The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) presents an action-packed schedule for October 3rd, featuring six exciting matchups. Headlining the day, Bob Hartley`s Lokomotiv will face Guy Boucher`s Avangard. Other key games include SKA visiting Spartak, Ak Bars hosting Amur, Severstal aiming for a sixth consecutive win against Torpedo in Nizhny Novgorod, HC Sochi battling Admiral, and CSKA seeking revenge against Metallurg for a September loss.
Bob Hartley Returns to Omsk
Avangard vs. Lokomotiv
Avangard (Omsk)
Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl)
Omsk will host one of the day`s premier contests as Bob Hartley, who took the helm of Yaroslavl`s Lokomotiv this past summer, returns to the city where he previously etched his name into the club`s history by winning the Gagarin Cup with Avangard. He now faces off against Guy Boucher`s coaching staff. Lokomotiv leads the Western Conference with eight wins in 11 regular-season games, recently dominating Barys on the road (5:1). Avangard, currently topping the Eastern Conference with eight victories in ten matches, secured convincing wins against Salavat Yulaev (5:2) and Admiral (6:1) in their last two outings. This clash of conference leaders promises an intense battle.
Team Leaders in Last Five KHL Games
Avangard (Omsk)
Poturalski Andrew
8 (3+5)
Chistyakov Semyon
6 (3+3)
Sharipzyanov Damir
6 (1+5)
Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl)
Surin Yegor
7 (3+4)
Radulov Alexander
6 (4+2)
Sergeyev Andrei
5 (1+4)
Avangard defenseman Semyon Chistyakov boasts a four-game point streak (3 goals, 3 assists) and ranks among the top five defensemen in goals and points (3+5 in eight games), as does Damir Sharipzyanov (3+6 in ten games). Forward Andrew Poturalski is a league leader in both scoring and assists this season (4+9 in ten games). Lokomotiv`s Yegor Surin (8+5 in 11 games) and Alexander Radulov (7+6 in 11 games) have accumulated the same number of points.
Konstantin Okulov of Avangard is the only player this season with four game-winning goals. Avangard defenseman Artyom Blazhiyevsky is in the top five for hits (36 in ten games). Avangard goaltender Nikita Serebryakov is one shutout away from his 20th in the KHL, while Lokomotiv`s Alexei Melnichuk is approaching his 10th. Daniil Isaev ranks in the top five league-wide for save percentage (94.7%) and goals-against average (1.45) after ten appearances, including one shutout. Lokomotiv`s Alexei Bereglazov is among the top five defensemen in assists with seven in 11 games. The next match will mark forward Georgy Ivanov`s 500th KHL career game.
Head-to-Head Encounters
In KHL history, Avangard has defeated Lokomotiv 22 times, while Lokomotiv has secured 25 victories in their head-to-head matchups.
Goldobin and Loktionov vs. Spartak
Spartak vs. SKA
Spartak (Moscow)
SKA (Saint Petersburg)
SKA travels to Moscow following two consecutive home losses to Torpedo (2:5, 2:3 OT). With 12 points, the Army Men are fifth in the Western Conference, holding five wins in ten games. Spartak has played the same number of games but only secured four victories, placing them seventh with 11 points. In their last outing, Alexei Zhamnov`s squad defeated Traktor (6:3) with two goals each from Nikita Korostelyov and Pavel Poryadin. This upcoming game carries special significance for two SKA players: Nikolai Goldobin and Andrei Loktionov, who both played for Spartak last season. Goldobin is currently on a three-game point streak (0+4). Will these former Spartak players make a significant impact against their old team?
Team Leaders in Last Five KHL Games
Spartak (Moscow)
Poryadin Pavel
7 (4+3)
Pashin Alexander
6 (1+5)
Rubtsov German
5 (3+2)
SKA (Saint Petersburg)
Menell Brennan
4 (3+1)
Goldobin Nikolai
4 (0+4)
Korotky Matvei
3 (2+1)
Spartak forward Korostelyov ranks among the top five league goal-scorers with seven goals in ten games. The next match will be Spartak goaltender Dmitry Nikolaev`s 10th in the KHL. His SKA counterpart, Artyom Pleshkov, is in the top five for save percentage (94.8%) and goals-against average (1.73) after four games played. SKA`s Brennan Menell leads all defensemen in goals with six in ten appearances.
Head-to-Head Encounters
SKA has historically dominated Spartak in the KHL, winning 48 out of 72 head-to-head encounters.
A Battle of Direct Rivals in Kazan
Ak Bars vs. Amur
Ak Bars (Kazan)
Amur (Khabarovsk)
Ak Bars will host Amur in Kazan in a crucial showdown between direct rivals. Both teams are looking to solidify their positions in their respective conferences.