Preview: Avangard Omsk at Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg

YEKATERINBURG, Russia (Interstat) — A surging Avangard Omsk squad visits a red-hot Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg team in a key Kontinental Hockey League matchup Thursday at KRK Uralets.

The visiting Hawks (31-15) enter with the better overall record, but the home side (27-20) has been one of the league’s hottest teams in January. Avtomobilist has won five of its last six games, including a 2-0 shutout of Sibir Novosibirsk on Tuesday, largely on the strength of stellar goaltending.

The player to watch for Avtomobilist is netminder Evgeny Alikin. He has started the last four games, winning all of them while stopping 114 of 118 shots for a .966 save percentage in that span. His recent run includes a 34-save performance in a 4-1 win at Traktor Chelyabinsk on Jan. 14.

Avangard counters with its own momentum, having won three straight and seven of its last 10. Their offense is powered by defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov, who is in the midst of a remarkable scoring streak. In his last 10 games, Sharipzyanov has recorded 8 goals and 6 assists, including a two-goal, one-assist effort in Tuesday’s 5-2 win at Salavat Yulaev Ufa.

The season series has favored Avtomobilist so far. The teams have met three times, with Avtomobilist winning twice, including a 3-0 home victory on Oct. 10. Avangard’s lone win came in overtime, 3-2, on Oct. 19 in Omsk.

This contest kicks off a critical home-and-home set between the clubs. They will meet again in Omsk on Feb. 5. Thursday’s game pits Avangard’s high-scoring blue line against Avtomobilist’s brick-wall goaltending, setting the stage for a pivotal Eastern Conference clash.