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East’s top two meet in Nizhnekamsk; four games on tap
Four games are scheduled for today, including a clash between Eastern Conference’s top two teams, Neftekhimik and Metallurg, in Nizhnekamsk. In St. Petersburg, SKA hosts Torpedo in a First Teams’ Cup game. Elsewhere, Salavat Yulaev welcomes HC Sochi and Lada hosts Admiral, with the Western Conference’s bottom two both facing Eastern opposition.
The matchday starts in Ufa, where Salavat Yulaev hosts HC Sochi in the second meeting between the teams this season. The Black Sea franchise won the first contest 6–3 in Sochi on Sept. 30, scoring four times with the man advantage. Salavat Yulaev has alternated losses and wins in its last nine games, the latest being a 1–2 home defeat to Ak Bars in the Green Derby on Sunday. The Ufa side has 21 points now, one behind third-placed Ak Bars in the East, and has won three of its eight home games. HC Sochi has won back-to-back games for the first time this season, 3–2 in overtime over Dinamo Minsk on Thursday, and 4–3 at Lada on Sunday, a result that took it off the bottom of the Western Conference with 10 points. It is the second game of a three-game road trip for the Sochi side, which has won two of its seven away games
In Togliatti, Lada and Admiral meet for the second time this season. The Sailors won the first one 4–3 in overtime in Vladivostok on Oct. 10. Lada is last in the Western Conference with nine points and two wins in 19 games, the fewest in the KHL. The Togliatti side has lost its last three home games, to Dynamo Moscow (1–2 SO), the Shanghai Dragons (0–2), and, on Sunday, HC Sochi (3–4). Admiral enters today's game after a 0–3 loss at Amur on Sunday, which followed home wins over Salavat Yulaev (2–0) and Barys (5–4 OT). The Sailors have 17 points, one fewer than Traktor in the Eastern Conference. A win would lift Admiral to 19 points, one more than the Chelyabinsk side, and Lada to 11, one more than HC Sochi.
Next up is a First Teams’ Cup game in St. Petersburg, the first meeting of the season between SKA and Torpedo. As in every game of the tournament, both teams will play in retro jerseys, and they will meet again in Nizhny Novgorod on Dec. 22, the Cup’s final day. Torpedo has six points from five Cup games, level with Spartak, while SKA has three from six after a 1–3 home loss to CSKA on Sunday. Andrei Razin’s men have lost two of their three games since he took over as head coach, with a 6–3 win over Sibir on Thursday in between. Torpedo lost 1–2 in overtime at home to Dinamo Minsk on Saturday, after a 2–1 SO win at Ak Bars on Wednesday. The Nizhny Novgorod side has won seven of its nine road games this season, while SKA has won six of its nine at home. Both sides will be looking for precious points after slipping down in the standings.
Closing out the matchday is the meeting of the Eastern Conference top two in Nizhnekamsk. Metallurg leads the East with 32 points and a league-high 15 wins, while second-placed Neftekhimik has 24. Magnitka won the first meeting 6–2 in Magnitogorsk on Sept. 20, scoring the game’s last five goals after Neftekhimik had led 2–1 at the end of the first period. The visitors have lost just three games in regulation, the fewest in the league, and have taken points in seven straight games (six wins and a shootout loss). Magnitka has won six of their eight games on the road and arrive under new head coach Konstantin Shafranov, who started with a 5–1 win over Sibir on Saturday and now faces his first road game in charge. Neftekhimik has won its last two games, 1–0 at Lokomotiv and 3–2 at Avangard, and has not played since Thursday. The Wolves have lost just once in regulation at home this season (6-1-2). With eight points between the teams, a regulation win for Neftekhimik would cut the gap to six, while one for Metallurg would stretch it to ten.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (10-9-1, 6th E) vs HC Sochi (5-13-0, 10th W)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev ends a two-game home series following a loss to Ak Bars on Sunday (1–2).
HC Sochi, who defeated Salavat Yulaev earlier in the season (6–3), enters the second game of a three-match road trip on a two-game winning streak.
HC Sochi’s forward Nikita Gusev had at least an assist in each of his previous five matches, totaling seven helpers.
HC Sochi’s defenseman Timur Akhiyarov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that stretch.
HC Sochi’s forward Matvei Guskov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Alexander Alexeyev, Nikita Bogdanov, Artyom Gorshkov.
HC Sochi: Artyom Guryev, Cam Lee.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s defenseman Jesse Graham lines up for his 200th league appearance.
18:00: Lada (2-12-5, 11th W) vs Admiral (7-8-3, 10th E)
About the game
Lada enters the fifth game of its six-match homestand after three consecutive defeats.
Admiral, who defeated Lada earlier in the season (4–3 OT), is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Amur on Sunday (0–3).
Injury list
Lada: Artyom Karpov, Nikita Mikhailov, Ivan Romanov, Dylan Somerby.
Admiral: Mario Grman, Fyodor Kroshchinsky, Artyom Pimenov.
19:30: SKA (9-8-1, 8th W) vs Torpedo (11-5-2, 6th W)
About the game
SKA wraps up a four-game homestand after a loss to CSKA on Sunday (1–3).
Torpedo starts a two-game road trip after a loss to Dinamo Minsk on Saturday (1–2).
Injury list
SKA: Zakhar Bardakov, Igor Larionov, Trevor Murphy, Linus Weissbach.
Torpedo: Mikhail Vorobyov.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s defenseman Yaroslav Dyblenko may reach 100 league assists (currently at 98).
19:30: Neftekhimik (11-6-2, 2nd E) vs Metallurg (15-3-2, 1st E)
About the game
Neftekhimik starts a two-game homestand on a two-match winning streak.
Metallurg, who defeated Neftekhimik earlier in the season (6–2), starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over Sibir on Saturday (5–1).
Neftekhimik’s goalie Filipp Dolganov is on a 78:36 shutout streak.
Metallurg’s defenseman is on a six-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points over that stretch.
Metallurg’s forward Ruslan Iskhakov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Metallurg’s forwards Nathan Todd and Luke Johnson are on an identical three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Metallurg’s forward Kirill Vovchenko is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Metallurg: Dmitry Silantyev.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik’s forward Andrei Belozyorov may reach 100 career assists (currently at 99).
