KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
Three games on tap on a light KHL Sunday
It’s a light matchday in the KHL, with two games in the East and one in the West. Neftekhimik hosts Sibir looking to bounce back after a home loss to Barys, while the Novosibirsk side will try to build on its recent win in Ufa. Avtomobilist hosts Amur as the teams play a revenge game after the Motormen’s win two days ago, while Spartak will seek a return to victory in a home game against Barys.
The game starts with Neftekhimik hosting Sibir. It will be the second meeting between the two sides this season, with the Wolves claiming an early win on Sept. 16 (3-0). Most recently, Neftekhimik lost on home ice to Barys (4-5 OT) and in Khabarovsk (0-1), but retained second place in the Eastern Conference. Sibir is having a difficult season so far, but sent a signal in its last game with a 4-2 win in Ufa after veteran forward Evgeny Kuznetsov left the team for family reasons. With the victory, Sibir surpassed Admiral in tenth place in the Eastern Conference’s standings – the playoff line is still above the team, but the table is very tight and every point counts.
In Yekaterinburg, Avtomobilist welcomes Amur. It’s the second meeting in the season also for this pairing after the sides met on Saturday, with the Motormen claiming a 3-0 win and moving up to the sixth place in the Eastern table. Avtomobilist will want to improve its record, and claim another win over an Eastern Conference rival. Moreover, Avto won its latest three matches, adding to its win over Amur victories against Spartak (4-2) and Lada (3-1). The Tigers lost for the first time after two straight wins over Lokomotiv (3-1) and Neftekhimik (1-0), and will want to return to victory to return to the correct side of the playoffs line. The crowd at the UGMK Arena will be treated to another exciting game in a jubilee match for the home team.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for a final match, in Moscow, where Spartak hosts Barys. The Red-and-Whites fell into crisis and have now five straight defeats, with the most recent happening on home ice to Metallurg (0-2). Spartak slipped down to sixth place in the West’s table, and will need to return to victory to avoid losing ground from the leaders. Today, the opposition will be Barys. The Kazakhs just returned to victory in Nizhnekamsk (5-4 OT) after three straight losses, and moved up to fifth place in the Eastern Conference’s standings. Once again, the game promises to be a close one and can easily go either way.
14:00: Neftekhimik (7-3-2, 2nd E) vs Sibir (3-6-2, 10th E)
About the game
Neftekhimik, who defeated Sibir earlier in the season (3-0), is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost to Barys on Friday (4-5 OT).
Sibir wraps up a three-game road trip following a win over Salavat Yulaev also on Friday (4-2).
Sibir’s forward Alexander Yaremchuk is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Sibir: Fyodor Gordeyev, Maxim Osipov.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik’s forward Ivan Nikolishin may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
Neftekhimik’s forward Andrei Belozyorv may also reach 100 career helpers (currently at 98).
Sibir’s defenseman Darren Dietz may net his 100th goal in the league (currently at 98).
14:30: Avtomobilist (5-4-2, 6th E) vs Amur (4-5-1, 9th E)
About the game
Avtomobilist, who defeated Amur earlier in the season (3-0), wraps up a three-game home series on a three-game winning streak.
Amur enters the second game of a four-match road trip after a loss to Avtomobilist on Friday (0-3).
Avtomobilist’s goalie Evgeny Alikin is on a 71:02 shutout streak.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Nikita Shashkov.
Amur: Alexander Dergachyov, Danila Galenyuk, Alexei Krutov, Yegor Rykov.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s forward Alexander Barabanov may reach 300 points in the KHL (currently at 299).
Avtomobilist’s forward Alexander Sharov may record his 200th career assist (currently at 198).
Avtomobilist’s goalie Evgeny Alikin may celebrate his 30th shutout in the KHL.
Avtomobilist plays its 1,100th game in the KHL.
17:00: Spartak (5-5-1, 6th W) vs Barys (6-5-0, 5th E)
About the game
Spartak ends a five-game home series on a five-match losing streak.
Barys wraps up a three-game road trip following a win over Neftekhimik on Friday (5-4 OT).
Barys’ forward Vsevolod Logvin is on a six-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that stretch.
Barys’ forward Semyon Simonov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Barys’ defenseman Logan Day had at least one assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling four helpers.
Injury list
Barys: Madi Dikhanbek.
