CHEREPOVETS, Russia (Interstat) — Kontinental Hockey League play continues Thursday when Lokomotiv Yaroslavl visits Severstal Cherepovets at Ice Palace. Lokomotiv brings an 11-3 record into the road matchup, while Severstal is 9-6. The teams met earlier this season, with Lokomotiv earning a 2-1 overtime win over Severstal. Lokomotiv has won four of its past six games, including a 6-1 home rout of Dinamo Minsk in its most recent outing. Severstal has won five straight, capped by a 2-0 home victory over SKA Saint Petersburg in its latest game.

In its latest win, Lokomotiv also got a goal and an assist from Yegor Surin and 24 saves on 25 shots from Daniil Isayev. Severstal’s shutout of SKA Saint Petersburg included goals from Gennady Chalyi and Vsevolod Nikitin. Severstal’s recent road wins came at Ak Bars Kazan, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and SKA Saint Petersburg. Lokomotiv’s recent road wins came at Ak Bars Kazan, Sibir Novosibirsk and Admiral Vladivostok.

Maxim Shalunov is a player to watch for Lokomotiv. The forward had one goal, one assist, nine shots on goal and eight hits in the 6-1 win over Dinamo Minsk. Across his past nine appearances, Shalunov has one goal and three assists, with 23 shots on goal and 17 hits. He also had an assist in a 4-3 loss at Dinamo Minsk and an assist in a 2-1 win at Admiral Vladivostok. He has recorded points in three of his past nine games.

Vsevolod Skotnikov is a player to watch for Severstal. The goaltender has won each of his past three starts, making 79 saves on 82 shots in those games. He stopped all 28 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over SKA Saint Petersburg, turned aside 22 of 23 in a 4-1 win at Ak Bars Kazan and made 29 saves on 31 shots in a 3-2 win at Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Skotnikov also stopped all 14 shots he faced at SKA Saint Petersburg. He has 93 saves on 96 shots over his past four appearances.

Lokomotiv’s upcoming schedule includes a trip to HC Sochi and home games against Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, Dynamo Moscow and a rematch with Severstal. Severstal will host Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and Shanghai Dragons before a road game at Spartak Moscow and the return meeting at Lokomotiv. The teams are set to meet again in the return fixture.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Lokomotiv 4, Severstal 2. Its ELO system gives Lokomotiv a 71.5 percent probability to win. The over/under for the game is 4.5.