Derbies and decisive battles light up Wednesday’s schedule
A full slate of action awaits as the KHL matchday opens in Astana with Barys hosting Admiral, followed by the season’s final Green Derby in Kazan between Ak Bars and Salavat Yulaev. The focus then shifts west, where Spartak welcomes Lada and Dynamo Moscow faces CSKA in a crucial capital derby with playoff implications. The night concludes in Nizhny Novgorod, where Torpedo and Severstal meet in a key battle.
The match day starts in Kazakhstan with a showdown between Barys and Admiral. The Kazakhs are currently on a three-match losing streak and are losing ground from Sibir in eighth place, being now at eighth points from the playoff places. Barys lost games to Lada (0:2), CSKA (0:1), and Neftekhimik (2:3). Barys made no moves at the trade deadline, and will be hosting Admiral, now on a tough nine-loss streak. The Sailors will be trying hard to avoid a tenth straight defeat, but it won’t be easy for them as the Kazakhs will be eager for points and to return to victory in front of the home crowd. Admiral is in last place in the standings at 34 points and will fly back to Vladivostok after today’s clash, where the team will play the next six matches.
17:00: Barys (16-28-7, 10th E) vs Admiral (13-27-8, 11th E)
About the game
Barys, who defeated Admiral earlier in the season (3:0), plays the lone home game of the series on a three-game losing streak.
Admiral wraps up a three-game road trip on a nine-match losing streak.
Injury list
Barys: Kirill Savitsky.
Admiral: Alexander Daryin, Dmitry Deryabin.
Then, in Kazan, Ak Bars and Salavat Yulaev will dispute the sixth and last Green Derby of the season. Ak Bars is currently up 4-1 in the season series, winning two games at home. Standings implications should also not be forgotten. Ak Bars, who on the deadline day traded for Spartak’s Nathan Todd in exchange for forward Brandon Biro and defenseman Artemy Knyazev, is battling Avangard for second place as the team is level with the Hawks at 69 points, while Salavat Yulaev need points to pull away from Traktor and mount a challenge to Neftekhimik, who currently sit fifth. The Ufa team enters today’s derby following wins over HC Sochi (2:1) and Dinamo Minsk (2:1 OT) and has three wins in the last five matches. Most recently, Ak Bars lost to Sibir at home (2:3 SO) after four straight victories in the Far East.
19:00: Ak Bars (33-14-3, 2nd E) vs Salavat Yulaev (24-22-4, 6th E)
About the game
Ak Bars is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost to Sibir on Saturday (2:3 SO).
Salavat Yulaev wraps up a three-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
The season series between the two rivals is 4-1 (3:1, 4:1, 1:4, 6:3, 2:1).
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that stretch.
Ak Bars’ forward Alexei Pustozyorov is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Stepan Falkovsky, Mikhail Fisenko, Albert Yarullin.
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dean Stewart, Alexei Vasilevsky.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov may record his 40th career shutout.
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Ildar Gazimov lines up for his 100th league appearance.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
The action then moves to the Western Conference for three games, two of which in Moscow. Spartak hosts Lada as the Red-and-Whites will try to return to victory after a home extra time loss to Lokomotiv on Sunday, with Daniil Gutik’s first goal with his new team not enough to secure victory. Spartak is currently the seventh seed in the West, while Lada sits in penultimate place as the Togliatti side fell at home to Dynamo Moscow (1:3) after a three-game winning streak.
19:30: Spartak (25-17-6, 7th W) vs Lada (15-29-6, 10th W)
About the game
Spartak, who defeated Lada earlier in the season (5:4), is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost to Lokomotiv on Saturday (2:3 OT).
Lada is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Dynamo Moscow on Monday (1:3).
Spartak’s forward Nikita Korostelyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that stretch.
Milestone alert
Lada’s forward Andrei Obidin may reach 100 career points (currently at 99).
In the second Moscow game, Dynamo Moscow hosts CSKA in the sixth derby of the season. The Blue-and-Whites hold the lead in the series, but CSKA today has a chance to tie things up. Dynamo Moscow has currently the upper hand in the standings, with 60 points, two more than CSKA, and enters today’s confrontation after a home win over Lada. CSKA has two straight wins instead, a shutout victory against Barys (1:0) and a 4:2 win over Severstal. Today’s clash will be key for both teams’ positioning in the Western Conference’s standings. Dynamo has been struggling for form lately, while CSKA is clearly gaining momentum. In their previous meetings this season, the Blue-and-Whites have had the edge with three wins in five games, but the most recent clash went CSKA’s way, as Igor Nikitin’s side confidently dispatched their rivals 5:1 just before the New Year. Will CSKA be able to repeat that performance, or will Dynamo close out the season series with a win? Maybe today the Red-and-Blues will see the debut of their trade deadline acquisitions – forward Klim Kostin and defenseman Nick Ebert.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (28-18-4, 5th W) vs CSKA (25-17-8, 6th W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow enters the second game of a four-match home series following a win over Lada on Monday (3:1).
CSKA plays the lone road game of the series on a two-match winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 3-2 (2:6, 4:3 SO, 3:2, 1:0 SO, 1:5).
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Kirill Adamchuk had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
CSKA: Dmitry Buchelnikov, Danila Moiseyev, Vladislav Provolnev.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Artyom Sergeyev may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
CSKA’s forward Vitaly Abramov lines up for his 300th league appearance.
A showdown between Torpedo and Severstal closes out an exciting KHL Wednesday. The Nizhny Novgorod side looked set to record a seventh successive victory in their recent game against Sibir, after jumping to a 2:0 lead in the first period, just to end up as the losing side in the end. Torpedo remains the fourth team in the Western Conference at 64 points, with a four-point cushion over Dynamo Moscow. Severstal has also lost its previous game, when the Lynx suffered a 2:4 win against CSKA. The Cherepovets side has two points more than Torpedo in the West’s table, and will be looking to avoid losing ground from Lokomotiv and Dinamo Minsk.
19:30: Torpedo (30-16-4, 4th W) vs Severstal (31-15-4, 3rd W)
About the game
Torpedo wraps up a four-game home series following a loss to Sibir on Monday (2:4).
Severstal enters the fourth game of a five-match road trip after a loss to CSKA also on Monday (2:4).
The season series between the two sides is 0-2 (3:5, 6:7).
Torpedo’s goalie Denis Kostin is on an 80:11 shutout streak.
Torpedo’s forward Yegor Vinogradov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (4+3) points over that stretch.
Torpedo’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 9 (2+7) points.
Torpedo’s forward Maxim Letunov had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Torpedo’s forward Amir Garayev is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Severstal’s forward Mikhail Ilyin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Torpedo: Alexei Kruchinin.
Severstal: Alexander Samoilov, Daniil Veryayev, Artyom Zhukov.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Dmitry Shevchenko may reach 100 KHL goals (currently at 99).
Severstal’s defenseman Grigory Vashchenko lines up for his 100th league appearance.
