, 5th W)
About the game
Lada starts a three-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Dynamo Moscow, who defeated Lada earlier in the season (4:3 SO), is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its last four matches.
Lada’s forward Riley Sawchuk is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that stretch.
Lada’s forward Nikita Mikhailov is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 4 (1+3) points.
Lada’s defenseman Mac Hollowell had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin is on an impressive shutout streak of 224:56 minutes.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Dylan Sykura is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (4+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Lada: Andrei Obidin, Alexei Ozhgikhin.
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
The action then moves north to St. Petersburg, where the Shanghai Dragons host Torpedo. The teams’ first meeting of the season took place on Sept. 22 and went to the Dragons (1:0 OT). Two days ago, Gerard Gallant’s side had snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating Salavat Yulaev (3:2). That win temporarily lifted them back into seventh place in the West with 35 points, as their long-distance battle with SKA and CSKA for a playoff spot continues. Torpedo currently sit fourth with 43 points. Most recently, the Nizhny Novgorod side earned a hard-fought road victory over CSKA (5:4 SO).
19:30: Shanghai Dragons (14-11-7, 7th W) vs Torpedo (20-11-3, 4th W)
About the game
The Shanghai Dragons, who defeated Torpedo earlier in the season (1:0 OT), end a two-game home series following a win over Salavat Yulaev on Tuesday (3:2).
Torpedo enters the third game of a four-match road trip following a win over CSKA also on Tuesday (5:4 SO).
Shanghai Dragons’ defenseman Adam Clendening had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Shanghai Dragons: Jake Bischoff, Parker Foo, Jeremy Groleau.
Torpedo: Alexei Kruchinin, Shane Prince.
Milestone alert
2018 Gagarin Cup champion, Torpedo’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov lines up for his 800th league appearance. The veteran has 166 goals and 229 assists in his KHL career.
Closing an exciting match day is Neftekhimik hosting Metallurg in a highly anticipated Eastern Conference matchup. Neftekhimik and Metallurg head into their head-to-head clash riding matching two-game winning streaks. The Wolves picked up high-scoring victories over Avangard (6:5) and the Shanghai Dragons (7:5). With 35 points, Igor Grishin’s men sit fifth in the Eastern Conference, which continues to be confidently led by Metallurg with 52 points. Magnitka hasn’t lost since Nov. 27, defeating Barys (5:2) and Avtomobilist with a last-gasp goal (6:5) over that stretch. Will the Steelers extend their run and claim a third straight win in Nizhnekamsk?
19:30: Neftekhimik (17-15-1, 5th E) vs Metallurg (25-6-2, 1st E)
About the game
Neftekhimik enters the fifth game of an eight-match home series on a two-game winning streak.
Metallurg enters the second game of a four-match road trip also after winning its last couple of games.
The season series between the two teams is 1-1 (6:9, 5:3).
Metallurg’s forward Sergei Tolchinsky is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Raul Yakupov.
Metallurg: Andrei Kozlov, Alexander Siryatsky.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik’s forward Nikita Khoruzhev lines up for his 100th league appearance.
