Second Southern Urals derby in Chelyabinsk between Metallurg and Traktor!
Three intriguing matchups headline today’s KHL slate as Sibir hosts Admiral in a pivotal Eastern clash, Traktor looks to snap its skid at home to conference-leading Metallurg, and the Shanghai Dragons seek revenge and vital points against struggling Lada.
The match day starts in Novosibirsk again, with Sibir hosting Admiral. The hosts enter the game following wins over Barys (2:1 SO) and Avangard (4:2), significantly reducing the gap with the playoff places. The Sailors just dismissed their head coach Leonids Tambijevs, but the move brought no change in results so far, with Admiral losing the most recent Far East Derby to Amur on Wednesday (1:3) and accumulating five straight losses. The teams are now tied at 28 points in the Eastern Conference standings – tight enough that nothing is decided yet – but both need points to stay in the playoff race. Sibir has just completed a couple of transfers. Other than returning forward Maxim Sushko from Neftekhimik, Sibir moved hard-nosed defenseman Alexander Lukin to Lada, then traded another defenseman, Roman Kalinichenko, to Dynamo Moscow in exchange for young blueliner Nikita Baklashyov. Then, Sibir acquired Mikhail Bardin from Ak Bars to strengthen its goaltending depth.
15:30: Sibir (12-19-4, 11th E) vs Admiral (11-16-6, 10th E)
About the game
Sibir enters the second game of a four-match home series on a two-game winning streak.
Admiral enters the second game of a four-match road trip on a five-game losing streak.
The season series between the two teams is 1-1 (2:1 SO, 0:2).
Injury list
Sibir: Alexander Pershakov, Valentin Pyanov.
Admiral: Alexander Daryin, Maxim Maltsev, Ruslan Pedan.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Ivan Chekhovich lines up for his 300th KHL game.
In Chelyabinsk, Traktor and Metallurg will face each other in the second Southern Urals Derby of the season. Magnitka took a 4:3 win in the first clash, but today’s game will feature interesting stories as well. Evgeny Kuznetsov just scored his first goal with Metallurg’s jersey in the recent match against HC Sochi and will enter today’s game with more determination against his hometown club. Another player who will be determined is Vitaly Kravtsov, who is en route to become Traktor’s all-time top scorer, although he still lags behind Anton Glinkin by twenty points. The Chelyabinsk side lost its previous four matches, but today Evgeny Koreshkov will lead the team for the first time after that the North American coaches left the organization. Metallurg is still leading the Eastern Conference’s table, while the Black-and-Whites slipped down to sixth place. The teams will meet again on Dec. 29, in Magnitogorsk.
17:00: Traktor (15-16-5, 6th E) vs Metallurg (26-6-3, 1st E)
About the game
Traktor ends a three-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
Metallurg, who defeated Traktor earlier in the season (4:3), ends a four-game road trip following a win over HC Sochi on Wednesday (6:1).
Traktor’s forward Yegor Korshkov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that stretch.
Traktor’s defenseman Arseny Koromyslov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Metallurg’s forwards Roman Kantserov and Dmitry Silantyev are on an identical three-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Metallurg: Alexander Siryatsky.
Disqualifications
Traktor’s defenseman Sergei Telegin serves a one-game ban.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s forward Ruslan Iskhakhov lines up for his 100th league appearance.
Then, the action moves to the Western Conference for a showdown between the Shanghai Dragons and Lada. Both sides will be looking for a return to victory, with the Dragons suffering from two straight losses and Lada posting five consecutive defeats. The Togliatti side remains at the foot of the Western Conference’s standings, tied with HC Sochi, while the Dragons slipped down to ninth position with a three-point gap from eighth-placed CSKA. Earlier in the season, the Chinese franchise had already defeated Lada – today they will try to celebrate another win to stay in the playoff race.
19:30: Shanghai Dragons (14-12-8, 9th W) vs Lada (10-22-3, 10th W)
About the game
The Shanghai Dragons, who defeated Lada earlier in the season (4:1), start an eight-game home series following two straight losses.
Lada starts a two-game road trip on a five-match losing streak.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Nick Merkley is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Shanghai Dragons: Jake Bischoff, Parker Foo, Jeremy Groleau.
Lada: Andrei Obidin, Alexei Ozhgikhin.
