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Traktor hosts Avtomobilist in the Ural derby on a four-game KHL Sunday
Four games feature on Sunday’s KHL schedule, with Neftekhimik’s second shot at a 500th league win, as the Wolves host two-time defending champion Lokomotiv, which has yet to lose back-to-back games this season. Traktor welcomes Avtomobilist in the second Ural Derby of the season, with both sides on 23 points, Barys closes a nine-match road trip against Amur, and HC Sochi entertains Dinamo Minsk with Nikita Gusev on a ten-game point streak.
Sunday’s action starts in Khabarovsk, where Amur hosts Barys, and both teams let a 2–0 lead slip on Friday. Amur lost 2–3 at home to SKA, while Barys fell 4–5 in Vladivostok, where Justin Bailey, the league’s leading scorer, had made it 4–4 on a third-period power play before Admiral’s winner. Today’s meeting closes the Kazakhs’ nine-match road trip, which has yielded seven points from the first eight games, including two 1–0 shutouts by goalie Andrei Shutov. With 25 points, Barys sits two ahead of Amur, which holds the last playoff place in the East, so a regulation win for the Tigers would draw the teams level, while one for Barys would stretch the gap to four. The hosts have beaten Barys twice already this season, 3–1 in Astana on Sept. 12 and 5–2 at home on Oct. 19, and their 38 goals against are the fewest in the league, a total shared with Lokomotiv. After today’s game, Barys flies back to Astana, where the Kazakhs will play their next two games, against Admiral and Metallurg.
Neftekhimik returns home one win away from its 500th in the KHL. The first attempt at the milestone ended in a 1–8 defeat at Metallurg on Thursday, after four straight road wins in which the Wolves had conceded four goals in total. Neftekhimik is still second in the East with 29 points, nine behind the Magnitogorsk side, and today it faces Lokomotiv, which it beat 1–0 in Yaroslavl on Oct. 20. The Railwaymen, who won a second straight Gagarin Cup last spring, sit second in the West with 33 points, two behind CSKA, and have not lost two in a row all season, answering each of their first six defeats with a win. The seventh came on Friday, a 0–1 shootout loss at Lada, four days after the Togliatti side had also won 1–0 in Yaroslavl. Lokomotiv has won four of six games without Alexander Radulov, who had 16 points in 17 games before his injury.
At the same time in Chelyabinsk, Traktor hosts Avtomobilist in the second Ural Derby of the season, with both teams on 23 points, just outside the East’s top eight. Imports shaped the first one, on Sept. 7 in Yekaterinburg: Canadian forward Boris Katchouk opened the scoring 26 seconds in with his first KHL goal, Daniel Sprong’s power-play goal started Avtomobilist’s comeback from 1–3, and Nathan Legare won it 4–3 for Traktor in OT. Legare, another Canadian, comes in with points in three straight games, and he opened the scoring in both of the Black-and-Whites’ wins this week, 2–1 over Barys and 5–3 over Ak Bars, the first of which ended a three-game losing streak. For Avtomobilist, the Dutch forward Sprong has points in four straight games, including the equalizer in Friday’s 2–3 OT loss at Salavat Yulaev, and Slovak forward Adam Ruzicka has an assist in each of the last three. Ruzicka, who scored 49 goals in two seasons with Spartak, is still looking for his first for the Motormen, who have lost twice since winning four in a row for the first time this season.
Nikita Gusev has a point in each of his last ten games, and he puts that streak on the line as HC Sochi closes the matchday against Dinamo Minsk. The forward made his season debut on Oct. 3, and his first thirteen points were all assists until Thursday, when he scored on a late power play in a 1–4 home loss to Severstal that was also his 800th game in the league. Over the streak, he has had a hand in twelve of HC Sochi’s 23 goals. The hosts sit at the foot of the Western Conference with 14 points, one behind Lada, although they won four of five games before this week’s defeats to Neftekhimik and Severstal. Six of their seven wins have come by a single goal, including a 3–2 OT victory over Dinamo Minsk at home on Oct. 22. The Belarusians, second in the West last season, have lost their last two, 0–4 at home to Dynamo Moscow on Nov. 1 and 3–5 at Spartak on Friday, when they conceded the first four goals. With 22 points, the Bison sit ninth, a point below SKA, which holds the last playoff place with a game in hand.
10:00: Amur (11-10-1, 8th E) vs Barys (12-10-1, 4th E)
About the game
Amur, who defeated Barys twice earlier in the season (3–1, 5–2), ends a two-game home series following a loss to SKA on Friday (2–3).
Barys ends a nine-match road trip on a two-game losing streak.
Barys’ forward Justin Bailey is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that stretch.
Barys’ defenseman Chase Priskie also had one assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Amur: Danila Galenyuk, Alexander Dergachyov, Dmitry Kostenko, Ivan Chekhovich.
Milestone alert
Amur’s goalie Maxim Dorozhko may record his 20th KHL shutout.
14:00: Neftekhimik (13-8-3, 2nd E) vs Lokomotiv (16-6-1, 2nd W)
About the game
Neftekhimik, who defeated Lokomotiv earlier in the season (1–0), starts a six-game home series following a loss at Metallurg on Thursday (1–8).
Lokomotiv ends a three-match road trip after a loss at Lada on Friday (0–1 SO).
Neftekhimik’s forward German Tochilkin scored a goal in each of his previous three games.
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk is on a 67:18 shutout streak.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Alexander Radulov.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik may record its 500th KHL win.
Lokomotiv’s forward Georgy Ivanov lines up for his 600th league appearance, while goalies Daniil Isayev and Alexei Melnichuk may reach 300 and 100, respectively.
14:00: Traktor (10-10-3, 10th E) vs Avtomobilist (10-9-3, 9th E)
About the game
Traktor, who defeated Avtomobilist earlier in the season (4–3 OT), enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following two consecutive wins.
Avtomobilist ends a two-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Traktor’s defenseman Grigory Dronov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that stretch.
Traktor’s forward Nathan Legare is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Avtomobilist’s goalie Vladimir Galkin is on a 76:19 shutout streak.
Avtomobilist’s forward Alexander Kadeikin is on a six-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Avtomobilist’s forward Daniel Sprong is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Avtomobilist’s forward Adam Ruzicka had one assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Traktor: Vitaly Kravtsov, Alexander Rykov.
Avtomobilist: Anton Slepyshev.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Andrei Svetlakov may record his 300th KHL point (currently at 299).
Avtomobilist’s forward Alexander Sharov may reach 200 KHL assists (currently at 199).
Avtomobilist’s goalie Evgeny Alikin may record his 30th career shutout.
17:00: HC Sochi (7-16-0, 11th W) vs Dinamo Minsk (8-9-6, 9th W)
About the game
HC Sochi, who defeated Dinamo Minsk earlier in the season (3–2 OT), enters the fourth game of a six-match home series after two straight losses.
Dinamo Minsk ends a two-match road trip on a two-game losing streak.
HC Sochi’s forward Nikita Gusev is on a 10-game scoring streak, with 12 (1+11) points over that stretch.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Pavel Akolzin, Pyotr Andreyanov, Artyom Guryev, Cameron Lee.
Dinamo Minsk: Vasily Demchenko, Maxim Maltsev, Nicolas Meloche.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s forward Timur Khafizov may record his 100th KHL point (currently at 98).
HC Sochi’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov may reach 100 career assists (currently at 99).
Dinamo Minsk’s defenseman Ty Smith lines up for his 100th league appearance.
