A high-stakes start to the week with five matches
Another busy KHL matchday opens in the Far East, where Amur host runaway league leader Metallurg and Admiral faces Ak Bars in Vladivostok. The focus then shifts west as Lokomotiv welcomes in-form Torpedo, SKA takes on Dinamo Minsk in St. Petersburg, and Dynamo Moscow closes the night against conference leader Severstal. With playoff races tightening in both conferences and momentum on the line, every matchup carries significant weight for the standings.
The matchday starts in the Far East again with Amur taking on Metallurg. It will be Magnitka’s second game in the Far East after an 8:4 win over Admiral on Saturday, with Derek Barach netting his third double of the season. It was Metallurg’s seventh straight win as the Steelers continue dominating the league’s standings with 74 points – ten more than second-placed Ak Bars and eleven more than Western Conference’s leading duo. Earlier in the season, Metallurg celebrated a 3:1 win over Amur, who instead lost its previous six matches and will be on the lookout for a return to win in front of the home crowd before departing for a road trip. The Tigers are currently the ninth seed in the East, just two points below the playoff places. After today’s game, Metallurg will fly back to Magnitogorsk, where the team will play the next four games, including another showdown with Amur on Saturday.
12:15: Amur (16-23-7, 9th E) vs Metallurg (35-6-4, 1st E)
About the game
Amur wraps up a three-game home series on a six-match losing streak.
Metallurg, who defeated Amur earlier in the season (3:1), ends a two-game road trip and won its previous seven matches.
Metallurg’s goalie Ilya Nabokov is on a 76:43 shutout streak.
Metallurg’s forward Sergei Tolchinsky is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 11 (5+6) points over that stretch.
Metallurg’s forward Daniil Vovchenko is on a five-game scoring streak, with 9 (1+8) points.
Metallurg’s defenseman Robin Press is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points.
Metallurg’s forward Derek Barach is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (4+2) points.
Metallurg’s forward Dmitry Silantyev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Metallurg’s defenseman Valery Orekhov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Amur: Roman Abrosimov.
Metallurg: Alexander Siryatsky.
Milestone alert
Amur’s forward Alex Broadhurst lines up for his 200th league appearance.
Amur’s forward Oleg Li may record his 200th career point (currently at 199).
Metallurg’s defenseman Makar Khabarov reachers 400 KHL games.
Metallurg’s forward Daniil Vovchenko may record his 300th career point (currently at 299).
Metallurg’s forward Sergei Tolchinsky may also reach 300 KHL points (currently at 298).
Metallurg’s forward Alexander Petunin may net his 100th goal in the league (currently at 99).
In the second Far East game of the day, Admiral hosts Ak Bars. The Kazan franchise had already collected two wins in Khabarovsk (5:3, 3:0), and now will go on with two straight matches in Vladivostok. Earlier in the season, Ak Bars defeated Admiral twice. The Sailors are in a bad position, with five straight losses and the last place in the Eastern Conference’s standings with 34 points and a seven-point gap to the playoff places, while Ak Bars is in the second position, with 30 points more. The teams will meet again in two days.
12:30: Admiral (13-23-8, 11th E) vs Ak Bars (31-14-2, 2nd E)
About the game
Admiral is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous five matches.
Ak Bars enters the third game of a four-match road trip on a two-game winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 0-2 (3:5, 2:3 ОТ).
Ak Bars’ goalie Maxim Arefyev is on a 68:31 shutout streak.
Injury list
Admiral: Alexander Daryin, Adam Huska, Vladislav Leontyev, Konstantin Shugayev.
Ak Bars: Mikhail Fisenko, Nikita Lyamkin, Albert Yarullin.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Alexei Pustozyorov may line up for his 200th career game.
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov may record his 200th win and 40th shutout in the KHL.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for three matches. First, Lokomotiv hosts Torpedo. The Railwaymen, still tied with Severstal at the top of the West’s standings with 63 points, bounced back with a 2:0 win over the Shanghai Dragons after losing to Torpedo on Wednesday (0:3). After that game, the Nizhny Novgorod side collected another shutout win, with blue-chip prospect Gleb Pugachyov netting the lone goal in a tight match in Moscow against Spartak. Currently in a three-game winning streak, Torpedo returned to the Western Conference’s top four, with 58 points.
19:00: Lokomotiv (29-13-5, 2nd W) vs Torpedo (27-15-4, 4th W)
About the game
Lokomotiv is in the middle of a three-game home series and defeated the Shanghai Dragons on Saturday (2:0).
Torpedo ends a two-game road trip on a three-game winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1-2 (1:2, 1:0, 0:3).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev is on an 87:18 shutout streak.
Torpedo’s goalie Denis Kostin is on a 133:49 shutout streak.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Yegor Surin.
Torpedo: Alexei Kruchinin.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
Then, in St. Petersburg, SKA and Dinamo Minsk will clash for the third time in the season. SKA defeated the Belarusians twice. The Bison approach the new clash after an away victory in the Dynamo derby against their Moscow namesakes (3:2). With 61 points, Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team rounds out the Western Conference top three, two points behind Severstal and Lokomotiv, who have both played two more games. Three days earlier, SKA suffered a second straight loss to HC Sochi (1:2). Igor Larionov’s side sit seventh in the conference, two points clear of Spartak with a game in hand. They trail sixth-placed CSKA by one point, while the Moscow Army Men have played four more games than their St. Petersburg counterparts. Will the hosts be able to climb the standings in the near future, or will Dinamo continue their push toward the top spot in the West?
19:30: SKA (24-15-5, 7th W) vs Dinamo Minsk (28-12-5, 3rd W)
About the game
SKA is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost to HC Sochi on Friday (1:2).
Dinamo Minsk enters the third game of a four-match road trip and defeated Dynamo Moscow on Saturday (3:2).
The season series between the two sides is 2-0 (3:2 ОТ, 4:1).
SKA’s forward Marat Khairullin tallied a goal in each of his previous three matches.
SKA’s forward Mikhail Vorobyov had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Sam Anas is on a ten-game scoring streak, with 18 (5+13) points over that stretch.
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Ty Smith had at least an assist in each of his previous four matches, totaling five helpers.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Alex Limoges is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
SKA: Trevor Murphy, Vladislav Romanov.
Dinamo Minsk: Joshua Brook, Xavier Ouellet.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may record his 30th KHL shutout.
Closing out an exciting KHL Monday is a showdown between Dynamo Moscow and Severstal. Earlier this season, Dynamo recorded two shutout wins over the Steelers. At present, the Blue-and-Whites are on a three-game home losing streak, having fallen to Torpedo (3:4 OT), Spartak (3:5), and their Minsk namesakes (2:3). Will they be able to secure a victory in their final game before the upcoming road trip? Severstal heads to the Russian capital after a successful home outing against Dinamo Minsk (6:4), in which forward Adam Liska scored a hat trick. The Steelers lead the Western Conference with 63 points, level with second-placed Lokomotiv. Dynamo sit fifth on 55 points — one more than CSKA, who have played two additional games, and three fewer than fourth-placed Torpedo. Defenseman Thomas Gregoire’s availability is in doubt after missing the game against Dinamo Minsk due to illness.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (26-17-3, 5th W) vs Severstal (30-14-3, 1st W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow wraps up a four-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Severstal starts a five-game road trip fresh off a win over Dinamo Minsk on Thursday (6:4).
The season series between the two sides is 2-0 (3:0, 1:0 ОТ).
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Daniil Pylenkov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Igor Ozhiganov is also on a four-game scoring streak, but with 4 (1+3) points.
Severstal’s forward David Dumbadze is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Severstal: Alexander Samoilov, Daniil Veryayev.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Artyom Sergeyev may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
Severstal’s defenseman Ilya Davydov lines up for his 200th league game, while forward Ilya Reingardt reaches 100.
