Vadim Shipachyov seeking 1,000th point again at home against Admiral
Four games headline today’s KHL slate, with milestones and playoff implications across both conferences. Avtomobilist looks to halt a three-game skid at home against Barys, while Lada welcomes SKA after snapping a long losing streak. Dynamo Moscow hosts Torpedo in a key Western matchup, and in Minsk, Vadim Shipachyov once again chases his historic 1,000th KHL point as Dinamo faces struggling Admiral.
A new week of hockey starts in Yekaterinburg, with Avtomobilist looking to revert the trend returning home after three consecutive losses. The Motormen lost to Salavat Yulaev (1:4), Traktor (1:3), and Ak Bars (0:5), but had enough reserve to retain their spot in the Eastern Conference’s top four, despite not going to extra time in neither game. To try and improve the situation, Avtomobilist has just acquired Daniel Sprong from CSKA in exchange for monetary compensation. The Dutch forward had 31 (12+19) points in 29 games for the Muscovites, and lastly played on Nov. 27. Today’s opponent, Barys, has also lost its previous three matches, to Salavat Yulaev (1:3), Ak Bars (1:3), and Torpedo (2:3). The Kazakhs are now in tenth place in the East, three points below the playoff spots. After today’s game, Barys – who defeated the Motormen twice this season – will fly back to Astana, where the team will play the next couple of matches.
17:00: Avtomobilist (23-17-3, 4th E) vs Barys (15-24-6, 10th E)
About the game
Avtomobilist starts a six-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Barys wraps up a five-game road trip also on a three-match losing streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1-2 (2:3 OT, 1:4, 4:1).
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Artyom Kashtanov.
Barys: Kirill Savitsky.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for three games. First, in Togliatti, Lada hosts SKA. In a recent home game against HC Sochi, the Togliatti side snapped a seven-game skid, winning for the first time since Nov. 19. The team remains in the last spot in the Western Conference’s table, but reduced its gap to Sochi to just three points. SKA has instead saw a run of three wins in four rudely interrupted in Magnitogorsk. It will be the fourth meeting between the two Western sides, with SKA sweeping the season series so far, with the most recent win dated only Jan. 7. The St. Petersburg side had a good cushion over the ninth-placed Shanghai Dragons as it stretched to six points.
18:00: Lada (12-27-5, 11th W) vs SKA (22-14-5, 7th W)
About the game
Lada starts a five-game home series fresh off a win over HC Sochi on Saturday (4:1).
SKA is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Metallurg also on Saturday (1:5).
The season series between the two sides is 0-3 (1:6, 0:3, 4:5 OT).
Lada’s forward Artur Tyanulin had at least an assist in each of his previous four matches, totaling five helpers.
Injury list
SKA: Trevor Murphy, Vladislav Romanov.
Milestone alert
SKA’s forward Mikhail Vorobyov lines up for his 400th KHL game.
SKA’s forward Andrei Loktionov may record his 200th KHL assist (currently at 199).
Then, in Moscow, Dynamo hosts Torpedo. The Blue-and-Whites return to the Russian capital following a win over HC Sochi – it was only the team’s second win in the last five matches. Despite the setback, Dynamo Moscow is tied with CSKA for a spot in the conference’s top four at 54 points – two more than Torpedo. The Nizhny Novgorod franchise just lost in a high-scoring affair to Severstal (6:7, the second loss with such a score in three games) and slipped down to sixth place, trailing both the Moscow teams. However, Torpedo will be seeking a return to victory, other than its first win over Dynamo in the current season, with the Muscovites claiming both clashes played so far. After today’s game, Torpedo will fly back home to face Lokomotiv in two days.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (26-15-2, 5th W) vs Torpedo (24-15-4, 6th W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow starts a four-game home series fresh off a win over HC Sochi on Wednesday (3:0).
Torpedo ends a two-game road trip following a loss to Severstal on Saturday (6:7).
The season series between the two teams is 2-0 (4:1, 4:0).
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Vladislav Podyapolsky is on a 64:18 shutout streak.
Torpedo’s forward Yegor Vinogradov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points over that stretch.
Torpedo’s defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Torpedo’s forward Amir Garayev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Torpedo: Alexei Kruchinin.
In Belarus, Vadim Shipachyov will again on the hunt for his historical 1,000th KHL point. The forward is still at 999, and the Bison will need his production to revert the trend after being caught in a rare three-game losing streak. Dinamo Minsk enters its game against Admiral after three straight road losses, falling to Traktor (4:5), CSKA (2:4), and Severstal (3:4). A similar situation applies to the Sailors, who have also struggled away from home, losing to Sibir (2:5) and Neftekhimik (2:3 SO, 2:4). The Far Eastern side is still searching for its first win since Oleg Bratash took over as head coach. Admiral sits last in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Barys but with three games in hand. After today’s clash, the Sailors will return to Vladivostok for a three-game home stand. The Bison, meanwhile, round out the top three in the West, three points ahead of their Moscow namesakes and CSKA with one game in hand. Dinamo forward Vadim Shipachyov is just one point shy of 1,000 career KHL points — will he reach the milestone tonight?
19:30: Dinamo Minsk (26-11-5, 3rd W) vs Admiral (13-21-8, 11th E)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk, who defeated Admiral earlier in the season (4:1), plays the lone home game of the series on a three-game losing streak.
Admiral wraps up a four-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Sam Anas is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 14 (5+9) points over that stretch.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Sergei Kuznetsov netted a goal in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Stanislav Galiyev.
Admiral: Alexander Daryin, Adam Huska, Vladislav Leontyev, Dmitry Shugayev.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vadim Shipachyov may reach 1,000 KHL points (currently at 999).
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may record his 30th KHL shutout.
