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Eastern matchday with four games across the Far East and the Urals
Four games shape a Far East–to–Ural KHL matchday, opening in Khabarovsk as Amur hosts Avangard and continuing in Vladivostok with Admiral facing Traktor. The action then shifts to the Urals, where Salavat Yulaev meets league-leading Metallurg in Ufa, while Avtomobilist welcomes Dynamo Moscow in Yekaterinburg.
The matchday starts in the Far East again, with Amur hosting Avangard and Admiral taking on Traktor as the franchises swap opponents after Wednesday’s showdowns. The Tigers wrap up a six-game home stand, and after a nice streak, they lost again twice in a row, to Torpedo (1:2) and Traktor (5:6), respectively. As a result, the Khabarovsk franchise accumulated a significant gap from Sibir and it will be very hard to close it as the situation is now. Avangard enters today’s game after an extra time win in Vladivostok. The Hawks, who already booked a ticket for the playoffs, had points in the last ten games, with nine wins and one extra time loss, to Avtomobilist before the All-Star break (2:3 OT). Avangard is currently the second team in the Eastern Conference. After today’s game, the Hawks will fly back to Omsk, where they will play the next four matches, including another showdown against Amur on Feb. 22.
12:15: Amur (19-28-7, 9th E) vs Avangard (37-12-4, 2nd E)
About the game
Amur wraps up a six-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Avangard ends a two-game road trip following a win over Admiral on Wednesday (3:2 SO).
The season series between the two sides is 1-1 (1:2, 3:2 ОТ).
Amur’s forward Yaroslav Likhachyov is on a five-game scoring streak with 8 (4+4) points over that stretch.
Avangard’s forward Andrew Poturalski is on a ten-game scoring streak, with 16 (4+12) points.
Injury list
Amur: Roman Abrosimov.
Avangard: Alexander Volkov.
Milestone alert
Amur’s forward Alex Broadhurst may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Avangard’s forward Nail Yakupov lines up for his 400th league appearance.
Avangard’s forward Konstantin Okulov may reach 500 KHL points (currently at 498).
In Vladivostok, Admiral will seek a return to victory after four straight losses in a home game against Traktor. The Sailors have just one win in the last fourteen matches and sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference’s standings at 38 points. Traktor is instead in good shape, with three straight victories. The Chelyabinsk squad defeated Sibir (3:1), Ak Bars (4:0), and Amur (6:5) after two straight losses to Eastern giants Metallurg (2:3) and Avangard (0:1). Traktor now sits seventh in the East at 56 points, two points below Salavat Yulaev and three below Neftekhimik. Earlier in the season, the Black-and-Whites defeated Admiral twice.
12:30: Admiral (14-29-10, 11th E) vs Traktor (25-22-6, 7th E)
About the game
Admiral enters the fifth game of a six-match home series on a four-game losing streak.
Traktor is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous three matches.
The season series between the two teams is 0-2 (1:3, 1:3).
Traktor’s defenseman Grigory Dronov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Admiral: Vladimir Bryukvin, Alexander Daryin.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Andrei Nikonov lines up for his 200th league appearance.
The action then shifts to the Urals with another couple of games in the Eastern Conference, with Salavat Yulaev facing Metallurg and Avtomobilist hosting Dynamo Moscow. Both Ufa and Magnitogorsk are on a roll, with five straight wins. Magnitka, the first team in the league to claim a playoff spot this time around, keeps on leading the Eastern Conference’s standings at 86 points, while Salavat Yulaev is sixth at 58. Earlier in the current campaign, the teams traded wins and today they will battle for the season supremacy.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (27-22-4, 6th E) vs Metallurg (41-7-4, 1st E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev ends a three-game home series on a five-match winning streak.
Metallurg kicks off a three-game road trip also on a five-match winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1-1 (3:2 ОТ, 4:6).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Yegor Suchkov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that stretch.
Metallurg’s forward Alexander Petunin is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
In the meantime, Avtomobilist hosts Dynamo Moscow. The Motormen will be looking for a rebound after a loss to Metallurg (1:4). Earlier, Avtomobilist amassed two consecutive wins, over Admiral (4:1) and Avangard (3:2 OT), respectively, maintaining a significant cushion over fifth-placed Neftekhimik. However, the Motormen begin a long homestand today that will allow the team to regroup and gain fresh strength heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Dynamo Moscow comes to Yekaterinburg after a win over Spartak in a Moscow derby, but yesterday’s SKA win over Barys sent the Blue-and-Whites down to eighth place. It should be noted that Spartak, SKA, and Dynamo Moscow are all tied at 62 points, but the latter has less regulation wins and is currently closing the Western top eight. It’s the first meeting between the teams this season.
17:00: Avtomobilist (30-19-4, 4th E) vs Dynamo Moscow (29-21-4, 8th W)
About the game
Avtomobilist starts a seven-game home series following a loss to Metallurg on Tuesday (1:4).
Dynamo Moscow is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Spartak also on Tuesday (3:2).
Avtomobilist’s forward Brooks Macek is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that stretch.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Maxime Comtois is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Dmitry Yudin.
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Artyom Sergeyev may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
