KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
SKA and Torpedo to battle in an exciting showdown, Traktor faces CSKA
Today's KHL schedule features four key games across conferences. In the East, Traktor hosts CSKA in a battle of top teams, while Avtomobilist takes on Kunlun Red Star as the Dragons begin their road trip. Elsewhere, Lada faces Salavat Yulaev, hoping to break their offensive struggles. Over in the West, SKA goes head-to-head with Torpedo in a duel between the league’s highest-scoring teams. With crucial points at stake, today’s action is set to deliver intense competition and excitement for fans.
This season, Traktor has already delivered a shutout victory over CSKA (4:0) during their meeting on Oct. 5 in Moscow. Heading into their next clash, the Red-and-Blues are riding a four-game winning streak, marked by exceptional defensive performance. They’ve allowed just two goals during this stretch, thanks in large part to the stellar play of goaltender Ivan Prosvetov. CSKA will conclude their road trip in Chelyabinsk following a 4:1 win over Lada. Meanwhile, the Urals team has earned points in four consecutive games, although they’ve suffered two OT losses during this period, including their most recent defeat to Dynamo Moscow (3:4 SO). Traktor currently leads the Eastern Conference standings with 40 points. CSKA, with 35 points, sits in fifth place in the West.
In the meantime, Avtomobilist faces Kunlun Red Star. The Dragons embarked on a three-game road trip following a strong 3:0 home victory over Dinamo Minsk. Goaltender Jeremy Smith recorded a shutout in that game, extending his scoreless streak to exactly 60 minutes. Despite this success, Kunlun Red Star remains at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with 21 points. Avtomobilist will wrap up their three-game homestand after a 1:3 loss to Neftekhimik. However, the defeat did not cost the Ural team their second-place spot in the Eastern Conference, where they trail Traktor by four points but hold a game in hand. Ahead of the match in Yekaterinburg, Kunlun made a trade that brought Slovenian forward Jan Drozg to the roster, likely as a replacement for Nail Yakupov, who recently joined Avangard. Moreover, Kunlun Red Star’s last victory in Yekaterinburg is dated back to Sept. 1, 2017 (2:1).
After dismissing head coach Oleg Bratash, Lada is yet to win a game. They will have another attempt today as Salavat Yulaev comes to Togliatti. Under interim head coach Pavel Zubov, Lada has suffered defeats in both matches—falling to Metallurg (1:2 SO) and CSKA (1:4). The Togliatti team has been struggling offensively, failing to score more than one goal in a game since Nov. 8. They will aim to improve their attack as they face Salavat Yulaev, a team they played just nine days ago in Ufa, losing 1:3. Since that matchup, Viktor Kozlov’s squad secured a victory over Barys (4:1) but fell in OT to Metallurg (2:3). With 34 points, the Ufa team sits comfortably in the top four of the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Lada trails with 10 fewer points, hovering around the playoff zone boundary.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for an exciting showdown between SKA and Torpedo. The St. Petersburg squad will be aiming to replicate their previous victory achieved in Nizhny Novgorod on Sept. 21 (4:3). The visitors will kick off a three-game road trip following a narrow home loss to Lokomotiv (0:1). With 31 points, Torpedo currently holds a playoff spot in the Western Conference, while SKA ranks third with six more points. The Saint Petersburg team has struggled for consistency, managing just two wins in their last eight games, though their latest victory came in a dominant 6:3 showing against Eastern Conference bottom-dwellers Amur. This matchup features the league’s most prolific offenses: SKA leads with 107 goals scored, while Torpedo follows with 94. Interestingly, both teams have conceded an identical 79 goals this season, setting the stage for an exciting showdown.
17:00: Traktor (18-5-4, 1st E) vs CSKA (14-5-7, 5th W)
About the game
Traktor, who defeated CSKA earlier this season (4:0), is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost to Dynamo Moscow on Sunday (3:4 SO).
CSKA ends a three-game road trip on a four-match winning streak.
CSKA’s forward Denis Guryanov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Traktor: Artyom Blazhiyevsky.
CSKA: Yegor Afanasyev.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s forward Konstantin Okulov may reach 400 KHL points (currently at 399).
17:00: Avtomobilist (17-7-4, 2nd E) vs Kunlun Red Star (9-16-3, 11th W)
About the game
Avtomobilist ends a three-game home series following a loss to Neftekhimik on Monday (1:3).
Kunlun Red Star starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over Dinamo Minsk on Sunday (3:0).
Avtomobilist’s goalie Vladimir Galkin is on a 64:57 shutout streak.
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Kunlun Red Star’s goalie Jeremy Smith is on a 60:00 shutout streak.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Anatoly Golyshev, Daniil Karpovich, Denis Romantsev, Curtis Valk.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s forward Stepan Khripunov lines up for his 400th league appearance.
Kunlun Red Star’s goalie Jeremy Smith may record his 10th KHL shutout.
18:00: Lada (10-12-4, 8th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (16-7-2, 3rd E)
About the game
Lada ends a three-game home series on a four-game losing streak.
Salavat Yulaev, who defeated Lada earlier this season (3:1), starts a three-game road trip after a loss to Metallurg (2:3 OT).
Salavat Yulaev’s Artyom Pimenov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Kirill Tsulygin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Lada: Rafael Bikmullin, Vladislav Chervonenko, Nikolai Demidov, Nikita Popugayev.
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Lada’s forward Mikhail Fisenko may record his 100th league assist (currently at 99).
Lada’s goalie Vladislav Podyapolsky may reach 20 shutout in the KHL.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Alexander Sharov lines up for his 500th league appearance, while forward Artyom Pimenov reach 200.
19:30: SKA (17-9-3, 3rd W) vs Torpedo (13-10-5, 7th W)
About the game
SKA, who defeated Torpedo earlier this season (4:3), ends a two-game home series following a win over Amur on Monday (6:3).
Torpedo starts a three-game road trip following a loss to Lokomotiv (0:1).
Torpedo’s goalie Ivan Kulbakov is on a 64:14 shutout streak.
Injury list
SKA: Artyom Zemchyonok.
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s goalie Ivan Bocharov may record his 30th career shutout.
