Seven-game matchday across East and West
A packed seven-game matchday stretches from Siberia to Belarus, opening in Novosibirsk with Sibir hosting Avtomobilist and continuing in Ufa, where Salavat Yulaev meets Amur, before Barys face Traktor in Astana. Western Conference action follows as Torpedo take on HC Sochi, Lokomotiv host Admiral, Severstal welcome CSKA in Cherepovets, and the night concludes with a high-profile Dynamo derby between Dinamo Minsk and Dynamo Moscow.
A busy matchday will start in Novosibirsk again, with Sibir taking on Avtomobilist. The Motormen collected two victories over Sibir this season so far, and will be looking for a third success. Both sides enter today’s game on a good shape. The hosts had three wins in the last five matches, and an extra time loss to Spartak (6:7 OT) – a stretch that got them closer to the eighth spot, but at the same time kept them at the bottom of the tight Eastern Conference’s standings, with eighth-placed Barys being just four points above. Avtomobilist bounced back quickly after a home loss to Barys on Dec. 16 (1:4), defeating Dinamo Minsk (3:2 SO) and Admiral (3:2), cementing their position in the top four in the East, with a significant cushion over Neftekhimik and Traktor.
15:30: Sibir (13-20-4, 11th E) vs Avtomobilist (20-14-3, 4th E)
About the game
Sibir wraps up a four-game home series following a win over Amur on Sunday (4:2).
Avtomobilist start a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 0-2 (1:7, 2:4).
Sibir’s forward Anton Kosolapov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (4+2) points over that stretch.
Sibir’s forward Semyon Koshelev and Avtomobilist’s forward Brooks Macek are also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Sibir: Ivan Chekhovich, Valentin Pyanov.
Avtomobilist: Maxim Denezhkin.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s defenseman Yegor Alanov lines up for his 300th league appearance.
Then, in Ufa, Salavat Yulaev faces Amur for the first time this season. The Ufa side has only two wins in the last five matches, but yesterday’s Barys loss kept Salavat Yulaev in full playoff competition with just one point from the postseason places. Tied with Barys at 34 points is Amur. The Tigers also have two wins in the last five games, and today’s confrontation will be key for the playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference. The two teams will be set for a rematch in two days. With Ufa enjoying the home ice advantage, Salavat Yulaev will probably looking to start the double header with Amur with a win to climb up in the standings as these games will be key for the East’s standings.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (15-19-3, 9th E) vs Amur (14-17-6, 7th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev enters the second game of an eight-match home series following a loss to Ak Bars on Saturday (1:2).
Amur enters the second game of a four-match road trip after losing to Sibir on Sunday (2:4).
Amur’s forward Yaroslav Likhachyov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Daniil Alalykin, Gleb Kuzmin.
Amur: Roman Abrosimov.
Milestone alert
Amur’s forwards Sergei Dubakin and Yaroslav Likhachyov line up for their 200th league appearance.
Amur’s forward Oleg Li may reach 200 points in the KHL (currently at 199).
In Kazakhstan, Barys hosts Traktor. It will be the fourth meeting between the two sides this year, with Traktor having so far the upper hand. However, the Kazakhs will be looking to tie the series and return to victory after a disappointing home loss to HC Sochi in their last outing – a result that hampered their playoff push, although the Eastern Conference’s standings are very tight and a single loss, or win, doesn’t mean that much at this point. With five straight losses, Traktor is just one point above Barys in the standings, meaning that a loss today would put the Black-and-Whites in danger of falling off the playoff places – also depending on other teams’ results. A win today would mean a good morale boost and precious points in the Eastern table.
17:30: Barys (14-18-6, 8th E) vs Traktor (15-17-5, 6th E)
About the game
Barys enters the second game of a four-match home series following a loss to HC Sochi on Sunday (1:5).
Traktor starts a four-game road trip on a five-match losing streak.
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (4:3 OT, 2:3 OT, 3:6).
Barys’ forward Semyon Simonov had at least a goal in each of his previous three matches, totaling four tallies.
Traktor’s forward Yegor Korshkov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that stretch.
Traktor’s defenseman Arseny Koromyslov is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Barys: Adam Scheel.
The action then moves to the Western Conference. In Nizhny Novgorod, Torpedo hosts HC Sochi trying to stretch a winning streak that lasts from three games. On the road, Torpedo defeated CSKA (5:4 SO), the Shanghai Dragons (4:3 SO), and Neftekhimik (5:2), and will start a short home stand today, with the next two matches on home ice. It will be the fourth meeting this year between the two sides, with Torpedo sweeping the series so far as the Nizhny Novgorod side will try to return to top four. Most recently, HC Sochi collected a nice win in Astana, but remains at the foot of the Western Conference, tied with Lada at 25 points – sixteen below the playoff line.
19:00: Torpedo (22-11-3, 5th W) vs HC Sochi (10-19-5, 11th W)
About the game
Torpedo starts a two-game home series on a three-match winning streak.
HC Sochi is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Barys on Sunday (5:1).
The season series between the two teams is 3-0 (3:0, 3:1, 5:3).
Torpedo’s forward Yegor Vinogradov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that stretch.
Torpedo’s defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Torpedo’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov potted a goal in each of his previous three matches.
HC Sochi’s forward Matvei Guskov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Torpedo: Alexei Kruchinin, Shane Prince, Nikita Shavin.
HC Sochi: Ilya Samsonov, Igor Shvyryov.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov may reach 400 KHL points (currently at 397).
HC Sochi’s goalie Pavel Khomchenko may record his 10th league shutout.
In Yaroslavl, the reigning Gagarin Cup champs will seek a return to victory after falling to Avangard on Saturday on home ice (0:3) after four straight wins. The Railwaymen still hold the lead in the Western Conference, but their advantage over the rivals is thin with four teams in just three points in the standings – and Lokomotiv played more games of all these squads. However, Lokomotiv is still on the top of the table, and the team will try to keep the lead in a home game against Admiral. The Sailors aren’t in their best moment, with just one win in the last five matches, slipping down to tenth place tied with Sibir at 30 points – one of the recent defeats included a 1:3 at home to Lokomotiv, who will be trying to get a second win over the Far East franchise.
19:00: Lokomotiv (24-11-4, 1st W) vs Admiral (12-17-6, 10th E)
About the game
Lokomotiv, who defeated Admiral earlier in the season (3:1), enters the fourth game of a six-match home series following a loss to Avangard on Saturday (0:3).
Admiral wraps up a four-game road trip after losing to Avtomobilist on Sunday (2:3).
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Andrei Sergeyev.
Admiral: Alexander Daryin, Maxim Maltsev, Ruslan Pedan.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov may reach 500 KHL assists (currently at 499).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev may record his 30th career shutout, while Alexei Melnichuk may reach 10.
Admiral’s forward Pavel Shen lines up for his 300th league appearance.
In Cherepovets, Severstal hosts CSKA. Earlier in the season, CSKA defeated Severstal three times in four head-to-head meetings. With 41 points, Igor Nikitin’s side sit eighth in the Western Conference, staying ahead of their closest chasers from the Shanghai Dragons. Severstal has 49 points and occupy fourth place in the conference table. The team trails conference leaders Lokomotiv by three points, while having played two fewer games. Andrey Kozyrev’s team last took the ice on December 18, when they suffered a 1:2 home defeat to Salavat Yulaev. The Steelers will be looking for a return to victory.
19:30: Severstal (24-12-1, 4th W) vs CSKA (17-14-7, 8th W)
About the game
Severstal is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost to Salavat Yulaev on Dec. 18 (1:2).
CSKA starts a two-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
CSKA’s goalie Dmitry Gamzin is on a 114:17 shutout streak.
Injury list
Severstal: Makar Fomin, Konstantin Shostak, Grigory Vashchenko.
CSKA: Dmitry Buchelninkov, Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev.
Milestone alert
Severstal’s forward Daniil Aimurzin lines up for his 200th league appearance.
Closing out an exciting KHL matchday is a showdown between Dinamo Minsk and Dynamo Moscow. Heading into the first Dynamo derby of the season, both teams come in with one win to their name. Dinamo Minsk cruised to an emphatic 7:2 home victory over Lada, while Dynamo Moscow edged CSKA 1:0 in a shootout in the capital derby. The two sides are direct rivals in the Western Conference standings, with the Bisons sitting second and holding a one-point advantage over the Moscow visitors. Will the balance change after the upcoming, highly-anticipated game in Minsk?
19:30: Dinamo Minsk (23-7-5, 2nd W) vs Dynamo Moscow (24-11-2, 3rd W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk enters the second game of a four-match home series following a win over Lada on Sunday (7:2).
Dynamo Moscow enters the second game of a seven-match road trip after a win over CSKA also on Sunday (1:0 SO).
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Vladislav Podyapolsky is on a 155:58 shutout streak.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may record his 30th KHL shutout.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Ilya Usov lines up for his 200th league appearance.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Anton Slepyshev may reach 300 KHL points (currently at 299).
