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Kunlun Red Star seeking its eighth consecutive win in Omsk
The KHL week goes on with four games on an exciting Tuesday matchday. Amur faces Ak Bars as the Kazan side starts a Far East tour, Avangard welcomes Kunlun Red Star with Mikhail Kravets returning to his former team, Lada clashes with Dinamo Minsk and Dynamo Moscow hosts Severstal with the Blue-and-Whites recording eleven straight wins over the Steelers.
The matchday starts in the Far East, with Amur facing Ak Bars. The Tigers will seek a return to victory as they are back on home soil, following three straight defeats. The Kazan side embarked on a four-game road trip to the Far East, where they will play two matches each against Amur and Admiral starting from today. The visitors are coming off two consecutive wins, scoring five goals against Salavat Yulaev (5:1) and Barys (5:4 OT). With 56 points, they are among the leaders in the East, while Amur sits at the bottom, trailing its closest rivals by two points. The Khabarovsk team suffered a third straight defeat in its previous outing against HC Sochi (2:5). Kazan will be without forward Ilya Safonov for the foreseeable future.
The most high-stakes game for today will take place in Omsk, where Kunlun Red Star, led by Mikhail Kravets, Avangard’s former head coach, will arrive. His new team is currently on fire, stringing together win after win—a seven-game unbeaten streak has temporarily reduced their gap from the Western Conference playoff zone to just two points. Avangard, under the guidance of Guy Boucher, has also improved significantly, winning their last four games in a row. In their most recent match, the Hawks defeated Salavat Yulaev 3:2 on home ice. With 47 points, the hosts currently occupy sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
The stakes will be high in Togliatti too. Despite the departure of key players and a recent loss to Kunlun Red Star (2:3 SO), Lada still has a decent chance of making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Today’s opponent will be Dinamo Minsk, who also went to a shootout in their previous game. Their loss to Avtomobilist (3:4 SO) didn’t negatively impact the Bisons’ postseason prospects, as they temporarily reduced the gap to second place in the Western Conference to just one point.
The action then moves to the West for a last game, where Dynamo Moscow will host Severstal. The opponents began 2025 with a head-to-head match. On Jan. 3, Dynamo routed Severstal in Cherepovets (7:2) and has not lost since, extending its winning streak to four games in the previous match against SKA (5:4). The visitors, meanwhile, won two of their next three games, with Andrei Kozyrev’s team edging out Vityaz on the road in their latest outing (2:1). In the Western Conference standings, only two points separate the rivals. Given the extremely tight competition, both teams have a realistic shot at claiming the second spot in the conference. However, the Blue-and-Whites won their last eleven games against Severstal.
12:00: Amur (9-30-5, 11th E) vs Ak Bars (27-13-2, 4th E)
About the game
Amur starts a three-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Ak Bars starts a four-game road trip following two straight wins.
The teams traded wins in the season so far (2:3 SO, 2:1).
Ak Bars’ forward Artyom Galimov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Amur: Ignat Korotkikh.
Ak Bars: Yegor Babenko, Mitchel Miller.
Milestone alert
Amur’s defenseman Viktor Baldayev lines up for his 300th KHL game.
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Barabanov may score his 200th point in the league.
16:30: Avangard (22-18-3, 6th E) vs Kunlun Red Star (20-20-4, 9th W)
About the game
Avangard is in the middle of a three-game home series and won its previous four outings.
Kunlun Red Star enters the second game of a five-match road trip on a seven-game winning streak.
Avangard’s forward Nail Yakupov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (5+3) points over that span.
Avangard’s forward Reid Boucher is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points.
Kunlun Red Star’s goalie Jeremy Smith is on a 72:18 shutout streak.
Kunlun Red Star’s forward Spencer Foo is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (4+3) points.
Injury list
Avangard: Sergei Boikov, Emil Galimov, Alex Grant, Vladimir Tkachyov.
Kunlun Red Star: Jack Chelios, Semyon Sinyatkin.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s forward Nikolai Prokhorkin may reach 350 KHL points (currently at 348), while forward Ryan Spooner may reach 250 (currently at 248).
18:00: Lada (17-19-6, 9th E) vs Dinamo Minsk (25-14-6, 5th W)
About the game
Lada is in the middle of a five-game home series and lost to Kunlun Red Star on Sunday (2:3 SO).
Dinamo Minsk enters the second game of a four-match road trip following a loss to Avtomobilist also on Sunday (3:4 SO).
Lada’s goalie Alexander Trushkov is on a 69:55 shutout streak.
Injury list
Lada: Vladislav Chervonenko, Nikolai Demidov, Nikita Popugayev.
Milestone alert
Lada’s forward Danil Yurtaikin lines up for his 200th league appearance.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (27-14-3, 3rd) vs Severstal (27-16-1, 6th W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow is in the middle of a three-game home series and won its previous four matches.
Severstal is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Vityaz on Sunday (2:1).
The season series between the two teams is 2-0 (3:1, 7:2).
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Jordan Weal had at least an assist in each of his previous four matches, totaling five helpers.
Dynamo Moscow’s Cedric Paquette is also on a four-game scoring streak, with 8 (3+5) points over that span.
Dynamo Moscow’s Dmitry Rashevsky is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Dylan Sikura is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.
Severstal’s forward Timur Mukhanov and defenseman Timofei Davydov had an assist in each of their previous three matches.
Injury list
Severstal: Yaroslav Dyblenko.
Milestone alert
Severstal’s goalie Konstantin Shostak may line up for his 100th league appearance.
