Torpedo hosts CSKA seeking a fifth straight wins; six games on tap today
A packed six-game matchday delivers key clashes across both conferences, opening in Ufa with Salavat Yulaev hosting Amur before action shifts to Astana for Barys against Avtomobilist. The Western Conference then takes center stage as Lada face Traktor, Severstal welcome HC Sochi, Lokomotiv host Dynamo Moscow in Yaroslavl, and Torpedo close the night at home against CSKA, with playoff races tightening on both sides of the table.
An exciting match day starts in Ufa, with Salavat Yulaev seeking a return to victory against Amur as the teams play a revenge of Tuesday’s match, with the Tigers claiming victory (4:2). It was Amur’s third win in the latest five matches, while the Ufa side lost its second straight games after losing the Green Derby to Ak Bars on Saturday (1:2). Amur thus increased its advantage to three points over Salavat Yulaev in the Eastern Conference’s standings, with Barys following in eighth place. Viktor Kozlov’s men won only once in the last five outings, but the East’s table is very tight.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (15-20-3, 9th E) vs Amur (15-17-6, 7th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev enters the third game of an eight-match home series on a two-game losing streak.
Amur enters the third game of a four-match road trip following a win in Ufa on Tuesday (4:2).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Maxim Kuznetsov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that stretch.
Amur’s forward Yaroslav Likhachyov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (6+1) points.
Amur’s forward Alex Galchenyuk is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Daniil Alalykin, Gleb Kuzmin.
Amur: Roman Abrosimov.
Milestone alert
Amur’s forward Oleg Li may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 199).
Then, in Astana, eighth-placed Barys hosts Avtomobilist. The Kazakhs defeated the Motormen twice this season, and will look forward to a third win and a return to victory on home ice following two straight losses to HC Sochi (1:5) and Traktor (0:2). Barys and Avtomobilist most recently met on Dec. 16, with the Kazakhs claiming a solid 4:1 win in Yekaterinburg. After that game, they traveled to Moscow to defeat Dynamo (4:2) before the recent losses on home ice. Avtomobilist has instead won the three next matches, over Dinamo Minsk (3:2 SO), Admiral (3:2), and Sibir (5:0), with imports Stephane Da Costa, Brooks Macek, and Reid Boucher in top shape. Containing them will be very hard for the Astana defense, but Barys needs points for its playoff push. After today’s game, Avtomobilist will return to Yekaterinburg, where the Motormen will play a home game against Lada on Dec. 30 before departing for a new road trip in the new year.
17:30: Barys (14-19-6, 8th E) vs Avtomobilist (21-14-3, 4th E)
About the game
Barys enters the third game of a four-match home series on a two-game losing streak.
Avtomobilist ends a two-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 2-0 (3:2 ОТ, 4:1).
Avtomobilist’s goalie Evgeny Alikin is on a 100:01 shutout streak.
Avtomobilist’s forward Brooks Macek is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Barys: Adam Scheel.
Avtomobilist: Maxim Denezhkin, Denis Romantsev.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa lines up for his 600th league appearance. He has 212 goals and 303 assists throughout his KHL career.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for four matches, starting with Lada facing Traktor. Traktor will play the second of four games on their current road trip. The stretch opened with a 2:0 shutout win over Barys, their first victory in nearly a month dating back to Nov. 28. Lada returned home after a road trip that ended with a heavy 2:7 loss to Dinamo Minsk, their fourth defeat in the last five games. With 25 points, the Togliatti side remains second from bottom in the Western Conference, sitting ahead of HC Sochi on tiebreakers. Traktor is sixth in the Eastern Conference, holding a narrow advantage over Amur.
18:00: Lada (11-23-3, 10th W) vs Traktor (16-17-5, 6th E)
About the game
Lada plays the lone home game of the series following a loss to Dinamo Minsk on Sunday (2:7).
Traktor enters the second game of a four-match road trip after defeating Barys on Tuesday (2:0).
Traktor’s goalie Sergei Mylnikov is on a 60:18 shutout streak.
Injury list
Lada: Alexei Ozhgikhin.
Disqualifications
Traktor’s defenseman Grigory Dronov serves a one-game ban.
Then, in Cherepovets, Severstal hosts HC Sochi. Earlier this season, Severstal won both meetings against HC Sochi. The Cherepovets side come into the next game after a home victory over CSKA (3:1). On the upcoming night, the Steelmen will wrap up a three-game home stand, while the southern club will conclude a three-game road trip. HC Sochi opened the trip with a convincing 5:1 win over Barys but then suffered a 1:4 loss to Torpedo. With 25 points, the Black Sea franchise remains at the bottom of the Western Conference, trailing Lada on tiebreakers. Severstal, meanwhile, is battling for conference supremacy, sitting three points behind leaders Lokomotiv while having two games in hand on the Yaroslavl side.
19:00: Severstal (25-12-1, 3rd W) vs HC Sochi (10-20-5, 11th W)
About the game
Severstal ends a three-game home series following a win over CSKA on Tuesday (3:1).
HC Sochi wraps up a three-game road trip after losing to Torpedo also on Tuesday (1:4).
The season series between the two sides is 2-0 (3:0, 5:4 OT).
Injury list
Severstal: Makar Fomin, Konstantin Shostak, Grigory Vashchenko.
HC Sochi: Daniil Bashkirov, Ilya Samsonov, Igor Shvyryov.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s defenseman Ilya Nikolayev lines up for his 200th league appearance.
HC Sochi’s goalie Pavel Khomchenko may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
In Yaroslavl, Lokomotiv hosts Dynamo Moscow in a classic confrontation. The Blue-and-Whites arrive in Yaroslavl in less-than-ideal spirits after suffering a heavy 1:7 defeat in Minsk two days ago. That loss prevented Vyacheslav Kozlov’s team from breaking into the Western Conference top three, leaving them fourth on 50 points, one fewer than third-placed Severstal. Lokomotiv sit atop the conference standings with 54 points this season, though the Railwaymen have played two more games than Dynamo.
19:30: Lokomotiv (25-11-4, 1st W) vs Dynamo Moscow (24-12-2, 4th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv enters the fifth game of a six-match home series following a win over Admiral on Tuesday (3:2).
Dynamo Moscow enters the third game of a seven-match road trip after losing to Dinamo Minsk also on Tuesday (1:7).
The teams traded wins earlier in the series 1-1 (3:2, 0:1).
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Andrei Sergeyev, Yegor Surin.
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov may reach 500 KHL assists (currently at 499).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev may record his 30th KHL shutout, while Alexei Melnichuk may reach 10.
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Daniil Pylenkov lines up for his 400th league appearance, while forward Semyon Der-Arguchintsev reaches 200.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Anton Slepyshev may score his 300th KHL point (currently at 299).
In the last match of the day, Torpedo faces CSKA. Alexei Isakov’s side heads into the upcoming game riding a four-game winning streak, which began with a victory over the Muscovites on Dec. 3. Since then, Torpedo defeated the Shanghai Dragons (4:3 SO), Neftekhimik (5:2), and HC Sochi (4:1). With 49 points, the Nizhny Novgorod club sit confidently fifth in the Western Conference, trailing Dynamo Moscow by a narrow margin while holding one game in hand. CSKA is eight points back in eighth place. Igor Nikitin’s team are coming off three straight losses to Lokomotiv (1:2 SO), Dynamo Moscow (0:1 SO) and Severstal (1:3). Can they avoid another setback, or will Torpedo extend their winning streak to five games?
19:30: Torpedo (23-11-3, 5th W) vs CSKA (17-15-7, 8th W)
About the game
Torpedo ends a two-game home series on a four-match winning streak.
CSKA ends a two-game road trip following three straight defeats.
Torpedo’s forward Yegor Vinogradov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that stretch.
Torpedo’s defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov is also on a four-game scoring streak, but with 5 (1+4) points.
Torpedo’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points.
CSKA’s goalie Dmitry Gamzin is on a 114:17 shutout streak.
Injury list
Torpedo: Denis Alexandrov, Alexei Kruchinin, Shane Prince, Nikita Shavin.
CSKA: Dmitry Buchelnikov, Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev, Dmitry Samorukov.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov may reach 400 points in the KHL (currently at 399).
