Avangard — Ak Bars clash headlines a five-game matchday
Five games are on tap across the league in a packed matchday that spans both conferences. The action opens with a classic Eastern rivalry as Avangard hosts Ak Bars, followed by Avtomobilist taking on HC Sochi. Later, Barys welcomes Metallurg, Lada faces CSKA, and the night closes in Yaroslavl with Lokomotiv against Neftekhimik.
The matchday starts with a classic Eastern matchup between Avangard and Ak Bars. The rivalry at this stage of the season is further spiced up by the teams’ battle for second place in the East. Avangard and Ak Bars have already met three times this season, and it is worth noting that in every matchup the road team came out on top. The most recent meeting took place just over a month ago, when Avangard defeated their opponents in Kazan 2:1 thanks to goals from Michael McLeod and Damir Sharipzyanov. Will Ak Bars take revenge, or will the Omsk side manage to secure a home victory? It’s worth notice that the Hawks are flying high with three straight wins, over Traktor (6:2), Amur (6:2), and Admiral (3:2 SO).
16:30: Avangard (39-12-4, 2nd E) vs Ak Bars (35-15-5, 3rd E)
About the game
Avangard enters the second game of a four-match home series on a three-game winning streak.
Ak Bars starts a three-game road trip following a win over Torpedo on Thursday (4:3 OT).
The season series between the two sides is 2-1 (1:2, 6:1, 2:1).
Avangard’s forward Andrew Poturalski is on a twelve-game scoring streak, with 19 (5+14) points over that span.
Avangard’s defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points.
Avangard’s forward Michael McLeod is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points.
Injury list
Avangard: Alexander Volkov.
Ak Bars: Stepan Falkovsky.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s forward Nikolai Prokhorkin may reach 400 KHL points (currently at 399).
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may record his 150th win in the KHL.
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov may record his 40th career shutout.
In the Urals, Avtomobilist will try to build on its recent impressive win over Metallurg (8:1) in a home game against HC Sochi. The Motormen just celebrated an unexpected victory against the league’s leader in their last outing, and will try to improve their positioning as they round up the Eastern top four at 66 points, with a significant cushion over Salavat Yulaev. Avtomobilist has eight wins in its last twelve games – a good moment for the Motormen. The guests are losing out playoff hopes and have only one win in their last five matches, and are in penultimate spot in the Western Conference’s standings.
17:00: Avtomobilist (31-20-4, 4th E) vs HC Sochi (16-30-8, 10th W)
About the game
Avtomobilist, who defeated HC Sochi earlier in the season (3:2), enters the third game of a seven-match home series following a win over Metallurg on Sunday (8:1).
HC Sochi starts a two-game road trip following a loss to Lokomotiv on Saturday (1:2 OT).
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Dmitry Yudin.
HC Sochi: Denis Vengryzhanovsky.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s forward Matvei Guskov may line up for his 200th league appearance, while goalie Ilya Samsonov may reach 100.
In Astana, Barys will seek a second consecutive win as Metallurg comes to town. It will be the fourth meeting between the two sides this season, with Magnitka sweeping the series so far. However, Andrei Razin’s men were caught on a rare two-game losing streak, a shootout defeat in Ufa against Salavat Yulaev (3:4 SO), followed two days earlier by a heavy loss in the Urals derby to Avtomobilist (1:8). Will they be able to bounce back from that result? With 87 points, the visitors still sit comfortably atop the Eastern Conference standings. Barys, meanwhile, are second from bottom with 44 points. In their previous outing, Mikhail Kravets’ side defeated Lada (5:3).
17:30: Barys (18-31-8, 10th E) vs Metallurg (41-8-5, 1st E)
About the game
Barys is in the middle of a five-game home series and won against Lada on Saturday (5:3).
Metallurg ends a three-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
The seasons series between the two sides is 0-3 (1:5, 1:4, 2:5).
Metallurg’s forward Roman Kantserov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Barys: Ansar Shaikhmeddenov.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s defenseman Alexei Maklyukov lines up for his 600th league appearance.
Then, in Togliatti, Lada hosts CSKA. The Muscovites are riding an impressive eight-game winning streak that has lasted exactly one calendar month, dating back to Jan. 17. Two days earlier, Igor Nikitin’s side edged the Shanghai Dragons in St. Petersburg (2:1 OT). With 70 points, CSKA have moved into fourth place in the Western Conference, overtaking Torpedo on tie-breakers while holding a game in hand. Lada, meanwhile, became the first team of the regular season to be eliminated from playoff contention after defeats to Sibir (2:3 OT) and Barys (3:5). With 39 points, the Togliatti side sit bottom of the Western Conference standings. Can they spring a surprise on the night, or will CSKA secure their place in the postseason at the first attempt?
18:00: Lada (16-34-7, 11th W) vs CSKA (31-17-8, 4th W)
About the game
Lada starts a two-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
CSKA enters the fourth game of a six-match road trip on an eight-game winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 0-3 (2:7, 2:4, 2:4).
Lada’s defenseman Alex Cotton had at least an assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling four helpers.
CSKA’s goalie Dmitry Gamzin is on a 79:29 shutout streak.
Injury list
CSKA: Denis Guryanov, Danila Moiseyev, Vladislav Provolnev.
Milestone alert
Lada’s forward Andrei Obidin may reach 100 career points (currently at 99).
Closing out an exciting match day is a showdown between Lokomotiv and Neftekhimik in Yaroslavl. The teams’ first meeting this season took place on Sept. 14 in Nizhnekamsk, where Neftekhimik came out on top with a 5:4 overtime win. Heading into the new clash with the reigning Gagarin Cup holders, the Wolves are on a three-game losing streak, having fallen to SKA (1:5), HC Sochi (3:5), and Severstal (1:3). With 59 points, Igor Grishin’s side sits sixth in the Eastern Conference, narrowly ahead of Traktor.
Lokomotiv continue to lead the Western Conference comfortably, holding a five-point cushion over Severstal. Three days earlier, the Railwaymen picked up a hard-fought road win over HC Sochi (2:1 OT).
19.00: Lokomotiv (37-15-5, 1st W) vs Neftekhimik (28-25-3, 6th E)
About the game
Lokomotiv starts a three-game home series fresh off a win over HC Sochi on Saturday (2:1 OT).
Neftekhimik, who defeated Lokomotiv earlier in the season (5:4 OT), ends a two-game road trip on a four-match losing streak.
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (1+7) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Vladislav Barulin.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov may reach 800 points in the KHL (currently at 798).
Lokomotiv’s forward Pavel Kraskovsky may score his 200th career point (currently at 198).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10th league shutout.
