NIZHNEIMERETINSKAYA BUKHTA, Russia (Interstat) — Dinamo Minsk will visit Sochi on Sunday in a Kontinental Hockey League game at Bolshoy Ice Dome. Both teams enter the matchup looking to break out of difficult stretches, with Dinamo Minsk at 8-15 and Sochi at 7-16.

Dinamo Minsk has lost two straight, including a 4-0 home defeat to Dynamo Moscow before a 5-3 loss at Spartak Moscow in its most recent game. Vladimir Alistrov scored and put five shots on goal in the Spartak loss, also adding two penalty minutes. Alistrov has been one of Minsk’s more noticeable attackers of late, with a goal and two shots against Traktor Chelyabinsk and an assist against Ak Bars Kazan. Christopher Tierney had an assist and four shots against Spartak, while Ilya Usov scored once. Minsk will need that supporting cast to help create traffic around the net against Sochi.

Sochi has also dropped two in a row after a 4-1 home loss to Severstal Cherepovets and a 2-1 home setback against Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ilya V. Nikolayev had an assist, three shots and two penalty minutes against Severstal. The defenseman has contributed offensively in spurts, including a goal and an assist in a win at Lada Togliatti and three shots against Neftekhimik. Yegor Petukhov recorded six shots against Severstal, and Nikita Guslistov added two shots. Sochi will need more finish from its forward group and a cleaner defensive game at home.

The clubs have had similar scoring issues. Dinamo Minsk was shut out by Dynamo Moscow and managed one goal in losses to Ak Bars Kazan and Metallurg Magnitogorsk earlier this season. Sochi has allowed at least four goals in several recent defeats, including losses to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Shanghai Dragons. Both sides have shown enough offense in stretches to suggest a close game, but consistency has been elusive.

Sochi won the teams’ earlier meeting this season 3-2 in overtime. That result gives the home side a recent edge in the head-to-head series, though Dinamo Minsk has shown slightly more scoring punch in recent weeks. The matchup pits two clubs with similar records and little margin for error. Special teams and goaltending could be pivotal.

Dinamo Minsk will host Avangard before a road stretch that includes SKA and Torpedo. Sochi will remain home for Lada and Amur before road games at Lokomotiv and Severstal.

The game simulator projects a 3-2 Dinamo Minsk win. Its ELO system gives Dinamo Minsk a 73.6 percent probability to win, and the over/under is 4.5.