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Severstal and Spartak face again on a five-game KHL Friday
Five games feature on Friday’s KHL schedule, headlined by Severstal and Spartak meeting for the second straight day in Cherepovets, with the teams level on 26 points. Lada, the league’s last-placed team, welcomes Avangard, Ak Bars hosts Amur, which has allowed the fewest goals in the KHL, and Dinamo Minsk entertains Traktor. In Saint Petersburg, the Shanghai Dragons, winners of four in a row, host Barys.б.р5ю
The matchday opens in Togliatti with two teams whose results after regulation point in opposite directions. Each has played five games that went beyond regulation, four in overtime and one in a shootout: Avangard won all five, Lada lost all five. Lada is last in the KHL with nine points, having won only two of its 20 games, the latest a 1–0 victory over SKA on Oct. 15, and it has four points from its last 10 games. The Togliatti side lost 1–3 at home to Admiral on Tuesday, its fourth defeat in a row. Avangard gets to the game after a 3–2 OT win at Dynamo Moscow on Monday and a 4–0 victory at Ak Bars on Wednesday. Those results marked the sixth win in nine games in October after winning four of nine in September. The Hawks took the first meeting 4–1 in Omsk on Oct. 2, and today’s game is the second and last one between the teams in the current regular season.
Cherepovets will then host the rematch of yesterday’s clash between Severstal and Spartak. The Steelers twice came from behind on Thursday, the second time with a goal by Adam Liska 14 seconds left in regulation, before winning 3–2 in a shootout. The teams meet again in Cherepovets 24 hours later. It was Severstal’s first win over Spartak in three meetings this season, after the 0–8 and 1–3 defeats on Sept. 12 and Oct. 23, and defenseman Ioannis Kaldis had an assist on both of the hosts’ regulation goals. Spartak has not lost in regulation since Oct. 2 and has taken points in nine straight games, the longest active run in the KHL, though its last two both ended in shootout defeats, 3–4 against the Shanghai Dragons and 2–3 on Thursday. The teams are level on 26 points, with Spartak fourth in the West and Severstal fifth, having played one game more. The top six clubs in the table are separated by four points, and a regulation win for either side would put it two points clear of the other and into third place.
Next up is a showdown between Ak Bars and Amur. Ak Bars has not won at home since Sept. 30, losing five of six games in regulation and the other in a shootout. The latest was a 0–4 defeat to Avangard on Wednesday. Amur, which lost 1–2 at Dynamo Moscow on Wednesday, has allowed the fewest goals in the league, 30 in 19 games, and its six shutouts are the most of any team. Goalies Alexander Trushkov and Maxim Dorozhko are two of four tied for the individual lead with three each. This is the first meeting of the season between the teams, with Ak Bars fourth in the East on 22 points and Amur fifth on 21, having two games in hand. A regulation win for Ak Bars would stretch the gap to three points.
In Belarus, Dinamo Minsk will look for a win in a home game against Traktor. Both teams lost on Wednesday. The Belarusian side was shut out for the first time this season, 0–1 at home against Barys. The Bison have won five of its last 14 games, but never two in a row. It still holds the last playoff place in the West with 20 points, one more than SKA and one fewer than Dynamo Moscow. The Chelyabinsk side fell 1–5 at CSKA after back-to-back wins over Ak Bars and Sibir. Traktor is 10th in the East with 18 points, two behind eighth-place Avangard. Both teams play a lot of close games: 12 of Dinamo Minsk’s 20 and 11 of Traktor’s 19 have been decided by a single goal, and goalies are expected to play a big role in today’s confrontation.
The matchday closes in Saint Petersburg, where the Shanghai Dragons host Barys in the first meeting between the teams this season. Two of their results mirror each other: each won 5–4 in overtime at Neftekhimik and 4–3 in a shootout at Spartak. The Dragons are third in the West with 26 points and have won their last four games, all on the road: 5–2 at HC Sochi, 5–1 at Severstal, 2–0 at Lada, and 4–3 in a shootout at Spartak on Sunday. The Chinese franchise has lost in regulation only four times, the second-fewest in the league. The Kazakhs are third in the East with 23 points, and they beat Dinamo Minsk 1–0 on Wednesday for their fourth shutout win of the season, after a 1–4 loss at Avtomobilist on Monday.
18:00: Lada (2-13-5, 11th W) vs Avangard (10-8-0, 8th E)
About the game
Lada, who lost to Avangard earlier in the season (1–4), ends a six-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
Avangard, who defeated Lada earlier in the season (4–1), enters the second game of a four-match road trip on a two-game winning streak.
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov is on a 64:09 shutout streak.
Avangard’s forward Andrew Poturalski had at least one assist in each of his previous three games, totaling three helpers.
Avangard’s defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that stretch.
Avangard’s forward Vasily Ponomaryov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Lada: Artyom Karpov, Nikita Mikhailov, Ivan Romanov, Doyle Somerby.
Avangard: Pavel Leuka, Nikolai Prokhorkin.
Milestone alert
Lada’s forward Pavel Kudryavtsev lines up for his 400th league appearance.
Avangard’s head coach Guy Boucher may record his 100th KHL win.
19:00: Severstal (12-7-2, 5th W) vs Spartak (11-5-4, 4th W)
About the game
Severstal ends a two-game home series following a win over Spartak yesterday (3–2 SO).
Spartak enters the second game of a three-match road trip on a two-match losing streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1–2 (3–2 SO; 0–8, 1–3).
Injury list
Severstal: Nikolai Burenov, Yegor Graf, Gennady Chaly, Andrei Churkin.
Milestone alert
Severstal’s forward Nikita Popugayev may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 98).
19:00: Ak Bars (10-9-2, 4th E) vs Amur (10-8-1, 5th E)
About the game
Ak Bars enters the second game of a three-game home series following a loss to Avangard on Wednesday (0–4).
Amur enters the second game of a three-match road trip following a loss at Dynamo Moscow on Wednesday (1–2).
Amur’s goalie Alexander Trushkov is on a 76:23 shutout streak.
Amur’s forward Vitaly Abramov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Artyom Galimov.
Amur: Raul Akmaldinov, Danila Galenyuk, Alexander Dergachyov, Andrei Krutov, Ivan Chekhovich.
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).
Amur’s goalie Maxim Dorozhko may record his 20th KHL shutout.
19:10: Dinamo Minsk (7-7-6, 8th W) vs Traktor (8-9-2, 10th E)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk enters the second game of a three-match home series following a loss to Barys on Wednesday (0–1).
Traktor ends a two-game road trip following a loss at CSKA on Wednesday (1–5).
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Vasily Demchenko, Sergei Kalinin, Nicolas Meloche.
Traktor: Vitaly Kravtsov, Alexander Rykov.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Andrei Svetlakov may reach 300 career points (currently at 298).
Traktor’s defenseman Grigory Dronov may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 199).
19:30: Shanghai Dragons (12-4-2, 3rd W) vs Barys (11-8-1, 3rd E)
About the game
The Shanghai Dragons start a four-game home series on a four-game winning streak.
Barys enters the sixth game of a nine-match road trip following a win at Dinamo Minsk on Wednesday (1–0).
Shanghai Dragons’ goalie Amir Miftakhov is on a 65:02 shutout streak.
Shanghai Dragons’ defenseman Calen Addison is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that stretch.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Riley Sutter had at least one assist in each of his previous five games, totaling five helpers.
Barys’ defenseman Jake Massie is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Shanghai Dragons: Martin Frk.
Barys: Madi Dikhanbek.
