Do-or-die for Amur in Sochi, Dinamo Minsk hosts Lokomotiv
Three games are on schedule today on a light KHL Saturday. Amur visits Sochi absolutely needing a win to keep playoff qualification. Salavat Yulaev hosts the Shanghai Dragons with both teams trying to turn the tide, and finally Dinamo Minsk hosts Lokomotiv with the Belarusians seeking a return to victory.
The matchday starts in Sochi, with the hosts trying to return to victory with a home game against Amur after four straight losses. But the focus will be on the guests: the Tigers are on a last chance today, needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. To be exact, a regulation loss would be enough to send Sibir to the elimination stage and condemn Amur to another early end of the season. The Tigers enter today’s game on a two-match losing streak, with losses to Barys (0:3) and Spartak (0:1 OT). Earlier in the season, on Nov. 30, HC Sochi shut out the Tigers (1:0). The hosts are in last place in the Western Conference’s standings.
14:00: HC Sochi (18-39-8, 11th W) vs Amur (25-32-8, 9th E)
About the game
HC Sochi, who defeated Amur earlier in the season (1:0), starts a two-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
Amur enters the second game of a four-match road trip following two straight losses.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Noel Hoefenmayer, Cameron Lee, Ilya Nikolayev, Igor Shvyryov, Maxim Tretyak.
Amur: Alex Broadhurst, Evgeny Svechnikov.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s defenseman Cameron Lee may reach 200 league appearances.
In Ufa, Salavat Yulaev hosts the Shanghai Dragons as both teams seek a return to victory. The Ufa franchise has three straight losses, to Amur (3:6), Metallurg (1:2 OT), and Dynamo Moscow (2:3 SO), but hasn’t lost its fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, with 72 points accumulated so far. The Shanghai Dragons travel to Bashkortostan from Omsk, where they suffered a heavy defeat to Avangard (1:6). The Dragons also lost to Dynamo Moscow (2:4), Barys (4:8), and Sibir (1:2). The Chinese franchise is the ninth seed in the Western Conference, with the top eight already determined. It will be the second meeting between the two sides this season, with the Dragons claiming a 3:2 home victory on Dec. 03.
14:30: Salavat Yulaev (33-26-6, 5th W) vs Shanghai Dragons (21-32-12, 9th W)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev is in the middle of a five-game home series and lost its previous three matches.
The Shanghai Dragons, who defeated Salavat Yulaev earlier in the season (3:2), ends a three-game road trip on a four-match losing streak.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Alexander Chyorny, Alexander Komarov, Prokhor Korbit, Gleb Kuzmin.
Shanghai Dragons: Jeremy Groleau, Ben Harpur, Andrei Kareyev, Patrik Rybar.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov and Shanghai Dragons’ forward Kirill Rasskazov may reach 100 career assists (currently both at 99).
Shanghai Dragons’ goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th KHL shutout.
A showdown between Dinamo Minsk and Lokomotiv in Belarus ends up a light KHL matchday. The Bison are yet to win a game in March, with their last win dated Feb. 27, over HC Sochi (3:2). After that victory, the Minsk franchise lost to Metallurg (0:3), SKA (1:2 OT), Dynamo Moscow (4:6), and SKA (3:4). The Belarusians return home today trying to revert the trend, but Lokomotiv will be a formidable opponent. The Railwaymen just celebrated a win in Togliatti (4:2), and have four wins in the last five matches, falling only to Avtomobilist (1:4) on March 11. With Lokomotiv having already clinched first place in the Western Conference, the intrigue is all on the Dinamo Minsk’s side, who is the third seed in the West and will try to surpass Severstal again. It will be the sixth and last meeting between today’s opponents in the season, with Lokomotiv up in the series and the Belarusians trying to tie things up to get precious points for West positioning.
17:10: Dinamo Minsk (37-19-9, 3rd W) vs Lokomotiv (45-16-5, 1st W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk starts a three-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
Lokomotiv wraps up a three-game road trip following a win over Lada on Friday (2:4).
The season series between the two sides is 2-3 (3:2 SO, 2:3 SO, 1:2, 4:2, 4:5 SO).
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Alex Limoges is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that stretch.
Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Beryozkin had at least an assist in each of his last five matches, totaling seven helpers.
Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Shalunov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (5+1) points.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Yegor Moroz, Ryan Spooner.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may reach 30 KHL shutouts.
Lokomotiv’s forward Pavel Kraskovsky may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 198), while defenseman Alexander Yelesin may reach 100 (currently at 99).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10th league shutout.
