Seven games set the stage for a busy Thursday
Seven games headline a packed KHL matchday, starting in Novosibirsk as Sibir hosts Lada after Taylor Beck’s historic outing. Action continues with Barys facing SKA in Astana, while Neftekhimik welcomes HC Sochi and Ak Bars takes on Torpedo in Kazan. The focus then shifts West as Dinamo Minsk meets Lokomotiv, followed by Shanghai Dragons versus Severstal in St. Petersburg. The day concludes with a Moscow derby between Spartak and CSKA.
The matchday starts in Novosibirsk again with Sibir facing Lada. The hosts enter today’s game after a record-breaking win over HC Sochi on Tuesday, with Taylor Beck becoming the first KHL player to score seven points in a single game. With the win, Sibir further cemented its place in eighth position in the Eastern Conference’s standings, with an eight-point cushion over Amur. Lada has equally won its last game, a result that allowed the Togliatti side surpass HC Sochi in the Western Conference’s standings, but that hardly will have any real influence on the standings. Today, both teams will try to build on recent wins.
15:30: Sibir (24-27-5, 8th E) vs Lada (16-33-6, 10th W)
About the game
Sibir enters the sixth game of a seven-match home series following a win over HC Sochi on Tuesday (10:1).
Lada, who defeated Sibir earlier in the season (4:2), starts a two-game road trip fresh off a win over Torpedo also on Tuesday (3:1).
Sibir’s forward Anton Kosolapov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that stretch.
Sibir’s defenseman Chase Priskie is equally on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Sibir’s forward Taylor Beck is on a three-game scoring streak, with an impressive 9 (2+7) points.
Injury list
Sibir: Mikhail Abramov, Valentin Pyanov, Daniil Valitov.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Pavel Tkachenko may reach 100 league appearances.
Lada’s forward Andrei Obidin may record his 100th career point (currently at 99).
In Kazakhstan, Barys faces SKA. The Kazakhs return to Astana following a win in Vladivostok (4:1), and will try to build on their recent victory to please the home crowd for the next five games. Barys has still some theoretical chances to climb back to the playoff places, but the gap from Sibir is significant at eleven points. After a rocky period, SKA looks back on track, with three consecutive victories, over Dinamo Minsk (4:3 SO), Severstal (3:1), and Neftekhimik (5:1). After today’s clash in Astana, SKA will return home to St. Petersburg, where the team will play the next seven games, for a home stand that will finish with another showdown against Barys, on March 2. It will be the teams’ first meeting this season. SKA will be on the lookout for a win as the better-placed team, but Barys showed this season that they can beat anyone.
17:30: Barys (17-30-8, 10th E) vs SKA (27-20-6, 8th W)
About the game
Barys starts a five-game home series fresh off a win over Admiral on Feb. 04 (4:1).
SKA wraps up a six-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.
SKA’s forward Sergei Plotnikov, who is looking to score his 250th goal in the KHL (currently at 248), is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Barys: Mason Morelli.
SKA: Igor Larionov, Trevor Murphy, Vladislav Romanov, Nikita Zaitsev.
In Nizhnekamsk, Neftekhimik hosts HC Sochi with both sides looking to bounce back after recent losses. The Wolves have only two wins in the last five matches, and started after the All-Star break with a loss to SKA on Tuesday (2:5). Neftekhimik retained its place in the fifth spot of the East, but the gap with fourth-placed Avtomobilist increased to five points. HC Sochi is currently the last team in the league’s standings, and lost its previous four matches.
19:00: Neftekhimik (28-23-3, 5th E) vs HC Sochi (15-30-7, 11th W)
About the game
Neftekhimik ends a two-game home series following a loss to SKA on Tuesday (2:5).
HC Sochi, who defeated Neftekhimik earlier in the season (2:1), wraps up a six-game road trip on a four-match losing streak.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Vladislav Barulin, Raul Yakupov.
HC Sochi: Maxim Tretyak, Denis Vengryzhanovsky.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s goalie Ilya Samsonov may line up for his 100th league appearance.
HC Sochi’s goalie Pavel Khomchenko may celebrate his 50th KHL win.
Despite being on a two-game losing streak, Ak Bars just received a ticket for the playoffs. The Kazan side lost to Sibir (2:3 SO) and Traktor (0:4) before the All-Star break and lost some ground from Avangard, who is now above them in the Eastern Conference’s standings by five points. Today’s opposition, Torpedo, wraps up the West’s top four, but as the conference’s standings as very tight, the team might find itself in second place after today’s action, being just two points behind Severstal and trailing Dinamo Minsk by one. It will be the first matchup between the two sides in the current campaign.
19:00: Ak Bars (34-15-5, 3rd E) vs Torpedo (32-18-5, 4th W)
About the game
Ak Bars plays the lone home game of the series on a two-match losing streak.
Torpedo wraps up a five-game road trip following a loss to Lada on Tuesday (1:3).
Torpedo’s forward Yegor Vinogradov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Stepan Falkovsky.
Torpedo: Nikita Rozhkov.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’s goalie Timur Bilyalov may record his 40th career shutout.
Torpedo’s forward Dmitry Shevchenko may score his 100th league point (currently at 99).
The action the shifts to the Western Conference for three games, starting from Dinamo Minsk facing Lokomotiv in Belarus. It will be an exciting match, with both sides wanting to grab a win from a rival in the standings. The Railwaymen are currently riding a seven-game winning streak, with Bob Hartley’s team unbeaten since Jan. 19. Over their last six games, the side have conceded just five goals in total, and ahead of the trip to Minsk they shut out the Shanghai Dragons (2:0). Lokomotiv sits comfortably atop the Western Conference with 77 points. Dinamo Minsk follows second after recording a win in Cherepovets, six points back with a game in hand. Can Dmitry Kvartalnov’s team close the gap on the conference leaders?
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (32-15-7, 3rd W) vs Lokomotiv (36-14-5, 1st W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk ends a two-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Lokomotiv is in the middle of a three-game road trip on a seven-match winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1-2 (3:2 SO, 2:3 SO, 1:2).
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vitaly Pinchuk is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that stretch.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Yegor Borikov and defenseman Rob Hamilton are on an identical three-game scoring streak, both with 4 (2+2) points.
Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev is on a 108:50 shutout streak.
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that stretch.
Lokomotiv’s forward Yegor Surin is also on a four-game scoring streak, but with 5 (1+4) points.
Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Shalunov had one goal in each of his previous three matches.
Lokomotiv’s forward Nikita Kiryanov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Joshua Brook, Andrei Stas.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov may reach 800 KHL points (currently at 796).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10th league shutout.
In St. Petersburg, a showdown between the Shanghai Dragons and Severstal is on tap for the matchday. The Dragons will play their fourth regular-season game against Severstal, having previously lost twice to the Cherepovets side. Both teams are currently on three-game losing streaks. Andrey Kozyrev’s side have not won since Jan. 30, suffering defeats to Spartak (1:5), SKA (1:3) and Dinamo Minsk (4:7) over that span. Mitch Love’s men, meanwhile, have failed to score since Feb. 3, unable to find the net against CSKA (0:1) and Lokomotiv (0:2). The hosts trail the Western Conference playoff zone by a daunting 13 points, with eighth-placed SKA also holding a game in hand. The Lynx currently sit third with 70 points.
19:30: Shanghai Dragons (19-26-9, 9th W) vs Severstal (33-18-4, 3rd W)
About the game
The Shanghai Dragons enters the sixth game of a seven-match home series on a three-game losing streak.
Severstal ends a two-game road trip also on a three-game losing streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1-2 (1:4, 6:3, 2:4).
Injury list
Shanghai Dragons: Jeremy Groleau, Ben Harpur, Patrik Rybar.
Severstal: Nikolai Chebykin, Daniil Veryayev.
Milestone alert
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Kirill Rasskazov may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
Severstal’s forward David Dumbadze may record his 100th career point (currently at 99).
The intense matchday closes out with a Moscow derby between Spartak and CSKA. The Red-and-Whites lost their previous couple of matches, to Lokomotiv (1:3) and Dynamo Moscow (2:3), and are currently in sixth place in the Western Conference’s standings at 62 points. CSKA is in a much better position, with six straight wins, including shutting out the Shanghai Dragons in the most recent outing (1:0). CSKA is currently the fifth seed in the West four points above Spartak and will be looking to go ahead in the season series as earlier in the season the teams swapped two wins apiece.
19:30: Spartak (28-19-6, 6th W) vs CSKA (29-17-8, 5th W)
About the game
Spartak is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
CSKA enters the second game of a six-match road trip on a six-game winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 2-2 (6:5 SO, 3:2, 1:2, 1:2).
CSKA’s goalie Dmitry Gamzin is on a 79:29 shutout streak.
CSKA’s forward Denis Guryanov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Spartak: Nikita Buruyanov, Lucas Lockhart.
CSKA: Dmitry Buchelninkov, Dmitry Gamzin, Danila Moiseyev, Vladislav Provolnev.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s forward Klim Kostin lines up for his 100th league appearance.
