Metallurg faces Traktor in today’s lone game!
It’s a light matchday with an exciting Southern Urals derby between Metallurg and Traktor, with both sides trying to bounce back after a recent defeat.
The two sides met recently, on Dec. 19. After scoring the go-ahead goal with Semyon Der-Arguchintsev – now with Dynamo Moscow – Traktor was forced to catch up for most of the game, failing to do so as American forward Derek Barach had a four-point night for Magnitka, with a goal and three assists, with Metallurg celebrating a 7:4 win. Earlier in the season, in November, Metallurg already defeated Traktor, with a 4:3 score and 46 saves by Ilya Nabokov. Most recently, however, both sides lost. Lucas Johnson’s first goal after missing two months and a half wasn’t enough for the Steelers, who lost in Omsk in extra time (1:2 SO). After a prolonged skid, Traktor won twice in a row, over Barys (2:0) and Lada (6:1), but lost in Kazan (2:3) despite Joshua Leivo’s eighteenth tally of the season. Metallurg is still leading the Eastern Conference with a league-leading 60 points, while Traktor is in sixth place with a 21-poing gap from today’s opposition (and two games more). Will Traktor manage to grab its first win of the season over its regional rival and deny Metallurg’s head coach Andrei Razin a nice celebration for his milestone in the game that will be the last one for both sides in 2025?
17:00: Metallurg (28-6-4, 1st E) vs Traktor (17-18-5, 6th E)
About the game
Metallurg plays the lone home game of the series following a loss to Avangard on Friday (1:2 SO).
Traktor wraps up a four-game road trip after losing to Ak Bars on Saturday (2:3).
The season series between the two sides is 2-0 (4:3, 7:4).
Injury list
Metallurg: Alexander Siryatsky.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s head coach Andrei Razin celebrates his 600th KHL game.
Traktor’s forward Yegor Korshkov may net his 100th goal in the league.
