March kicks off with five exciting games
The last month of regular season action starts with five matches across both conferences. In the Far East, Amur hosts Neftekhimik and Admiral welcomes Salavat Yulaev. Then, Traktor hosts Ak Bars. In the Western Conference, HC Sochi faces Torpedo and Dynamo Moscow clashes with Metallurg as the Steelers seek revenge after an early win by the Blue-and-Whites in September.
An intense matchday starts in the Far East, with Amur hosting Neftekhimik and Admiral welcoming Salavat Yulaev. The Vladivostok showdown will be impactful, with both sides being implied in playoff calculations. Salavat Yulaev may book its ticket to the postseason, but the situation has its intricacies. Naturally, the Ufa team has to defeat Admiral today. However, to secure a playoff spot, in the meantime Amur must lose to Neftekhimik in regulation. Moreover, if Salavat Yulaev defeats the Sailors in regulation, the latter will lose any playoff hope. It’s worth to say that the Ufa team, fifth in the East, will enter today’s game on a two-win series, following extra time victories over Sibir (3:2 OT) and Traktor (3:2 SO). Admiral has instead three losses in a row, to Metallurg (3:4 OT), SKA (2:4), and Spartak (3:6). The two sides will meet again in two days.
10:00: Admiral (15-33-11, 11th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (31-24-4, 5th E)
About the game
Admiral kicks off a six-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Salavat Yulaev starts a four-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 0-2 (1:6, 0:5).
Admiral’s defenseman Libor Sulak is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points over that stretch.
Admiral’s forward Oskar Bulavchuk is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Evgeny Kuznetsov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that span.
Injury list
Admiral: Vladimir Bryukvin, Alexander Daryin, Mario Grman, Nikita Soshnikov.
Salavat Yulaev: Alexander Chyorny, Prokhor Korbit, Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov may reach 100 career assists (currently at 99).
In Khabarovsk, Amur welcomes Neftekhimik. The Tigers are still concurring for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, having a seven-point gap to Sibir, but with two games in hand. A win today would help close the gap and give Amur a morale boost. Moreover, the Tigers have two wins over today’s opposition in the season series. Most recently, Amur celebrated a hardly-fought win in Omsk (4:3), while Neftekhimik lost to CSKA (0:2). The Wolves slipped down to seventh place, tied with Traktor at 63 points, with only two wins in their last five matches. Just as the other Far East clash, the opponents will meet again in two days.
10:00: Amur (22-30-7, 9th E) vs Neftekhimik (30-27-3, 7th E)
About the game
Amur starts a five-game home series following a win over Avangard on Feb. 22 (4:3).
Neftekhimik enters the second game of a five-match road trip following a loss to CSKA on Wednesday (0:2).
The season series between the two teams is 2-0 (2:1, 4:1).
Injury list
Amur: Roman Abrosimov.
Neftekhimik: Vladislav Barulin, Dinar Khafizullin, Raul Yakupov.
The last Eastern game of the day is a classic clash between Traktor and Ak Bars. It will be the fourth meeting between these teams in the season, with the Kazan franchise being up in the season series. Both teams will be trying to bounce back after difficult periods. Traktor lost to Salavat Yulaev on Thursday (2:3 SO) after two straight wins, and is currently the sixth seed in the East, tied with Neftekhimik at 63 points. Ak Bars instead lost its previous three matches, all in extra time, to Torpedo (2:3 SO), Lada (4:5 SO), and Avtomobilist (2:3 SO). Despite the setback, the Kazan franchise remained in third place in the East’s table, at 86 points. In a night rich in possible milestones, Ak Bars will try to bounce back to close its gap to second-placed Avangard.
14:00: Traktor (28-24-7, 6th E) vs Ak Bars (37-15-8, 3rd E)
About the game
Traktor plays the lone home game of the series following a loss to Salavat Yulaev on Thursday (2:3 SO).
Ak Bars is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost its previous three matches.
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (3:5, 2:3, 4:0).
Traktor’s forward Maxim Dzhioshvili is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that stretch.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov may reach 400 career points (currently at 398) and 250 assists (currently at 49).
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitrij Jaskin may score his 200th KHL goal (currently at 199).
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov may record his 40th career shutout.
The action then switches to the Western Conference, starting with HC Sochi facing Torpedo. The Nizhny Novgorod franchise is sweeping the season series between the two teams so far, and will be looking for a fifth win over today’s hosts. Torpedo travels to Sochi coming from Cherepovets, where the team celebrated a 2:1 win, further cementing its place in the Western top four. HC Sochi has instead five consecutive losses, and is in last place in the league’s standings, with 40 points. After today’s game, Torpedo will return home for the next couple of matches, including a revenge clash against HC Sochi on March 8.
14:00: HC Sochi (16-34-8, 11th W) vs Torpedo (35-20-6, 4th W)
About the game
HC Sochi plays the fourth game of a six-match home series on a five-game losing streak.
Torpedo wraps up a two-game road trip following a win over Severstal on Friday (2:1).
The season series between the two teams is 0-4 (0:3, 1:3, 3:5, 1:4).
Injury list
HC Sochi: Jean-Christophe Beaudin, Cameron Lee, Ilya Nikolayev, Denis Vengryzhanovsky.
Torpedo: Nikita Rozhkov.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s veteran forward Pavel Dedunov lines up for his 700th KHL appearance.
Torpedo’s forwards Alexander Shevchenko and Yegor Vinogradov may record their 100th KHL point (both currently at 99).
In Togliatti, Lada faces the Shanghai Dragons as both teams have lost any playoff hope. The Togliatti side enters today’s game following a win in Kazan in its last road game of the season. The Shanghai Dragons have instead two consecutive losses, to CSKA (5:6 OT) and Avtomobilist (1:4), and will then play two games in China after today’s showdown. Considering that both teams are now out of contention, a more open game can be expected, with unpredictability the key factor.
16:00: Lada (18-36-7, 10th W) vs Shanghai Dragons (20-28-12, 9th W)
About the game
Lada starts a seven-game home series following a win over Ak Bars on Wednesday (5:4 SO).
The Shanghai Dragons wraps up a five-match road trip on a two-game losing streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1-2 (1:4, 4:2, 2:3).
Lada’s forward Tyler Graovac scored a goal in each of his previous three games.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Spencer Foo tallied at least a goal in each of his previous three matches, recording four goals.
Injury list
Lada: Alexei Ozhgikhin.
Shanghai Dragons: Jeremy Groleau, Ben Harpur, Andrei Kareyev, Patrik Rybar.
Milestone alert
Lada’s forwards Andrei Obidin and Tomas Jurco may reach 100 KHL points (currently both at 99).
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Kirill Rasskazov may record his 100th career assists (currently at 99).
Shanghai Dragons’ goalie Dmitry Shikin may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
Closing out the matchday is an exciting showdown between Dynamo Moscow and Metallurg in the Russian capital. The first meeting between the sides this season ended with the White-and-Blues snatching an extra-time victory. Ahead of the new clash, Dynamo Moscow come in on the back of an away win in Saint Petersburg over SKA (4:1). With 70 points, Dynamo sits sixth in the Western Conference, narrowly ahead of SKA, with one game in hand. Metallurg, on 95 points, continue to lead the regular season standings with confidence. Andrei Razin’s team travelled to the Russian capital from Omsk, where they suffered an overtime defeat to Avangard (2:3 OT). That loss was their second in the last five games. Notably, during this stretch, four of the Steelers matches were decided beyond regulation.
17:30: Dynamo Moscow (33-22-4, 6th W) vs Metallurg (44-8-7, 1st E)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow, who defeated Metallurg earlier in the season (2:1 SO), starts a five-game home series fresh off a win over SKA on Thursday (4:1).
Metallurg is in the middle of a three-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin is on a 70:00 shutout streak.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that stretch.
Metallurg’s forward Sergei Tolchinsky is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (4+2) points.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Fredrik Claesson, Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Metallurg: Dmitry Silantyev.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Artyom Sergeyev may reach 100 league assists (currently at 99).
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin may record his 10th career shutout.
