Big Saturday across both Conferences! Possible decision day in the West
After yesterday’s exciting showdown between Dynamo Moscow and Lokomotiv, seven games are on tap today, four in the East and three in the West. Traktor welcomes Severstal, Barys hosts CSKA, Lada battles with Sibir possibly for a last chance to qualify for postseason, and Ak Bars clashes with Avangard. In the West, Torpedo faces Spartak with a chance to book a ticket for the elimination stage, HC Sochi hosts Vityaz, and SKA faces off with Metallurg.
An exciting KHL Saturday starts with a clash between Traktor and Severstal. The two teams have already clashed this season, with the Steelers claiming a 2:1 home victory. Both Traktor and Severstal won their previous matches. The hosts defeated Barys (8:0) and Ak Bars (3:2) as they wrap up a five-game homestand. Traktor has four wins in its last five matches. Severstal defeated Vityaz in its latest outing (3:0), halting a three-game skid. The hosts kept their lead in the Eastern Conference’s table, while Severstal is currently the sixth seed in the West.
Then, in Kazakhstan, Barys welcomes CSKA trying to defeat the Muscovites at home for the first time since 2017. The Kazakhs celebrated a nice home win over Sibir on Thursday (4:1), while CSKA suffered from an extra time defeat to SKA (2:3 OT) – it was CSKA’s first defeat after four straight victories. Barys is still on the bottom of the Eastern Conference’s standings, while the Blue-and-Reds are tied with Dinamo Minsk at 79 points and in fourth place in the West.
In Togliatti, the fans will be treated to an important game when the hosts face Sibir. Other than trying to return to victory following six straight defeats, Lada may be at its last chance to stay in the fight for a playoff place. If Lada fails to defeat Sibir in regulation time, the team will lose its mathematical chances of making the elimination stage. Sibir is also going through a rough stretch, having won just one of their last five games and suffering an unexpected 1:4 loss to Barys two days ago. The visitors have 61 points, holding a four-point lead over ninth-placed Neftekhimik and a 13-point advantage over Lada.
Then, another important game is scheduled in the East when Ak Bars welcomes Avangard for a Russian hockey classic matchup. Kazan has struggled against the Hawks this season, suffering three losses in three meetings while scoring only four goals. For Ak Bars, the upcoming clash with Omsk will be marked by their milestone 1,200th game in the KHL. The hosts come into the match on a two-game winning streak, having defeated Sibir (6:3) and Avtomobilist (3:1). With 80 points, they sit fifth in the Eastern Conference, but their lead over Avangard is just two points. Meanwhile, Avangard is surging toward the top of the conference, riding a ten-game winning streak. Guy Boucher’s team hasn’t lost in over a month—since February 4—and secured a 3:2 victory over Torpedo before heading to Tatarstan.
The action moves to the West with Torpedo facing Spartak. The opponents will face off for the sixth time in the current regular season, with Torpedo holding a slight edge in wins so far. The Red-and-Whites head to Nizhny Novgorod on a three-game losing streak. Alexei Zhamnov continues to discipline his players—key forwards Nikolai Goldobin and Ivan Morozov were left out of the lineup against the Dragons. Will they return against Torpedo? A victory for Nizhny Novgorod would secure their playoff spot while eliminating Kunlun Red Star from contention, thereby finalizing the Western Conference’s top eight.
In Sochi, the home side hosts Vityaz. Both teams have already lost their mathematical chances of making the playoffs, so they are under no pressure regarding results. However, their recent form has been disappointing—both are on five-game losing streaks. In the standings, the visitors hold a slight edge, sitting five points ahead of Sergei Zubov’s team, with the head coach returning to the squad after a brief absence due to family reasons.
The matchday ends with an exciting clash between SKA and Metallurg. In their first meeting this season, the Steelers came out on top with a 5:4 OT victory. Heading into this rematch with the reigning Gagarin Cup champions, SKA is coming off a road win against CSKA (3:2 OT). That victory helped the St. Petersburg team avoid extending their losing streak to four games. Meanwhile, Magnitogorsk is on a five-game winning streak. The evening in St. Petersburg will also be marked by milestones. It will be the 550th KHL game for Metallurg’s head coach Andrei Razin and the 250th for SKA’s bench boss Roman Rotenberg.
14:00: Traktor (40-16-6, 1st E) vs Severstal (37-23-1, 6th W)
About the game
Traktor ends a five-game home series on a two-game winning streak.
Severstal, who defeated Traktor earlier this season (2:1), starts a two-game road trip fresh off a victory over Vityaz on Thursday (3:0).
Traktor’s goalie Zach Fucale is on an 89:08 shutout streak.
Traktor’s forward Andrei Svetlakov had at least one assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling four helpers.
Severstal’s goalie Alexander Samoilov is on a 60:04 shutout streak.
Injury list
Severstal: Yaroslav Dyblenko, Artyom Shchuchinov.
15:00: Barys (13-42-7, 12th E) vs CSKA (35-17-9, 4th W)
About the game
Barys ends a two-game home series following a win over Sibir on Thursday (4:1).
CSKA, who defeated Barys earlier this season (3:1), starts a four-game home series and lost to SKA on Tuesday (2:3 OT).
CSKA’s forward Maxim Sorkin is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (2+6) points over that span.
Injury list
Barys: Nikita Boyarkin, Kirill Savitsky, Andrei Shutov.
CSKA: Vitaly Abramov, Colby Williams.
16:00: Lada (20-33-8, 10th E) vs Sibir (26-26-9, 8th E)
About the game
Lada starts a six-game home series on a six-match losing streak.
Sibir is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (4:3 OT, 1:4, 1:4).
Injury list
Lada: Vladislav Chervonenko, Nikolai Demidov, Evgeny Groshev, Artyom Ivanyuzhenkov, Pavel Koltygin.
Sibir: Fyodor Gordeyev.
Milestone alert
Lada’s goalie Alexander Trushkov lines up for his 100th KHL game.
Sibir’s forward Maxim Karpov reaches the 800-game mark in the league. The veteran, who won the Gagarin Cup last season, is the 23rd player to hit the milestone.
17:00: Ak Bars (39-21-2, 5th E) vs Avangard (36-21-4, 6th E)
About the game
Ak Bars enters the second game of a five-match home series following two straight victories.
Avangard ends a four-game home series on a ten-match winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 0-3 (1:4, 1:3, 2:6).
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Barabanov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that span.
Avangard’s forward Reid Boucher is on a six-game scoring streak, with 9 (6+3) points.
Avangard’s forward Konstantin Okulov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Yegor Babenko.
Avangard: Sergei Boikov, Emil Galimov, Vladimir Tkachyov.
Milestone alert
Today’s game is Ak Bars’ 1,200th match in the KHL.
17:00: Torpedo (30-23-8, 8th W) vs Spartak (34-18-9, 5th W)
About the game
Torpedo ends a two-game home series following a loss to Avangard on Thursday (2:3).
Spartak starts a three-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
The season series between the two teams is 3-2 (2:4, 6:0, 3:2 SO, 3:2 SO, 4:7).
Injury list
Torpedo: Mikhail Abramov, Igor Larionov.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s goalies Dmitry Nikolayev and Artyom Zagidulin may record their respective tenth shutout in the KHL.
17:00: HC Sochi (19-35-7, 11th W) vs Vityaz (21-32-8, 10th W)
About the game
HC Sochi ends a five-game home series on a five-match losing streak.
Vityaz ends a two-game road trip and also lost its previous five matches.
The season series between the two teams is 1-4 (4:5, 2:4, 2:3 ОТ, 3:1, 1:2 ОТ).
Injury list
HC Sochi: Sergei Ivanov.
Vityaz: Ivan Chekhovich, Frederik Gauthier.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s forward Artur Tyanulin may line up for his 200th KHL game.
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th shutout in the league.
17:00: SKA (34-23-5, 7th W) vs Metallurg (39-19-4, 4th E)
About the game
SKA starts a three-game home series fresh off a win over CSKA on Tuesday (3:2 OT).
Metallurg, who defeated SKA earlier this season (5:4 OT), ends a two-game road trip on a five-match winning streak.
Metallurg’s goalie Alexander Smolin is on a 61:48 shutout streak.
Injury list
SKA: Arseny Gritsyuk, Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Metallurg: Vladislav Yeryomenko, Danila Yurov.
Milestone alert
SKA’s forward Sergei Tolchinsky may line up for his 400th league appearance.
It will be the 250th KHL game for SKA’s head coach Roman Rotenberg and the 550th for Metallurg's bench boss Andrei Razin.
