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Ak Bars hosts Avangard in a four-game KHL slate
Four games feature on Wednesday’s KHL schedule. CSKA hosts Traktor in Moscow, Ak Bars welcomes Avangard, and Dinamo Minsk entertains Barys, which enters the game on a three-match losing streak. Also in the capital, Dynamo Moscow faces Amur.
The matchday starts in Kazan for a classic matchup, where Ak Bars hosts Avangard in the first battle between the teams this season. Ak Bars has 22 points, and five of its 10 wins have come after regulation. The Kazan side has just one win in the last three games, celebrating a 2–1 victory at Salavat Yulaev on Sunday, which came after a 1–3 loss at Traktor and a 1–2 shootout defeat to Torpedo on home ice. Avangard has 18 points from 17 games, the fewest played in the league. The Hawks have won all five of their extra-time games, the latest a 3–2 OT victory at Dynamo Moscow on Monday, when they scored twice in the third period to erase a two-goal deficit. With four points between the teams, a regulation win for Avangard would cut the gap to two, while one for Ak Bars would stretch it to six.
Next up is a battle between Dinamo Minsk and Barys, a game that promises a high score. The Kazakhs bring the KHL’s leading scorer to a visit to Minsk. Justin Bailey has 21 points and 12 goals, both league highs, and Barys averages 3.47 goals per game, the best rate in the league. The team arrives on a three-match losing streak in which they still managed to score seven goals, two of them by Bailey, and allowed 14. Dinamo Minsk’s top scorer, Christopher Tierney, trails Bailey by two points with 19. The Canadian forward has three goals and 16 assists, and he is one point away from matching the 20 he collected in 60 games two seasons ago. He assisted on Sam Anas’ OT winner at Torpedo on Saturday, the Belarusian side’s first extra-time win after six defeats.
In Moscow, CSKA hosts Traktor in the first meeting between the teams this season, with the second following on Nov. 1 in Chelyabinsk. CSKA bounced back with a 3–1 win at SKA on Sunday after two straight defeats, the first of which, 0–2 at Spartak, ended its 12-game winning streak. The Muscovites have 28 points, level with Lokomotiv at the top of the Western Conference, and have won eight of their 10 away games, compared with six of nine at home. Traktor has won its last two games, 3–1 over Ak Bars on Friday and 2–1 over Sibir on Monday, both in Chelyabinsk, after two defeats in extra time, 2–3 at Neftekhimik and 1–2 at Avangard. The Chelyabinsk side keeps fighting for the eighth spot in a tight Eastern Conference table.
Closing out the matchday is the second meeting of the season between Dynamo Moscow and Amur, and the final one of this regular season. The Far Eastern side won the first contest 4–0 in Khabarovsk on Sept. 19. The Muscovites suffered a 2–3 overtime loss to Avangard on Monday, and it was the third straight game Dynamo lost after regulation. That loss followed a 2–3 shootout defeat to Sibir and a 1–2 overtime loss at Lokomotiv, and was the fourth consecutive game to go beyond regulation, after a 2–1 shootout win at Lada on Oct. 18. The Blue-and-Whites are ninth in the Western Conference with 19 points. Amur comes to Moscow on a two-game winning streak, following a 5–2 win over Barys on Oct. 19 and a 3–0 win over Admiral on Sunday that closed a five-game home series. The Tigers now have 21 points from 18 games, and their 28 goals against are the fewest in the league.
19:00: Ak Bars (10-8-2, 3rd E) vs Avangard (9-8-0, 9th E)
About the game
Ak Bars starts a three-game home series fresh off a win over Salavat Yulaev on Sunday (2–1).
Avangard enters the second game of a four-match road trip following a win over Dynamo Moscow on Monday (3–2 OT).
Injury list
Ak Bars: Artyom Galimov.
Avangard: Pavel Leuka, Nikolai Prokhorkin.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ defenseman Nikita Lyamkin may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 198).
Ak Bars’ forward Alexei Byvaltsev may net his 100th career goal (currently at 99).
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (7-6-6, 7th W) vs Barys (10-8-1, 5th E)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk starts a three-game home series following a win over Torpedo on Saturday (2–1 OT).
Barys is in the middle of a nine-match road trip and lost its previous three games.
Barys’ defenseman Chase Priskie is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Vasily Demchenko, Sergei Kalinin, Nicolas Meloche.
Barys: Madi Dikhanbek.
19:30: CSKA (14-5-0, 2nd W) vs Traktor (8-8-2, 8th E)
About the game
CSKA plays the lone home game of the series following a win over SKA on Sunday (3–1).
Traktor starts a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Injury list
Traktor: Vitaly Kravtsov, Alexander Rykov.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Mikhail Rolgizer lines up for his 200th league appearance.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (7-10-5, 9th W) vs Amur (10-7-1, 4th E)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow ends a two-game home series following a loss to Avangard on Monday (2–3 OT).
Amur, who defeated Dynamo Moscow earlier in the season (4–0), starts a three-game road trip on a two-game winning streak.
Amur’s goalie Alexander Trushkov is on a 76:23 shutout streak.
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Igor Ozhiganov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that stretch.
Amur’s forward Oleg Li is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that stretch.
Amur’s forward Kirill Pilipenko is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Yegor Rimashevsky.
Amur: Raul Akmaldinov, Danila Galenyuk, Alexander Dergachyov, Andrei Krutov, Ivan Chekhovich.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nick Merkley lines up for his 300th league appearance.
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin may record his 10th KHL shutout, while Amur’s goalie Maxim Dorozhko may reach 20.
