A dense KHL matchday with crucial clashes across both conferences
Today’s KHL schedule is packed with six exciting games across both conferences. The action begins in the East with a Ural derby as Traktor faces Avtomobilist, while Metallurg hosts Amur, looking to extend its winning streak. Barys takes on Lada in a crucial battle for playoff positioning. Over in the West, Lokomotiv meets CSKA in a highly anticipated showdown, while HC Sochi seeks its first win over Dynamo Moscow since 2017. The day wraps up with SKA hosting Vityaz as both teams chase vital points in the playoff race.
The KHL matchday starts with an exciting Ural derby between Traktor and Avtomobilist – it will be the sixth such encounter this season, with the Motormen emerging victorious three times, including the last one (3:1 on Dec. 26). Both teams lost their last match, with Traktor losing the first place in the East to Salavat Yulaev and Avtomobilist currently being the fifth seed in the Conference. Since the last meeting, both sides have undergone some changes. Avtomobilist added Alexander Sharov from Salavat Yulaev, while Traktor initiated a roster overhaul, involving nearly fifteen players in trades. Benoit Groulx and his revamped team have no time to ease into the changes — they need results immediately, not only because of the significance of today’s match but also because Traktor has already lost its lead in the standings.
Again in the Urals, Metallurg faces Amur. Magnitka is currently riding a five-game winning streak, while Amur just returned to win, defeating Traktor in extra time on Thursday (3:2 OT) after three straight defeats. Metallurg defeated Amur earlier this season, and just returned home to start a new homestand. The Tigers are continuing their road trip and will be looking for points to try and recover from the bottom of the standings.
Tied in points with Amur is Barys. The Kazakhs will try to return to victory after a disappointing streak of six consecutive losses as they return to Astana for two games. Today’s opponent is Lada. The Togliatti side is continuing its playoff push, but after losing some leaders at the trade deadline lost some ground and is currently the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference. The gap with the playoff line is minimal, but it’s imperative that Lada doesn’t lose further ground to stay in the battle.
The action then moves to the Western Conference with three games scheduled there as well. The first game sees Lokomotiv hosting CSKA. The Western Conference classic promises to be especially intriguing this time. While Lokomotiv lost its final game of the year to Dinamo Minsk (1:4), it still holds a commanding lead atop the standings. Meanwhile, CSKA closed 2024 with an impressive eleven-game winning streak, climbing into the top three of the conference, before falling to SKA two days ago. Notably, CSKA managed to defeat the Railwaymen during this streak, securing a 2:1 victory on Dec. 8. However, that was before the December break, and since then, CSKA seem to have only gotten stronger.
In the meantime, in Sochi, the hosts will seek their first win over Dynamo Moscow since 2017. HC Sochi’s season has been a disappointment, with the team sitting in last place in the Western Conference’s standings with a ten-point gap from tenth-seeded Vityaz. The Muscovites also fell down to fifth place after having not their best period, but with the new year, they returned to victory defeating Severstal on Friday (7:2) after a three-game losing streak.
The stakes will be high in St. Petersburg as well, where SKA will face Vityaz. The St. Petersburg team may celebrate its 800th KHL win today – but they will have to overcome a determined Vityaz side – the Moscow Region franchise needs points for their playoff push, with Kunlun Red Star overcoming them in ninth place in the Western standings. However, Vityaz lost their last three matches, while SKA had two straight wins, including a key one over CSKA on Friday (6:3) with a top performance from Ivan Demidov. SKA is currently the fourth seed in the West.
14:00: Traktor (25-12-5, 2nd E) vs Avtomobilist (21-12-6, 5th E)
About the game
Traktor is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost to Amur on Friday (2:3 OT).
Avtomobilist starts a two-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
The season series between the two teams is 2-3 (2:3, 4:5, 5:3, 3:1, 1:3).
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Nick Ebert, Daniil Karpovich, Curtis Valk.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Maxim Shabanov lines up for his 200th career game.
Avtomobilist’s defenseman Jesse Blacker may record his 100th league assist (currently at 99).
14:30: Metallurg (24-15-2, 4th E) vs Amur (9-27-5, 12th E)
About the game
Metallurg, who defeated Amur earlier this season (2:1 OT), starts a four-game home series on a five-match winning streak.
Amur enters the second game of a four-match road trip following a win over Traktor on Friday (3:2 OT).
Metallurg’s forward Dmitry Silentyev had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Amur’s forward Alex Galchenyuk is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that span.
Amur’s defenseman Alexander Shchemerov is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Metallurg: Vladislav Yeryomenko.
Amur: Ivan Mishchenko.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s forward Alexander Petunin lines up for his 400th career appearance.
15:00: Barys (10-30-3, 11th E) vs Lada (15-18-5, 10th E)
About the game
Barys starts a two-game home series on a six-match losing streak.
Lada enters the fourth game of a five-match road trip following a loss to Ak Bars on Friday (1:3).
Lada’s forward Dmitry Kugryshev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Barys: Maxim Mukhametov, Roman Starchenko.
Lada: Vladislav Chervonenko, Nikolai Demidov, Nikita Popugayev.
17:00: Lokomotiv (32-8-2, 1st W) vs CSKA (25-8-7, 2nd W)
About the game
Lokomotiv starts a four-game home series following a loss to Dinamo Minsk on Dec. 29 (1:4).
CSKA enters the fourth game of a six-match road trip after a defeat to SKA on Friday (3:6).
The season series between the two teams is 0-2 (0:2, 1:2).
Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Shalunov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (2+5) points over that span.
CSKA’s forward Maxim Sorkin is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 11 (6+5) points.
Injury list
CSKA: Yegor Fateyev, Dmitry Samorukov.
17:00: HC Sochi (12-24-3, 11th W) vs Dynamo Moscow (24-14-3, 5th W)
About the game
HC Sochi is in the middle of a five-game home series and lost its previous couple of matches.
Dynamo Moscow enters the fourth game of a five-match road trip following a win over Severstal on Friday (7:2).
HC Sochi’s forward Will Bitten scored a goal in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Amir Garayev.
17:00: SKA (24-12-4, 4th W) vs Vityaz (16-19-5, 10th W)
About the game
SKA, who defeated Vityaz earlier this season (8:1), is in the middle of a three-game home series and won its previous couple of matches.
Vityaz is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost three straight matches.
SKA’s defenseman Anthony De Angelo is on a five-game scoring streak, with 8 (2+6) points over that span.
SKA’s forward Arseny Gritsyuk is also on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (5+2) points.
SKA’s forward Ivan Demidov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 9 (6+3) points.
SKA’s defenseman Alexander Nikishin is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points.
SKA’s forward Sergei Plotnikov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 8 (2+6) points.
Vityaz’s forward Dmitry Buchelnikov netted a goal in each of his previous four matches.
Vityaz’s forward Ivan Chekhovich had an assist in each of his previous four games.
Injury list
SKA: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Mikhail Vorobyov, Artyom Zemchyonok.
Vityaz: Sergei Kalinin, Grigory Vashchenko.
Milestone alert
SKA may celebrate its 800th win in the KHL.
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th league shutout.
