Scoring records under threat and Kazakhs conquer Europe

There’s a big battle underway to set a new scoring record at one KHL club. And another helped nurture a team of European champions.

Boucher, Tkachyov chase Avangard scoring record

Avangard’s Reid Boucher matched Roman Cervenka’s club record for points in a single regular season – but he’s in a tight race with Vladimir Tkachyov to establish a new mark. Boucher moved to 61 points, tying with Cervenka after a goal at Amur on Jan. 12. However, Tkachyov is right there on 60 with the two forwards pushing each other to ever greater heights this season.

Overtime streak ends

Tkachyov’s 60^th point came in a 2-1 win over Admiral. Nothing too exciting about that, you might think. However, it was notable as the first time in 10 games that the two teams settled the outcome in regulation. The previous nine encounters, dating back to Feb. 2020, all needed the extras to separate the Hawks and the Sailors.

Spartak sets scoring record

While Avangard looks at an individual scoring record, Spartak has established a team mark. The Red-and-Whites have 179 goals this season, topping the previous best set in 2009-2010. That tally includes a few from December signing Ilya Kovalchuk, who has moved to 200 KHL goals after rejoining his first pro club at the age of 40.

Samoilov beaten at last

It’s been a good season for rookie goalies. After Pavel Moisevich of SKA set a KHL record for the longest spell without allowing goal from the start of his career, Severstal’s Alexander Samoilov also wasted no time in blanking the opposition. He managed 143 minutes, 12 seconds before Kunlun’s Gemel Smith beat him in the closing moments of a 2-1 victory. Unlike Moisevich, Samoilov faced a long wait for KHL action. The 26-year-old was named on a couple of CSKA rosters as understudy, first dressing for action back in Jan. 2017. However, he first got on the ice on Dec. 26, 2023, playing the last 10 minutes as Severstal lost 3-5 to Traktor.

First playoff places to be booked?

The coming week’s play could see the first teams confirm their places in the 2024 Gagarin Cup playoffs. Lokomotiv had a chance to guarantee a top-eight finish on Sunday, but a surprise 1-2 loss at home to Vityaz means the Railwaymen have to wait. Loko could get there on Tuesday if it can beat Neftekhimik and Vityaz loses to Spartak. On Thursday, it’s a similar equation for Dynamo Moscow when it plays Neftekhimik and Vityaz travels to Torpedo.

Biryukov closes on 1,000^th game

Salavat Yulaev defenseman Evgeny Biryukov is poised to become the first man to play 1,000 KHL games. He’s currently on 998 and could reach his millennium on Sunday in his team’s game against Amur. Biryukov featured 779 times for Metallurg before moving to Ufa and making a further 219 appearances. Vadim Shipachyov (966 games) is second in the all-time appearance charts.

KHL talent helps Nomad conquer Europe

Last weekend saw the final of the IIHF Continental Cup in Cardiff, Great Britain. The four-team competition ended in victory for Nomad Astana, farm club to the KHL’s Barys. The Nomad roster featured several familiar names, notably goalie Nikita Boyarkin, who delivered two game-winning performances against Cardiff Devils and Herning Blue Fox. Forwards Maxim Musorov and Alexander Borisevich also played key roles, while the experienced Mikhail Rakhmanov provided valuable guidance for a youthful roster. 

Defenseman Tamirlan Gaitamirov, who has 38 appearances for Barys this season, explained how valuable that KHL was. “We were the youngest team at the tournament,” he said. “But we have some KHL skill. A lot of us played [at Barys] and we owe a lot to the staff for including us on the KHL team.”