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Five-game Monday brings intriguing clashes across the league
Metallurg looks to strengthen its grip on the East against Admiral, while CSKA puts their eight-game winning streak on the line against in-form Salavat Yulaev. Dinamo Minsk and Torpedo meet in Belarus before Ak Bars hosts Western Conference leaders Lokomotiv, while Lada looks to end their seven-game skid against the Shanghai Dragons, with five games promising plenty of uncertainty.
The matchday starts with an exciting showdown between Metallurg and Admiral. Magnitka quickly bounced back after a loss on the road to the Shanghai Dragons on Wednesday (1-5) with a shutout win in Moscow over Spartak two days later (2-0). Metallurg has thus a tight grip on the Eastern Conference’s standings, with the second-best defense trailing only Amur (22 goals allowed against 19). Admiral is having a rocky season. On Thursday, the Sailors celebrated a hard-fought win in Cherepovets (4-3 SO), but then had an extra-time loss in St. Petersburg to SKA on Saturday (5-6 SO) as the team failed to climb up in the standings, remaining in tenth place in the Eastern table.
In Togliatti, Lada hosts the Shanghai Dragons. The hosts are currently in a bad spot, with seven consecutive losses, but they return home looking to halt the skid on home ice. Most recently, Lada lost in Minsk (4-5), Yekaterinburg (1-3), and Omsk (1-4), but every streak has an end, and the Togliatti side will look to use the advantage of playing at home. The Shanghai Dragons are faring much better, winning four of their last five matches. After four consecutive victories, they just had a narrow extra-time loss in Cherepovets (1-2 OT) as the Chinese franchise is currently the fifth seed in the Western Conference – a good result so far. With both seeking a return to win, the game can easily go either way.
In Moscow, CSKA takes on Salavat Yulaev. The Muscovites seem unstoppable right now. CSKA’s last defeat is dated Sept. 13 (2-3 at home to Lokomotiv), then had eight straight wins, including a 4-3 SO victory over Dynamo Moscow on Saturday that allowed the team tie things up in the standings with the Railwaymen, at 18 points each. CSKA has also surpassed SKA as the teams with the most goals in the Western Conference, despite its traditionally cautious approach. The Ufa team showed good form either, but after three straight wins Salavat Yulaev halted its run in a home game against Sibir, losing 2-4 despite being assigned no penalties throughout the game. It will be an exciting West-East showdown at the CSKA Arena.
In Belarus, Dinamo Minsk faces Torpedo as the teams meet for the second time in the season after the guests won the first matchup (4-3 SO). The Bison have been very up-and-down this season, but achieved a huge win on Saturday against Lokomotiv, led by Dinamo Minsk’s former head coach Dmitry Kvartalnov (4-3). Before the win in front of their home crowd, the Belarusians alternated wins and losses, and are now the seventh seed in the Western Conference’s standings. Dinamo Minsk will likely want more, but the team has certainly progressed since the start of the season. Torpedo is faring better with more consistency. After surprisingly losing at home to Salavat Yulaev on Sept. 28 (0-3), the Nizhny Novgorod side defeated Dynamo Moscow (3-1) and HC Sochi (6-0). Torpedo is currently in third place in the West’s table, and will be looking for a third straight win.
In another exciting matchup, Ak Bars hosts Lokomotiv. The Railwaymen are still on the top of the Western Conference after their loss in Minsk, and will return to Yaroslavl after today’s match in Kazan. The hosts have instead only one win in their last three matches, over Barys on Sept. 30 (4-1), with losses to Metallurg (1-2) and Traktor (2-3). Ak Bars is now in third place in the Eastern Conference’s standings, and will be looking to kick off a new week on a positive note. With much on stake in Kazan, the crowd at the Tatneft Arena will be treated to a maximally uncertain game between two of the top teams in the league.
17:00: Metallurg (9-2-1, 1st E) vs Admiral (3-5-3, 10th E)
About the game
Metallurg kicks off a three-game home series fresh off a win over Spartak on Friday (2-0).
Admiral enters the third game of a four-match road trip after a loss to SKA on Saturday (5-6 SO).
Metallurg’s goalie Alexander Smolin is on a 100:49 shutout streak.
Metallurg’s forward Nikita Korotkov scored a goal in each of his previous three matches.
Admiral’s forward Daniel Usmanov had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Admiral: Ivan Kulbakov, Artyom Pimenov.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s forward Nikita Mikhailis may reach 200 career assists (currently at 199).
18:00: Lada (1-8-3, 10th W) vs Shanghai Dragons (6-2-1, 5th W)
About the game
Lada plays the lone home game of the series on a seven-match losing streak.
The Shanghai Dragons are in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Severstal on Saturday (1-2 OT).
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Riley Sutter is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (4+3) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Lada: Ivan Romanov.
Shanghai Dragons: Martin Frk.
Milestone alert
Shanghai Dragons’ defenseman Brennen Menell lines up for his 300th league appearance.
19:30: CSKA (9-3-0, 2nd W) vs Salavat Yulaev (6-4-1, 4th E)
About the game
CSKA ends a two-game home series on an eight-match winning streak.
Salavat Yulaev starts a three-game road trip following a loss to Sibir on Friday (2-4).
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Dean Stewart is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Artyom Gorshkov, Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Artyom Nabiyev lines up for his 100th league appearance.
19:30: Dinamo Minsk (4-3-4, 7th W) vs Torpedo (8-3-0, 3rd W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following a win over Lokomotiv on Saturday (4-3).
Torpedo, who defeated Dinamo Minsk earlier in the season (4-3 SO), wraps up a three-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Daniil Lipsky is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that stretch.
Torpedo’s goalie Dmitry Shugayev is on a 120:43 shutout streak.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Alex Limoges, Nicolas Meloche, Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Zach Fucale may celebrate his 100th win in the KHL.
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may record his 30th career shutout.
19:30: Ak Bars (7-4-1, 3rd E) vs Lokomotiv (9-3-0, 1st W)
About the game
Ak Bars is in the middle of a five-game home series and lost to Traktor on Friday (2-3).
Lokomotiv ends a two-game road trip following a loss to Dinamo Minsk on Saturday (3-4).
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov scored a goal in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Artyom Galimov.
Lokomotiv: Denis Alexeyev, Maxim Beryozkin, Denis Romantsev.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev may record his 40th career shutout, while Alexei Melnichuk may reach 10.
