KHABAROVSK (Interstat) — Lokomotiv Yaroslavl will try to continue a strong start in the Kontinental Hockey League when it visits Amur Khabarovsk on Friday, Sept. 25, at Platinum Arena. Lokomotiv is 7-1-0 and has won six of its past seven games. Amur is 2-5-0 and has dropped two straight.

Lokomotiv most recently won 2-1 at Admiral Vladivostok on Wednesday. Alexander Polunin scored twice and put three shots on goal. Goaltender Daniil Isayev stopped 22 shots in the win. Danil Romantsev added an assist and two shots on goal.

Polunin enters as Lokomotiv’s player to watch. He has produced consistently during the season’s opening weeks. In addition to his two-goal game at Admiral, he had three shots on goal against Barys Astana on Sept. 20 and two shots on goal against Avangard Omsk on Sept. 18. He recorded an assist with two penalty minutes and four hits at Traktor Chelyabinsk on Sept. 15. He also had four penalty minutes at CSKA Moscow on Sept. 13, three shots on goal and four hits against Severstal Cherepovets on Sept. 10, two hits against Shanghai Dragons on Sept. 8 and one shot on goal with two hits against Traktor on Sept. 5.

Amur most recently lost 2-0 to CSKA Moscow on Wednesday at home. Alexei Kruchinin had three shots on goal in the defeat. Kirill Urakov added two shots on goal, and Artyom Shvaryov had one.

Kruchinin is Amur’s player to watch. He has been among the club’s more active forwards and led the team with three shots on goal in the loss to CSKA. Amur has shown signs of offense this season, including a 4-0 home win over Dynamo Moscow on Sept. 19 and a 3-1 road win at Barys Astana on Sept. 12. The club also pushed Metallurg Magnitogorsk to overtime on Sept. 8 before falling 2-1. Amur dropped a 4-1 home decision to Severstal on Sept. 21 and a 2-0 home result to CSKA on Sept. 23.

Lokomotiv’s season has included a 5-0 home loss to Barys on Sept. 20 and a 2-1 home win over Avangard on Sept. 18. The club won 4-1 at Traktor on Sept. 15 and 3-2 at CSKA on Sept. 13. It beat Severstal 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 10, Shanghai 3-1 on Sept. 8 and Traktor 5-1 on Sept. 5.

After Friday, Lokomotiv is scheduled to visit Sibir Novosibirsk on Sunday before hosting Sibir on Sept. 30. Amur will host Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk on Tuesday before beginning a road stretch at Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg on Oct. 2.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Lokomotiv 3, Amur 1.