Dynamo Moscow - SKA. Introducing the opponents

CURRENT STANDINGS

8. Dynamo Moscow, 38 matches, 19 regulation victories, 3 overtime victories, 12 regulation defeats, 2 overtime defeats, 2 penalty shootout defeats, goal difference 113-99, 48 points

3. SKA, 39 matches, 22 regulation victories, 1 overtime victory, 2 penalty shootout victories, 9 regulation defeats, 1 overtime defeat, 4 penalty shootout defeats, goal difference 124-86, 55 points

FORM

Dynamo Moscow have experienced somewhat of an inconsistent 2020/2021 KHL campaign so far. Coached by Vladimir Krikunov, the capital outfit have already conceded 12 regulation defeats in just 38 matches, often struggling to put winning streaks together. Dynamo do currently occupy fourth position of the Western Conference with 48 points on the board.

Furthermore, Dynamo have lost two of their last three home matches at the VTB Arena, conceding heavy losses to Metallurg Magnitogorsk (2:6) and Ak Bars Kazan (2:7) in front of their own supporters. Taking into account their previous five games, Krikunov’s troops have claimed three victories, beating Dinamo (5:2) in Minsk, Neftekhimik (3:2) in Nizhnekamsk and Jokerit (4:0) at home while coming up short against Magnitogorsk (1:3) on the road and Ak Bars in the Russian capital.

Defenseman Mikhail Grigoryev (1+2) and forwards Oscar Lindberg (7+16), Vladimir Bryukvin (4+1) and Vyacheslav Kulyomin (3+3) will miss this match for Dynamo due to injury, while defenseman Sergei Boykov (0+3) is out due to suspension. Forwards Dmitry Kagarlitsky (8+18) and Vadim Shipachyov (12+28), both formerly of SKA, are enjoying excellent campaigns for Dynamo as they continue to make vital contributions on a regular basis.

Since the international break, SKA have been in impressive form, producing a fantastic performance to eventually defeat CSKA Moscow (4:3) in a penalty shootout and edging past Severstal Cherepovets (2:0) at the Ice Palace. Thanks to those triumphs, our players have increased their grip on second spot of the conference, holding 55 points from 39 matches.

Earlier in the season, these two teams did meet in Saint Petersburg, with Dynamo emerging victorious by a narrow score of 4:3. Vasily Tokranov, Vladislav Kamenev and Yakov Trenin scored our goals in that particular game.

POINTS LEADERS IN LAST FIVE MATCHES

DYNAMO MOSCOW

Vadim Shipachyov: 4 (1+3) points

Daniil Tarasov: 3 (2+1) points

Dmitrij Jaskin: 3 (2+1) points

SKA

Vladimir Tkachyov: 6 (2+4) points

Andrei Kuzmenko: 5 (2+3) points

Linden Vey: 4 (1+3) points

In their net, 25-year-old Ivan Bocharov has mainly been Dynamo’s starting goalkeeper, tallying a 90.7% save percentage, a goals against average of 2.57 and two shutouts in 22 appearances. Veteran Alexander Yeryomenko (15 matches, 91.8%, 2.31, 1 shutout), newly-signed Emil Garipov (4 matches, 90.1%, 2.90, 1 shutout) and Georgy Kuznetsov (3 matches, 88.3%, 4.33) have also featured in the Dynamo goal in the current season.

On Thursday, Magnus Hellberg (93.3%, 1.92, 2 shutouts) caught the eye during the 2:0 triumph over Severstal, stopping all 28 shots he faced to deservedly pick up his second shutout of the season. Alexander Samonov (91.0%, 2.46) wasn’t in the squad for that match, while 18-year-old Yaroslav Askarov (96.2%, 0.96, 1 shutout) is with the junior Russian national team at the World Junior Championship in Canada.

WHERE TO WATCH

The match is scheduled to begin at 16:00 local time in Moscow. Match TV and Channel 78 will provide a television broadcast in Russia, whereas you can purchase a live video on the KHL’s official website. Text updates can be found on our Twitter account.