High-stakes KHL showdowns across the league
A full KHL slate spans both conferences, starting in the Far East where Metallurg visit Admiral and Amur host Ak Bars. In Novosibirsk, Sibir face in-form Neftekhimik, while Avtomobilist meet Salavat Yulaev in a key Eastern battle. Barys welcome CSKA in Astana before the action shifts west, with Spartak hosting Torpedo, Dynamo Moscow taking on Dinamo Minsk, and Lokomotiv closing the day against the Shanghai Dragons.
Metallurg starts today a Far East tour with a game in Vladivostok, before moving to Khabarovsk in two days. Magnitka is on a roll, with a 9:0 victory over Sochi that was the team’s biggest ever win in the KHL – and with nine different scorers. It was Metallurg’s sixth straight win as Andrei Razin’s team seems unstoppable now, maintaining a firm grip on the top place in the league and the Eastern Conference. Admiral is on the opposite end of the spectrum. The Sailors sit in last place in the East with a seven-point gap from the playoff line and lost their last four matches – it will be interesting to see whether Admiral will have enough energy to revert the trend in a difficult home game. Earlier in the season, Metallurg took both previous meetings, each decided by a one-goal margin.
10:00: Admiral (13-22-8, 11th E) vs Metallurg (34-6-4, 1st E)
About the game
Admiral starts a three-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
Metallurg kicks off a two-game road trip after six straight wins.
The season series between the two sides is 0-2 (1:2, 3:4 SO).
Metallurg’s goalie Ilya Nabokov is on a 76:43 shutout streak.
Metallurg’s forward Sergei Tolchinsky is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points over that stretch.
Metallurg’s forward Daniil Vovchenko is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points.
Metallurg’s defenseman Robin Press is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Metallurg’s forward Derek Barach is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Admiral: Alexander Daryin, Adam Huska, Vladislav Leontyev, Konstantin Shugayev.
Metallurg: Alexander Siryatsky.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s forward Alexander Petunin may reach 100 career goals (currently at 99).
In Khabarovsk, Amur will equally seek a return to victory when the Tigers host Ak Bars for a revenge match after Kazan celebrated a 5:3 win two days ago. With 62 points, the visitors sit second in the Eastern Conference, narrowly ahead of Avangard despite having played two more games. For the Tigers, the latest defeat was their fifth in a row, which is having a negative impact on their playoff chances. They trail eighth-placed Sibir by two points, although Alexander Andriyevsky’s side have a game in hand. But will Amur be able to catch up with their rivals by the end of the upcoming matchday? The two Far East franchises will swap opponents in two days.
10:00: Amur (16-22-7, 9th E) vs Ak Bars (30-14-2, 2nd E)
About the game
Amur is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous five matches.
Ak Bars enters the second game of a four-match road trip and defeated Amur on Thursday (5:3).
The season series between the two teams is 0-3 (1:5, 1:3, 3:5).
Injury list
Amur: Roman Abrosimov.
Ak Bars: Mikhail Fisenko, Nikita Lyamkin, Albert Yarullin.
Milestone alert
Amur’s forward Oleg Li may reach 200 points in the league (currently at 199).
Ak Bars’ defenseman Konstantin Luchevnikov and forward Alexei Pustozyorov may line up for their respective 200th KHL game.
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov may celebrate his 200th league win and 40th shutout.
Then, in Novosibirsk, Sibir hosts Neftekhimik. The hosts will play their first game after Yaroslav Lyuzenkov was officially confirmed as head coach, no longer in an interim role. This followed an away win over Severstal (3:2), which was their second victory in the last four matches. Thanks to their results under the specialist, the Siberian side have moved into the Eastern Conference playoff zone and now sit two points ahead of Amur, who have a game in hand. Can they hold on to this position?
Neftekhimik is fifth, two points behind fourth-placed Avtomobilist. The Nizhnekamsk club is on a four-game winning streak, with Igor Grishin’s men keeping clean sheets in their last two outings against Ak Bars (2:0) and Barys (1:0). It will be interesting to see whether the Wolves’ defense can remain that competitive on a third occasion.
13:30: Sibir (18-23-5, 8th E) vs Neftekhimik (24-20-3, 5th E)
About the game
Sibir, who defeated Neftekhimik earlier in the season (3:2 SO), plays the lone home game of the series following a win over Severstal on Tuesday (3:2).
Neftekhimik ends a three-game road trip on a four-match winning series.
Neftekhimik’s goalie Yaroslav Ozolin is on a 155:22 shutout streak.
Injury list
Sibir: Ilya Fedotov.
Neftekhimik: Raul Yakupov.
Another exciting Eastern Conference game will see Avtomobilist clashing with Salavat Yulaev. Earlier this season, Avtomobilist won two of their three meetings with Salavat Yulaev. The teams last faced each other on Jan. 8 in Ufa. Since then, the Ural side have recorded back-to-back wins over Barys (2:1 OT) and Traktor (4:1), where Daniel Sprong had his first points for the team. Over the same period, the Ufa club extended their winning streak to five games, defeating Barys (3:1), Avangard (4:3), and Lada (5:2). With 53 points, the Motormen round out the Eastern Conference top four, two points clear of fifth-placed Neftekhimik, who have played two more games. Salavat Yulaev sit sixth with 48 points. Will the Ufa side be able to extend their winning streak to six games?
14:30: Avtomobilist (25-17-3, 4th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (22-20-4, 6th E)
About the game
Avtomobilist enters the third game of a six-match home series following two straight wins.
Salavat Yulaev wraps up a three-game road trip on a five-match winning streak.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Sheldon Rempal is on an eleven-game scoring streak, with 22 (5+17) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Dmitry Yudin.
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin, Alexei Vasilevsky.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Evgeny Kulik may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov may dish out his 100th league assist (currently at 99).
In Astana, Barys will seek a return to victory in a home game against CSKA. The Kazakhs continue to endure an extremely difficult stretch, with their losing streak now reaching five games. Two days earlier, Mikhail Kravets’ side failed to find the net at home against Neftekhimik (0:1), and over this five-game span the team have scored just five goals in total. With 37 points, the Astana club remain second from bottom in the Eastern Conference, four points behind eighth-placed Sibir, with their rivals also holding a game in hand. CSKA will wrap up a short two-game road trip following a narrow loss in Omsk to local side Avangard (1:2). It was the team’s first defeat in the last four matches. Igor Nikitin’s team sit in the Western Conference playoff zone with 54 points.
15:00: Barys (15-25-7, 10th E) vs CSKA (23-16-8, 6th W)
About the game
Barys ends a two-game home series on a five-match losing streak.
CSKA ends a two-game road trip following a loss to Avangard on Thursday (1:2).
CSKA’s forward Prokhor Poltapov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (5+1) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Barys: Kirill Savitsky.
CSKA: Dmitry Buchelnikov, Danila Moiseyev, Dmitry Samorukov.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for three games. In Moscow, Spartak faces Torpedo. The Red-and-Whites will play their first home game in more than a month and a half, having last taken to the ice in front of their own fans on Nov. 29. The matchup against Torpedo is preceded by back-to-back Moscow derbies against CSKA (1:2) and Dynamo (5:3). Overall, Alexey Zhamnov’s side have won three of their last four games, including a 7:6 victory over Torpedo on Jan. 4. That win over the Nizhny Novgorod club was Spartak’s first of the season against them, following two earlier defeats. Alexei Isakov’s team arrive in the Russian capital on a two-game winning streak, having beaten Dynamo Moscow (4:3 OT) and Lokomotiv (3:0). With 56 points, the visitors sit fourth in the Western Conference, while Spartak round out the playoff zone with 51 points and an eight-point cushion over the Shanghai Dragons.
17:00: Spartak (23-16-5, 8th W) vs Torpedo (26-15-4, 5th W)
About the game
Spartak plays the lone home game of the series following a win over Dynamo Moscow on Wednesday (5:3).
Torpedo starts a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1-2 (3:4 ОТ, 3:4, 7:6).
Spartak’s forward Mikhail Maltsev is on a six-game scoring streak, with 10 (5+5) points over that stretch.
Torpedo’s goalie Denis Kostin is on a 73:49 shutout streak.
Torpedo’s forward Sergei Goncharuk is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Torpedo: Alexei Kruchinin.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s forward Mikhail Maltsev may record his 100th point in the KHL (currently at 99).
Torpedo’s goalie Denis Kostin may line up for his 200th career game.
In the meantime, Dynamo Moscow will face Dinamo Minsk. Earlier in the current regular season, both Dynamo derbies went in favor of the Minsk side (7:1, 5:3). At the moment, Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team are going through a downturn, having recorded just one win in their last five games — a 2:1 victory over Admiral — before suffering an away loss to Severstal (4:6). The Blue-and-Whites have followed a similar path, with four defeats in their last five outings as well. Three days earlier, Vyacheslav Kozlov’s men were beaten at home in the capital derby by Spartak (3:5). However, these results have not yet had a major impact on the teams’ positions in the standings. Minsk sits third in the Western Conference, just two points behind Lokomotiv with two games in hand. The Moscow club is fifth, trailing Torpedo by the narrowest of margins.
17:00: Dynamo Moscow (26-16-3, 5th W) vs Dinamo Minsk (27-12-5, 3rd W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow enters the third game of a four-match home series on a two-game losing streak.
Dinamo Minsk enters the second game of a four-match road trip following a loss to Severstal on Thursday (4:6).
The season series between the two sides is 0-2 (1:7, 3:5).
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Daniil Pylenkov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that stretch.
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Igor Ozhiganov and forward Semyon Der-Arguchintsev had an assist in each of their previous three matches.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Sam Anas is on a nine-game scoring streak, with 17 (5+12) points over that stretch.
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Ty Smith had at least an assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling four helpers.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Dinamo Minsk: Joshua Brook, Xavier Ouellet.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Artyom Sergeyev may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may record his 30th league shutout.
In the closing game of a tense KHL matchday, the Shanghai Dragons host Lokomotiv as the Chinese franchise is desperately seeking points. The Chinese franchise has proven to be extremely awkward opponents for Lokomotiv this season, having won both previous meetings with the Yaroslavl side (4:1, 4:3 OT). The Railwaymen will open a three-game homestand and will be looking not only to defeat the Chinese club for the first time in the regular season, but also to bounce back from a home loss suffered three days ago against Torpedo (0:3). With 61 points, Bob Hartley’s team sit second in the Western Conference, two points behind Severstal and holding the same margin over Dinamo Minsk. The Shanghai Dragons have lost three of their last five games and head to Yaroslavl following a 5:2 defeat to SKA. Mike Kelly’s side trail the playoff zone by eight points.
17:00: Lokomotiv (28-13-5, 2nd W) vs Shanghai Dragons (17-18-9, 9th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv starts a three-game home series following a loss to Torpedo on Wednesday (0:4).
The Shanghai Dragons play the lone road game of the trip on a two-match losing streak.
The season series between the two teams is 0-2 (1:4, 3:4 ОТ).
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Nick Merkley is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Yegor Surin.
Shanghai Dragons: Parker Foo, Jeremy Groleau, Ben Harpur, Troy Josephs.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10th KHL shutout.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Kirill Rasskazov may reach 100 assists in the league (currently at 99).
