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The KHL is back! Six games enlighten an emotions-filled matchday!
The KHL resumes with a thrilling slate of games featuring intense rivalries and crucial clashes in six total games. In Khabarovsk, Amur hosts Admiral in their fourth Far East derby of the season, with the visitors leading the series three to zero. Sibir faces Avangard in Novosibirsk for their third meeting, while Vityaz takes on Torpedo in a critical Western Conference battle. Dynamo Moscow hosts struggling Barys, aiming to extend the Kazakhs’ losing streak to nine. In another Moscow showdown, CSKA welcomes Kunlun Red Star, while SKA and Lokomotiv meet in St. Petersburg to close out an action-packed day.
The KHL returns with a huge matchday, with games going on all day. The fun starts in the Far East, with Amur and Admiral facing off in the fourth local derby of the season. The first three editions were all taken by the Sailors, who will be looking for a fourth win. It’s worth noting that each subsequent game has become increasingly high-scoring — the first game featured five goals (5:0), the second had eight (5:3), and the latest was absolutely wild (6:4). Amur took the lead four times during that match, with Admiral equalizing on each occasion before ultimately securing victory, largely thanks to a hat-trick from scoring leader Daniil Gutik. For the Tigers, Alex Galchenyuk is equally in excellent shape. For the Sailors, several players may have their debut after some activity on the market, in particular Shane Prince, Nikita Guslistov, and Dmitry Deryabin.
Another local derby is set to be played in Novosibirsk, where Sibir faces Avangard for the third time, with Avangard taking two wins so far. It should have been Guy Boucher’s debut with the Hawks, but the Canadian coach needed to fly back home for health reasons, and the team will be led by his assistant, Dave Barr. Avangard continued its frantic activity on the market by trading forward Alexander Yaremchuk to Sochi. The young winger, who joined Omsk this summer, struggled to make an impact, failing to score in 28 games with Avangard despite a strong season with Vityaz last year. In addition, the club signed defenseman Daniil Chaika from the Vegas Golden Knights’ system. The Haws had two straight wins before the pause, and will be seeking for their third victory today. Sibir secured a win too before the league paused for the Channel One Cup and will aim to build on that momentum to claim another victory.
The action then moves to the Western Conference. After three straight home losses, Vityaz returns to play hosting Torpedo. The teams already met this season, with the Moscow Region team claiming a victory in a close match (2:1). Both teams will be looking for points, as they are the ninth and the eighth seed of the West, respectively. However, Torpedo (tied with Dinamo Minsk) has a six-point advantage over Vityaz, with one game less.
Another team looking for a win will be Barys. The Kazakhs lost their last eight matches, and will be looking to finally return to victory as they traveled to Moscow to face Dynamo. The Blue-and-Whites already defeated Barys this season, and will not try to cut corners as they are the third seed in the West, with a well-established position in the top four. Barys is three points above Amur at the bottom of the Eastern Conference’s standings.
In the second Moscow game of the night, CSKA welcomes Kunlun Red Star. The Dragons have recently signed forward Alexander Sharov off Traktor, and the newcomer is likely to have his debut tonight, with Kunlun Red Star seeking its first road win against the Muscovites since 2018 (4:3). Earlier in the season, CSKA defeated Kunlun Red Star in a tight, OT match (4:3 OT). The Moscow-based franchise has five straight wins, and is the fourth seed in the West. The Dragons are currently sitting in tenth place.
For the last game of an action-packed day, SKA and Lokomotiv will meet for the third time this season. The teams faced each other twice in October, trading away victories, both decided by just one goal. On Oct. 7 in Yaroslavl, SKA celebrated a 4:3 OT win, while on Oct. 30, the Railwaymen took revenge with a 3-2 road victory. In the previous games, Sergei Plotnikov and Maxim Shalunov stood out, each earning 3 points (2+1) across the two matchups. It will be interesting to see who will take the crown this time. Lokomotiv may have forwards Richard Panik and Ilya Nikolayev debuting with their new jersey today.
12:00: Amur (7-24-4, 12th E) vs Admiral (17-14-5, 6th E)
About the game
Amur ends a six-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Admiral enters the second game of a five-match road trip on a two-game winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 0-3 (0:5, 3:5, 4:6).
Amur’s forward Alex Galchenyuk is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Amur: Alexander Bryntsev.
Admiral: Mario Grman.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s head coach Leonids Tambijevs is at his 200th KHL game.
15:30: Sibir (13-16-3, 10th E) vs Avangard (15-16-2, 8th E)
About the game
Sibir starts a three-game home series fresh off a win over Kunlun Red Star on Dec. 8 (7:5).
Avangard starts a four-game road trip on a two-game winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (1:2, 4:1, 2:3).
Sibir’s forward Vladimir Butuzov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Sibir’s defenseman Trevor Murphy is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points.
Avangard’s forward Ivan Igumnov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Avangard’s forward Nail Yakupov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Avangard’s forward Emil Galimov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Sibir: Ilya Morozov.
Avangard: Mikhail Berdin, Sergei Boikov, Alex Grant, Ilya Reingardt, Vladimir Tkachyov.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Sergei Shirokov may reach 300 KHL assists (currently at 299).
19:00: Vityaz (14-17-4, 9th W) vs Torpedo (16-12-6, 8th W)
About the game
Vityaz, who defeated Torpedo earlier this season (2:1), enters the fifth game of an eight-match home series on a three-game losing streak.
Torpedo starts a two-game road trip fresh off a win over Lada on Dec. 8 (3:2).
Vityaz’s forward Derek Barach is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Vityaz: Jeremy Roy, Ivan Savchik, Dean Stewart, Vladislav Tsitsyura, Grigory Vashchenko.
Torpedo: Artyom Misnikov.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th league shutout.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (22-10-3, 3rd W) vs Barys (9-24-3, 11th E)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow, who defeated Barys earlier in the season (3:1), enters the second game of a four-match road trip after two consecutive wins.
Barys is in the middle of a five-game road trip and lost its previous eight matches.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Artyom Mikheyev is also on a four-game scoring streak, but with 5 (2+3) points.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Cedric Paquette.
Barys: Roman Starchenko.
19:30: CSKA (19-7-7, 5th W) vs Kunlun Red Star (13-19-4, 10th W)
About the game
CSKA, who defeated Kunlun Red Star earlier this season (4:3 OT), starts a four-game home series on a five-match winning streak.
Kunlun Red Star plays the lone road game of the series following a loss to Sibir on Dec. 8 (5:7).
Injury list
CSKA: Yegor Fateyev, Dmitry Samorukov.
Kunlun Red Star: Semyon Sinyatkin.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s defenseman Nikita Nesterov lines up for his 500th KHL match.
Kunlun Red Star’s goalie Jeremy Smith may reach 10 league shutouts.
19:30: SKA (20-10-4, 4th W) vs Lokomotiv (28-6-2, 1st W)
About the game
SKA is in the middle of a five-game home series and defeated Barys on Dec. 8 (1:0).
Lokomotiv plays the lone road game of the series and lost to CSKA also on Dec. 8 (1:2).
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (0:2, 4:3 OT, 2:3).
SKA’s goalie Pavel Moisevich is on a 66:04 shutout streak.
SKA’s forward Marat Khairullin is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 13 (6+7) points over that span.
Injury list
SKA: Zakhar Bardakov, Artyom Zemchyonok.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev may celebrate his 100th KHL win.
