Dynamo Moscow seeks playoff qualification; three games on tap today
It’s a three-game matchday, with one game in the Eastern Conference and two in the West. Earlier, Salavat Yulaev hosts Traktor. Then, Spartak welcomes Admiral, while Dynamo Moscow travels to St. Petersburg to face SKA and try to punch its postseason ticket as the team currently lies in seventh place in the Western Conference’s standings.
The matchday starts in Ufa with a showdown between Salavat Yulaev and Traktor. The Ufa team had an emotional win on Tuesday, when an OT goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov – who has seven points in the last three games – sealed a 3:2 win for Viktor Kozlov’s men. The hosts have two wins in their last three matches and are now the fifth seed in the East after surpassing Neftekhimik. Traktor enters today’s clash on a two-match winning streak, following wins over Severstal (5:2), and Lada (4:2). Before these wins, Traktor faced Salavat Yulaev at home, last Wednesday, with the Ufa franchise celebrating a huge 6:0 win, led by a double by Devin Brosseau. That win also meant the lead in the season series for Salavat Yulaev, who is two spots ahead of Traktor in the Eastern Conference’s standings.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (30-24-4, 5th E) vs Traktor (28-24-6, 7th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev ends a three-game home series following a win over Sibir on Tuesday (3:2 OT).
Traktor plays the lone road game of the series on a two-match winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 2-1 (1:2, 3:2, 6:0).
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Dean Stewart had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Evgeny Kuznetsov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Alexander Chyorny, Prokhor Korbit, Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov may reach 100 career assists (currently at 99).
Traktor’s defenseman Logan Day lines up for his 100th league appearance.
The action then moves to the West, with one game in Moscow and another one in St. Petersburg. The Western Conference has already six teams qualified for the playoffs, with Dynamo Moscow and Spartak still trying to book their postseason tickets. The Red-and-Whites return home for a game against Admiral. It will be the second meeting between the two sides this season, with Spartak claiming an extra time win earlier on. After losing two games in a row, the Red-and-Whites bounced back with a 5:3 road win in Ufa on Sunday. Spartak remains in eighth place in the Western Conference, and the tight standings make every point crucial for playoff positioning. The Sailors travel to Moscow from St. Petersburg, where they lost to SKA on Tuesday (2:4). It was their second straight loss as Admiral remains in last place in the Eastern Conference’s table.
19:30: Spartak (30-22-6, 8th W) vs Admiral (15-32-11, 11th E)
About the game
Spartak, who defeated Admiral earlier in the season (4:3 SO), starts a three-game home series fresh off a win over Salavat Yulaev on Sunday (5:3).
Admiral wraps up a four-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Admiral’s defenseman Libor Sulak had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Injury list
Spartak: Lucas Lockhart, German Rubtsov.
Admiral: Vladimir Bryukvin, Alexander Daryin, Mario Grman, Nikita Soshnikov.
Disqualifications
Spartak’s forward Ivan Morozov serves the second game of a three-match ban.
In the meantime, in St. Petersburg, SKA faces Dynamo Moscow. The Blue-and-Whites will enter the game with a special motivation: a win today will guarantee them a playoff ticket. However, Dynamo lost its latest match, to conference-leading Lokomotiv (1:3) after a win in Sochi (4:0). Currently, the team has one point less than SKA in the Western Conference’s standings, 69 against 68. Earlier in the season, the teams traded wins – with both games ending with a one-goal difference. SKA has instead two consecutive wins, over Admiral (4:2) and CSKA (3:0), and will try to stretch its winning streak as the team showed good form recently. After today’s game, Dynamo will fly back to Moscow, where the Blue-and-Whites will play their next four matches.
19:30: SKA (31-20-7, 6th W) vs Dynamo Moscow (32-22-4, 7th W)
About the game
SKA enters the fifth game of a seven-match home series on a two-game winning streak.
Dynamo Moscow ends a two-game road trip following a loss to Lokomotiv on Tuesday (1:3).
The season series between the two teams is 1-1 (1:2, 3:2).
SKA’s goalie Sergei Ivanov is on a 132:26 shutout streak.
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin is on a 70:00 shutout streak.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Dylan Sykura is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (4+2) points over that stretch.
Injury list
SKA: Igor Larionov, Trevor Murphy, Vladislav Romanov, Nikita Zaitsev.
Dynamo Moscow: Fredrik Claesson, Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Milestone alert
SKA’s forward Mikhail Vorobyov may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 198).
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Artyom Sergeyev may record his 100th KHL assist (currently at 99).
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
