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First Far Eastern Derby, Salavat Yulaev faces SKA
It’s the first Far Eastern Derby of the season between Amur and Admiral. Then, both Salavat Yulaev and SKA will be looking to bounce back after their recent losses. Ending with Spartak hosting HC Sochi, only three games are on tap on a light KHL Saturday.
The KHL matchday starts early in the Far East with Amur and Admiral playing the first Far East Derby of the 2024-2025 season. The Tigers lost their last six matches, and even more seriously, they failed to score for 247 minutes and 13 seconds, with the last goal netted by Ignat Korotkikh on Oct. 19 in Amur’s 4:5 loss to Spartak. The Sailors, on the other hand, traded wins with Salavav Yulaev, coming out on top in Thursday’s game with Jack Rodewald netting his fifth of the season as he scored the game-winning goal with less than seven minutes to go in the closing frame. Amur is currently the eleventh seed in the East, while Admiral climbed up to seventh place after its win over Salavat Yulaev. The two sides will meet again tomorrow.
The Ufa side will be called to a difficult exam as SKA comes to town. The St. Petersburg franchise also lost its most recent match—an away game against Lokomotiv—and will be equally willing to bounce back. Despite the defeat, SKA is still the second seed in the Western Conference, with a seven-point gap to the Railwaymen. Salavat Yulaev is also in the top four teams for its conference, with a solid fourth seed with two wins in a row after the loss against Admiral. SKA’s line of Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ivan Demidov, and Sergei Plotnikov is in fantastic shape, and they keep on scoring – Salavat Yulaev’s defense will be under pressure.
In the closing game of the matchday, Spartak entertains HC Sochi. The Red-and-Whites lost some ground, but returned to win on Tuesday against Vityaz (4:3 OT) after two straight losses, to SKA (2:5) and Admiral (3:4 OT). Moreover, Spartak won its previous seven games in Sochi, and will be on the lookout for another victory. This season, however, the two sides already met, with HC Sochi claiming an away, SO win in the home opener. Spartak’s leader Pavel Poryadin is on a five-game scoring streak, and he will be trying to stretch it to six as the team starts a new road trip.
12:00: Amur (5-14-2, 11th E) vs Admiral (9-9-3, 7th E)
About the game
Amur starts a five-game home series on a six-match losing streak.
Admiral ends a five-game road trip following a win over Salavat Yulaev on Thursday (4:2).
Injury list
Amur: Devin Brosseau.
Admiral: Stepan Starkov.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (11-7-0, 4th E) vs SKA (15-6-1, 2nd W)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev ends a five-game home series following a loss to Admiral on Thursday (2:4).
SKA starts a two-game road trip and lost to Lokomotiv on Wednesday (2:3).
SKA’s forward Evgeny Kuznetsov is on a nine-game scoring streak, with 13 (6+7) points over that span.
SKA’s forward Ivan Demidov is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 11 (2+9) points.
SKA’s forward Sergei Plotnikov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 10 (6+4) points.
SKA’s forward Arseny Gritsyuk is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin.
SKA: Artyom Zemchyonok.
Milestone alert
SKA’s defenseman Andrei Pedan lines up for his 300th KHL game.
19:30: HC Sochi (7-10-2, 11th W) vs Spartak (12-5-3, 3rd W)
About the game
HC Sochi, who defeated Spartak earlier this season (2:1 SO), starts a two-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Spartak starts a four-game road trip following a win over Vityaz on Tuesday (4:3 OT).
Spartak’s forward Pavel Poryadin is on a five-game scoring streak, with 11 (6+5) points over that span.
Injury list
Spartak: Alexander Belyayev, Daniil Ivanov, Shane Prince.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s forward Ansel Galimov may record his 100th career assist (currently at 99).
