Traktor secures first place, Leivo closes on Mozyakin. March 18 round-up
Tuesday’s big news came from the Eastern Conference. Josh Leivo scored twice in Salavat Yulaev’s 4-1 win at Avtomobilist and is now just one goal shy of Sergei Mozyakin’s record for a regular season. Traktor beat SKA 4-2 to clinch top spot in the Eastern Conference. In the West, we saw entertaining games in Moscow: Dynamo’s overtime win over Avangard secured second place in the conference; closest challenger Spartak lost at home to Neftekhimik. And Severstal edged a thriller at Kunlun, despite blowing a 3-0 lead. Elsewhere, there were road wins for Sochi and Amur, both by 3-2 scorelines at Dinamo Minsk and Lada respectively.
Top spot in the East goes to Traktor
Traktor Chelyabinsk 4 SKA St. Petersburg 2 (0-1, 2-1, 2-0)
Victory over SKA secured first place in the Eastern Conference for Traktor. The visitor led in the first period but could not record a fifth successive victory as Benoit Groulx’s team ensured a successful regular season campaign.
Before that, though, a Traktor old-boy threatened to spoil the party. Ilya Karpukhin, who swapped Chelyabinsk for St. Petersburg in December, marked his return with an assist on the opening goal. In the 14th minute he had a shooting chance, waited until Pavel Dedunov got into position in the slot, and fired the puck to him. Dedunov needed to do little more than stand and let the shot deflect off his stick and into the net.
And Karpukhin was clearly fired up for this return to his hometown, hitting hard at every opportunity. It got to the point that home forward Maxim Shabanov went to try to calm his former team-mate. The two did not quite come to blows, but the guys had a full and frank exchange of views.
Away from that micro-battle, Traktor managed to tie the game early in the second period. Grigory Dronov got a short-handed goal in the 22nd minute when he dumped SKA defenseman Alexander Nikishin on the ice, rolled past him and beat Yegor Zavragin in the visitor’s net. That turned the tide following a first period in which SKA dominated the play, outshooting the home team 12-3. In the second period, Traktor offered Zavragin more to do and went in front in the 33rd minute when Vladimir Tkachyov finished off Vitaly Kravtsov’s counterattack.
But that lead was short lived. SKA liked the idea of getting its defensemen to join the attack and the tactic paid off again when Dmitry Yudin got forward and found the corner of Zach Fucale’s net. Like Karpukhin, Yudin joined SKA late last year; this was his first goal since his return to St. Petersburg and his third for the club. His previous tally was 10 years, one month and 13 days earlier.
The third period began like the second, with a Traktor goal. This time, former SKA man Alexander Kadeikin used his strength to shield the puck before playing it off the boards. Ostap Safin ghosted onto the slot to finish it off and restore the home lead.
And that turned out to be the winning goal. SKA could not find a way back, and Charles Robinson wrapped it up with an empty-netter to make the final 4-2 and clinch first place for his team.
Leivo closes on Mozyakin’s record
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 1 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 4 (0-1, 0-1, 1-2)
Josh Leivo scored twice to return Salavat Yulaev to second place in the Eastern Conference – and move within a goal of Sergei Mozyakin’s record 48-goal haul.
The game was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of Fyodor Malykhin, an Avtomobilist youth player who went on to win the Gagarin Cup in 2018 with Ak Bars. Tragically, earlier today we learned that he had died at the age of just 34.
That somber start might explain why the opening exchanges were cautious. Both teams were content to stay in center ice and the press was seldom deployed. The breakthrough came in the 14th minute, when Leivo collected a stretch pass and got away to open the scoring. Avto’s best chance to respond came on the power play, but Brooks Macek was denied a trademark goal by visiting goalie Semyon Vyazovoi.
In the second period, Salavat changed tactics. In place of rigid defense, the visitor looked to shoot whenever possible. Sheldon Rempal hit the bar, and Evgeny Alikin’s net was under constant pressure. Avto had another power play chance, but again failed to take advantage.
Unlike the home team, the visiting power play managed to produce a goal, albeit in curious fashion. Nathan Todd gave a pass to Scott Wilson as he took up position by the post. Instead of a shot, Wilson claimed the goal via a looping deflection that dropped behind Alikin’s back and into the net. Avtomobilist might have had a more conventional goal in reply, but Semyon Kizimov took too long over his shot on an odd-man rush.
Ufa added a third goal at the start of the final frame when Alexander Chmelevski’s point shot led to Yaroslav Tsulygin joining the attack to make it 3-0. Avtomobilist then killed another penalty before getting on the scoreboard at last: Kizimov continued his productive form with a shot through traffic to the top corner.
But the final word went to Leivo, who added an empty net goal and moved to 47 goals for the season. He now has two more games to find the net at least twice more and set a new KHL record for goals in a regular season campaign.
Slepets’ double downs Lada
Lada Togliatti 2 Amur Khabarovsk 3 (0-0, 2-1, 0-2)
There was little riding on this game between two teams already eliminated from the playoffs. But Amur picked up a 3-2 win in the first of two meetings in Togliatti this week.
After a goalless first period, Amur got in front in the 23rd minute. Artur Gizdatullin used his strength behind the net before setting up Kirill Slepets for a close-range finish. Soon after, Alex Galchenyuk saw a second goal ruled out for a high stick.
Oleg Li then went close to doubling the lead with a one-on-one breakaway but instead Lada turned the game around. Dmitry Kugryshev tied it up with a wrister from the left-hand circle that flashed inside the near post. Then, a couple of minutes later, Alexei Ozhgikhin was first to the rebound from Ivan Romanov’s shot to make it 2-1.
Both teams spurned power play chances at the start of the third, but Slepets got his second of the game to draw Amur level on 49 minutes. And the Tigers didn’t stop there: Vyacheslav Gretsky potted the winner with a shot from the right-hand circle in the 56th minute.
Sochi wins it with six seconds left
Dinamo Minsk 2 HC Sochi 3 (0-1, 0-1, 2-1)
Will Bitten’s last-minute goal saw Sochi end a nine-game skid with victory in Minsk. Dinamo fell to a fourth successive loss despite clawing back a two-goal deficit.
Despite being rooted to the foot of the Western Conference, the visitor made a bright start. An enterprising first period was rewarded by the opening goal when Dmitry Utkin scored in the 15th minute.
After the intermission, Dinamo offered more going forward. However, the second period saw Sochi extend its lead thanks to Jesse Graham on the power play.
Dinamo knew that victory today might lift it into the top four in the West and in the third period the home team came out looking to save the game. Sam Anas pulled a goal back early in the final stanza, then Vadim Shipachyov tied it up with five minutes to play. At that point, Minsk looked more likely to ride that momentum and go on to win it.
However, Bitten took a bite out of that idea. The 26-year-old Canadian has cooled somewhat after beginning his Sochi career with eight goals in nine games. But with six seconds left on the clock here, he forced a turnover in his own zone and went haring down the ice. Choosing not to use either of his two team-mates, Bitten fired in a shot that Vasily Demchenko got a piece of, but not enough to preventing it looping into the net to win the game.
The teams meet again in Sochi on Sunday in their final game of the regular season.
Comtois wins it for Dynamo
Dynamo Moscow 4 Avangard Omsk 3 OT (0-0, 2-1, 1-2, 1-0)
The Blue-and-Whites secured second place in the West thanks to Max Comtois’ overtime winner against Avangard. The Canadian grabbed a power play goal to confirm his team’s 700th victory in KHL action.
From the outset, these teams produced an absorbing spectacle. Initially, it was a hard-fought battle: Avangard’s form in 2025 has it hopeful of a top-four finish in the East, while Dynamo is looking for momentum to take into a potentially tricky playoff match-up in the West. The first period was combative, but short on scoring chances. However, the teams made up for that in the rest of the game.
The action stepped up a notch midway through the second period. First, Dmitry Rashevsky opened the scoring when Dynamo caught Avangard on the change. He converted a two-on-one rush orchestrated by Nikita Gusev. However, Omsk responded right away with Semyon Chistyakov tying the scores in the 32nd minute.
Then Avangard got a power play, and seemed to be closing on a second goal when Ryan Spooner rather needlessly barrelled into goalie Maxim Motorygin after he made a save. Once the teams were back to five-on-five, Gusev restored Dynamo’s lead.
At the start of the third, the home team made it 3-1 with a power play goal from Pavel Kudryavtsev. In a game that had always been tight, a two-goal lead looked like a winning margin. However, Avangard battled back. In the 55th minute, Ivan Igumnov scored on his former club to give the Hawks a chance. Almost immediately, Kudryavstev sat for a trip on Mike McLeod and the power play saw the visitor tie the game. Konstantin Okulov was the man on the spot, picking up the pieces after the puck bounced out of a battle on the slot and scoring with ease past Motorygin.
The third period shots were 13-4 in Avangard’s favor, highlighting how Guy Boucher’s team battled back to salvage that two-goal deficit. However, the momentum was lost in overtime when Chistyakov was called for tripping. The power play lasted just 11 seconds before Comtois banged home Gusev’s inch-perfect pass to the back door.
Spartak stumbles at home
Spartak Moscow 2 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 4 (0-0, 2-4, 0-0)
Despite losing out in the Eastern playoff race, Neftekhimik showed plenty of spirit to grab a win at Spartak. The defeat ends the home team’s three-game hot streak, and removes any hopes of finishing second in the West, with Dynamo now assured of that position.
Yet Spartak might feel it could have taken control of this game in the first period. The Red-and-Whites outshot Neftekhimik 11-5 without scoring. The home team put that right 18 seconds into the middle frame when Andrei Loktionov fired home from the top of the circle.
That lead lasted less than a minute. Riley Barber tied it up and, after Spartak killed a penalty, Neftekhimik got ahead in the 25th minute through Grigory Seleznyov. The Muscovites tried to respond and enjoyed a dangerous power play: Nikolai Goldobin fired against the bar, then Ivan Morozov got his shot beyond Yaroslav Ozolin only to see Timur Khairullin recover to bail out his goalie.
Back at equal strength, the Wolves scored again. This time, Khairullin showed his attacking props, producing a wonderful pass to set up Bulat Shafigullin in front of Dmitry Nikolayev’s net. But the goals kept coming, and Goldobin made it 2-3 a couple of minutes later.
It seemed that would be the score at the second intermission, but 10 seconds before the break Neftekhimik added a fourth. Nikita Khoruzhev found the net and gave the visitor an advantage that it would not relinquish.
In the third period, Spartak sent young goalie Yaroslav Kuzmenko into the game. He got through the frame without allowing any further goals. However, the home team’s hopes of a fightback were undermined by a couple of penalties early in the frame. Neftekhimik didn’t score, but ate up valuable time. In the end, despite Spartak dictating the closing stages, there was no further scoring.
Severstal survives scare at KRS
Kunlun Red Star 4 Severstal Cherepovets 5 SO (0-2, 1-1, 3-1, 0-0, 0-1)
The Dragons produced a big fightback in the third period, turning a 0-3 deficit into a 4-3 lead. But Severstal left with the win after a shoot-out success in Mytishchi.
In the early part of this game, it seemed that the visitor would secure the verdict with ease. Danil Aimurzin’s power play goal opened the scoring in the seventh minute, then Mikhail Kotlyarevsky doubled the lead in the first period.
Severstal was good value for that 2-0 scoreline, outshooting Kunlun 19-5 in the first frame. The visitor continued to impress after the intermission and added a third goal from Ivan Podshivalov after 30 minutes. But then came the Red Star revival.
It started with Kyle Rau pulling a goal back in the second period. But the real damage was done in a three-minute blitz early in the third. Doyle Somerby, Colin Campbell and Jayden Halbgewachs turned the game upside down in dramatic fashion, putting KRS ahead after a three-minute flurry of goals.
Yet Severstal didn’t panic. Andrei Kozyrev didn’t call a time-out, nor replace goalie Alexander Samoilov. And that faith was rewarded. Severstal kept playing its game and tied the scores at 4-4 thanks to Andrei Churkin in the 54th minute.
Overtime came and went almost without incident and in the shoot-out Samoilov denied the Dragons a single goal. At the other end, Aimurzin and Ilya Ivantsov were on target to give Severstal the win.
