Four games set the stage for an exciting KHL Monday

A new week kicks off with two Far East clashes as Amur hosts Barys in Khabarovsk and Admiral welcomes Salavat Yulaev in Vladivostok. Barys looks to maintain its strong form against an Amur side boasting the league’s stingiest defense, while Salavat aims to build on Friday’s comeback victory. In the West, third-placed Severstal takes on Torpedo in a matchup between two high-scoring teams, before HC Sochi hosts the Shanghai Dragons, who are looking to snap a three-game skid.

The matchday kicks off in Khabarovsk, with Amur taking on Barys. It will be the second such meeting in the current campaign, with the Tigers claiming a 3-1 win in Astana. Barys is currently the second team in the Eastern Conference standings, while Amur has lost momentum and is now in fifth place after two straight losses, to Spartak (1-2) and Salavat Yulaev (3-4). Barys is on a roll now, with four wins in five games, only losing to Sibir on Monday (2-3). With both teams looking for a win, the fans at the Platinum Arena in Khabarovsk should be treated to an closely contested game between two teams with different philosophies. Barys boasts the league’s most potent offense with 59 goals, while Amur leads the KHL for goals allowed, with its tight defense conceding only 26 times in 17 games. However, Barys’ Andrei Shutov leads the league with a 95.4% save percentage, with Amur’s Maxim Dorozhko in second place. Dorozhko is also tied for first with three shutouts.

A second Far East game is scheduled in Vladivostok, with Admiral welcoming Salavat Yulaev in a milestone game for the guests’ captain Grigory Panin. The Ufa team has just celebrated a win in Khabarovsk on Friday (4-3), after rallying back from a three-goal deficit, with Matthew Maggio netting the game-winner in the third period. It was the third win in five games for the Ufa team. After the victory, Salavat Yulaev climbed to fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Sailors sit at the bottom with 13 points. The season is young and the table is tight – just a win and Admiral can potentially find itself back in the playoff places. However, Admiral has won just once in regulation in its last nine games, while Salavat Yulaev has enjoyed the upper hand in recent visits to Vladivostok, winning four of its last five games there.

The action then shifts to the Western Conference for two matches, starting with Severstal facing Torpedo in Cherepovets. As recently as Oct. 8, the Steelers celebrated a 3-2 win in Nizhny Novgorod. Since then, Severstal collected three more wins, over Ak Bars (4-1), SKA (2-0), and Lokomotiv (5-2). The Steelers are now in third place in the Western Conference standings. Torpedo follows in fourth, lagging behind by only one point. After the home loss to Severstal, the Nizhny Novgorod franchise lost again to Metallurg (2-3 OT), but returned to winning ways in a home game against Western rivals Dynamo Moscow on Friday (5-4). With two offensive teams facing off, fans in Cherepovets can expect a high-octane, entertaining game.

Closing out an exciting KHL Monday is a showdown between HC Sochi and the Shanghai Dragons. It will be their second clash in the current campaign, with the Chinese franchise celebrating a 4-1 win in late September, with Riley Sutter netting his first KHL double. The Dragons are lacking consistency and are now on a three-game losing streak following defeats to Dinamo Minsk (2-3), Traktor (2-6), and Ak Bars (2-3 OT). After the setback, they are now in sixth place in the West. HC Sochi keeps on struggling. After stunning Ak Bars in Kazan on Monday (3-2), the team suffered a heavy home loss to Lokomotiv (3-6). Nikita Gusev has shown some bright moments and has now four assists across his first five games with Sochi, but the team only won once since his signing.

12:00: Amur (8-7-1, 5th E) vs Barys (10-6-0, 2nd E)
About the game
Amur, who defeated Barys earlier in the season (3-1), enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following two straight defeats.
Barys enters the second game of a nine-match road trip on a two-game winning streak.
Barys’ goalie Andrei Shutov is on a 92:35 shutout streak.
Injury list
Amur: Alexander Dergachyov, Danila Galenyuk, Andrei Krutov, Vasily Machulin, Yegor Rykov.
Barys: Madi Dikhanbek.
Milestone alert
Amur’s goalie Maxim Dorozhko may record his 20th career shutout, while Alexander Trushkov may reach 10.
Amur plays its 1,100th game in the KHL.

12:30: Admiral (5-7-3, 11th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (9-7-1, 4th E)
About the game
Admiral enters the third game of a four-match home series after a loss to Spartak on Friday (1-5).
Salavat Yulaev is in the middle of a three-game road trip after a win over Amur on Saturday (4-3).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Sheldon Rempal is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that stretch.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Vladimir Kuznetsov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Admiral: Ivan Kulbakov, Artyom Pimenov.
Salavat Yulaev: Daniil Alalykin, Alexander Alexeyev, Nikita Bogdanov, Artyom Gorshkov, Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Grigory Panin becomes the sixth player in the league’s history to reach the 1,000-game mark.

19:00: Severstal (10-4-2, 3rd W) vs Torpedo (10-4-1, 4th W)
About the game
Severstal, who defeated Torpedo earlier in the season (3-2) enters the third game of a four-match home series on a six-game winning streak.
Torpedo starts a two-game road trip fresh off a win over Dynamo Moscow on Friday (5-4).
Severstal’s goalie Vsevolod Skotnikov is on a 104:34 shutout streak.
Severstal’s forward Ivan Podshivalov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that stretch.
Torpedo’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points.
Torpedo’s forward Daniil Seroukh is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Severstal: Nikita Burenov, Andrei Churkin.
Torpedo: Denis Kostin.

19:30: HC Sochi (3-12-0, 11th W) vs Shanghai Dragons (8-4-2, 6th W)
About the game
HC Sochi is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost to Lokomotiv on Saturday (3-6).
The Shanghai Dragons, who defeated HC Sochi earlier in the season (4-1), start a four-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
Shanghai Dragons’ defensemen Brennan Menell and Calen Addison both had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward David Chen tallied a goal in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Cameron Lee.
Shanghai Dragons: Martin Frk.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s forward Artur Gizdatullin lines up for his 300th league appearance, while Shanghai Dragons’ defenseman Daniil Malorosiyanov reaches 100.