Another decision day as the regular season approaches its end!
In the final regular-season game for these teams, six matchups will shape the playoff picture. Kunlun Red Star hosts Avangard, where Nail Yakupov could play his 70th game of the season. Sibir faces Ak Bars in a key battle for Eastern Conference positioning, while Traktor takes on Amur in Yakov Rylov’s farewell game. Avtomobilist and Metallurg meet in a decisive Ural Derby, Barys hosts Salavat Yulaev as Joshua Leivo chases history, and Torpedo faces SKA in the West’s closing matchup of the day.
The matchday starts with Kunlun Red Star hosting Avangard. The Hawks’ forward Nail Yakupov has set a regular-season record for the most games played, and if he takes the ice in the Moscow region, it will mark his 70th game of the season. This statistical anomaly is due to the fact that the forward has played for two different clubs this season, starting with Kunlun Red Star. While the Dragons failed to qualify for the playoffs, they repeatedly showed they could compete on equal footing with the league’s top contenders. In their previous game, Mikhail Kravets’ squad put up a strong fight against Severstal, ultimately falling in a shootout (4:5 SO).
Avangard, meanwhile, played past regulation in both of their last two games—losing to Dynamo Moscow (3:4 OT) and edging out Vityaz (3:2 OT). By the end of the matchday, the Omsk team may find out their final seeding in the Eastern Conference. They will secure fifth place if they earn more points than Ak Bars in their parallel matchup against Sibir.
Another key game for Eastern Conference positioning is Sibir facing Ak Bars. The hosts currently sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, trailing Admiral by just one point. This means that if they lose to Ak Bars in regulation, they will no longer be able to move up in the standings and will face Traktor in the first round of the playoffs. Ak Bars, on the other hand, has a chance to secure a top-four finish, which would grant them home-ice advantage in the postseason. To achieve this, they must defeat Sibir in regulation or overtime, while Avtomobilist would need to lose to Metallurg in regulation in their parallel matchup. Two days ago, the Kazan team dominated Barys in Astana with an 8:0 victory, while Sibir fell at home to Salavat Yulaev (1:3).
Then, in Chelyabinsk, Traktor welcomes Amur. The 40-year-old Amur defenseman Yakov Rylov will play the final game of his playing career. The veteran blueliner boasts an impressive resume, including a Russian championship title (2005), a silver medal at the World Junior Championship (2005), and a Champions Cup victory (2006). In the KHL, he has appeared in 834 games, recording 267 points (70 goals, 197 assists). Both teams are riding winning streaks – two games for the hosts and three wins in a row for the Tigers. Traktor is currently up 2-1 in the season series.
Another game that will certainly feature plenty of emotions is the fourth Ural Derby of the season between Avtomobilist and Metallurg. The two Eastern sides will wrap up the regular season with a head-to-head regional derby. The Yekaterinburg side will be looking for their first win of the season against the reigning Gagarin Cup champions, having lost the previous matchups. The Foxes, meanwhile, have a chance to secure second place in the Eastern Conference by defeating Avtomobilist, provided Salavat Yulaev also loses to Barys in regulation. The home team could also determine their final standing today—if they avoid a regulation loss, Nikolai Zavarukhin’s squad will lock in fourth place. Two days ago, Avtomobilist edged out SKA in a shootout (3:2), while Metallurg extended their winning streak to four games by overcoming Admiral (5:4 SO). If he takes the ice, Avtomobilist’s captain Anatoly Golyshev will play his 600th KHL game.
In Astana, all eyes will be on Salavat Yulaev’s Joshua Leivo. The forward is confidently leading both the scoring and goal-scoring races, tallying 48 goals and 30 assists in 61 games. He has matched Sergei Mozyakin’s record for most goals in a single regular season and now has a chance to set a new KHL milestone. In their last outing, Ufa secured a 3-1 road win over Sibir, while Barys suffered a crushing 0:8 defeat to Ak Bars. By the end of today’s game, Viktor Kozlov’s team could clinch second place in the Eastern Conference—all they need is to avoid a regulation loss to the Astana side.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for a final game, with Torpedo and SKA taking the ice. While Torpedo already knows its first-round playoff opponent—Lokomotiv—SKA, in the event of a loss to the hosts, would face Dynamo Moscow. The St. Petersburg side will likely be without defenseman Alexander Nikishin, who suffered an injury in the previous game against Avtomobilist (2:3 SO) and has been placed on IL. That loss was SKA’s second in a row, following a 2:4 defeat in Chelyabinsk. However, forward Evgeny Kuznetsov is expected to return to the lineup after being removed from the injured list. Torpedo, meanwhile, is on a four-game losing streak, with each defeat coming by a single goal, including a 2:3 loss to Severstal just two days ago.
13:00: Kunlun Red Star (28-33-6, 9th W) vs Avangard (40-22-5, 6th E)
About the game
Kunlun Red Star ends a two-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Avangard, who defeated Kunlun Red Star earlier this season (3:2), wraps up a three-game road trip following a win over Vityaz on Thursday (3:2 OT).
Avangard’s forward Konstantin Okulov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that span.
Avangard’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Kunlun Red Star: Parker Foo.
Avangard: Sergei Boikov.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s forward Nail Yakupov may line up for his 70th game in the 2024-2025 regular season.
Avangard’s forward Reid Boucher may score his 300th KHL point (currently at 298).
13:30: Sibir (29-28-10, 8th E) vs Ak Bars (41-23-3, 5th E)
About the game
Sibir ends a five-game home series following a loss to Salavat Yulaev on Thursday (1:3).
Ak Bars wraps up a two-game road trip and defeated Barys also on Thursday (8:0).
The season series between the two teams is 2-1 (6:3, 1:0, 3:6).
Sibir’s forward Sergei Shirokov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that span.
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov is on a 60:00 shutout streak.
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Injury list
Sibir: Vladimir Butuzov, Fyodor Gordeyev, Kirill Rasskazov.
Ak Bars: Yegor Babenko.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Pavel Gogolev lines up for his 100th league appearance.
14:00: Traktor (44-17-6, 1st E) vs Amur (18-41-8, 11th E)
About the game
Traktor ends a two-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Amur ends a three-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.
The season series between the teams is 2-1 (4:3, 2:3 ОТ, 5:2).
Traktor’s forward Andrei Svetlakov is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 10 (2+8) points over that span.
Traktor’s forward Vitaly Kravtsov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 9 (4+5) points.
Injury list
Amur: Alex Broadhurst, Devin Brosseau, Matt Jurusik.
Milestone alert
Amur’s veteran defeseman Yakov Rylov lines up for his last career game.
14:30: Avtomobilist (40-20-7, 4th E) vs Metallurg (43-20-4, 3rd E)
About the game
Avtomobilist wraps up a six-game home series following a win over SKA on Thursday (3:2 SO).
Metallurg plays the lone road game of the series and has won its last four matches.
The season series between the two teams is 0-3 (2:4, 1:2 SO, 1:3).
Metallurg’s defenseman Robin Press is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Curtis Valk.
Metallurg: Vladislav Yeryomenko, Danila Yurov.
Milestone alert
Avtomobilist’s forward Anatoly Golyshev lines up for his 600th KHL game, while forward Semyon Kizimov may reach 100.
Metallurg’s forward Nikita Mikhailis may reach 300 points in the league (currently at 299).
15:00: Barys (14-46-7, 12th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (44-20-3, 2nd E)
About the game
Barys ends a two-game home series on a three-match losing streak.
Salavat Yulaev wraps up a three-game road trip and won its last three matches.
The season series between the two teams is 0-3 (2:3, 1:4, 0:6).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Joshua Leivo is on a nine-game scoring streak, with 13 (7+6) points over that span.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Alexander Chmelevsky had at least one assist in each of his previous three matches, totaling four helpers.
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Kirill Tsulygin scored a goal in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Barys: Nikita Boyarkin, Andrei Shutov.
Salavat Yulaev: Danil Alalykin, Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Joshua Leivo may establish a new single-season record for goals scored, being now tied at 48 goals with Sergei Mozyakin.
17:00: Torpedo (31-28-8, 8th W) vs SKA (37-24-6, 7th W)
About the game
Torpedo ends a two game home series on a four-match losing streak.
SKA ends a three-game road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.
The season series between the two teams is 0-3 (3:4, 1:4, 4:6).
SKA’s forward Arseny Gritsyuk is on an eight-game scoring streak, with 11 (4+7) points over that span.
Injury list
Torpedo: Vasily Atanasov, Sergei Goncharuk, Kirill Voronin.
SKA: Evgeny Kuznetsov.
