MINSK (Interstat) — The Kontinental Hockey League’s Monday matchup at Minsk-Arena in Minsk, Belarus, will send Lada Togliatti on the road against Dinamo Minsk.

Lada enters with a 1-8 record. Dinamo Minsk is 2-6. Both clubs are seeking consistency in the early season as they try to climb the standings.

Lada forward Riley Sawchuk is a player to watch. Sawchuk scored two goals against Dinamo Minsk earlier this season and also has a recent game with a goal and two assists. In Lada’s most recent outing, a 5-0 loss to CSKA Moscow, Sawchuk recorded three hits. He has been one of Lada’s more active forwards, adding shots and hits in several recent games.

Dinamo Minsk’s Daniil Sotishvili is another player to monitor. Sotishvili scored in Dinamo Minsk’s most recent game, a 2-1 loss at Shanghai Dragons, and finished with one shot and two hits. He also had a goal and an assist in a win over Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg this season and added an assist against Sibir Novosibirsk. In another recent game, he recorded five hits.

The most recent head-to-head meeting between the teams went to Lada, which won 4-2 at home. That result gives Lada a measure of confidence against Dinamo Minsk, though the venue shifts to Minsk for the Monday contest.

Lada’s recent slate has been difficult. The club has lost to CSKA Moscow, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, Ak Bars Kazan, Barys Astana, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, SKA Saint Petersburg and Severstal Cherepovets. The losses include a 7-3 setback at Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk and a 6-0 home loss to Barys Astana. Lada’s lone win came against Dinamo Minsk.

Dinamo Minsk has also struggled to string together wins. The club has recent losses to Shanghai Dragons, Dynamo Moscow, Lada and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, while earning wins against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg and Sibir Novosibirsk. The wins include a 5-3 home victory over Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg and a 4-1 home win over Sibir Novosibirsk. Dinamo Minsk has shown offense in stretches, including a five-goal game against Avtomobilist.

Lada’s Nikita Podskrebalin made 23 saves on 28 shots in the team’s most recent loss. For Dinamo Minsk, Ilya Usov had an assist and two shots in the most recent game, while Christopher Tierney also recorded a shot. The teams will meet for the second time this season.

Dinamo Minsk will look to use home ice at Minsk-Arena, while Lada aims to repeat its earlier success in the season series. The game is part of the KHL schedule.

The Interstat game simulator projects a final score of Dinamo Minsk 2, Lada 1.