KHL season to start for another seven teams!
The KHL matchday features four exciting clashes showcasing Eastern and Western Conference rivalries. It kicks off in Novosibirsk with Sibir hosting Amur, both teams sporting notable offseason changes. Then Barys opens their season at home against Traktor, fresh off a narrow Opening Cup loss. Neftekhimik faces off with Severstal, pitting an unbeaten preseason team against one adapting under a new coach. Closing the day, Spartak takes on HC Sochi in a West Conference battle, with Spartak aiming to assert dominance despite losing a key player. Four matchups promise a thrilling matchday at the start of the KHL season.
The KHL matchday starts in Novosibirsk, with Sibir having its home opener in a conference matchup against Amur. Both sides underwent significant changes this offseason, especially the Tigers. Amur will enter the new campaign with a new head coach – Alexander Galchenyuk senior – and an interestingly revamped roster, led by the acquisitions of goalie Maxim Dorozhko, defenseman Yaroslav Dyblenko, and forward Evgeny Svechnikov. Sibir lost import leaders Trevor Murphy and Taylor Beck, but signed goalie Louis Domingue, defenseman Chase Priskie, and forwards Scott Wilson and Vladimir Tkachyov, among the others. Moreover, they also signed Nikita Soshnikov. It will be an exciting Eastern matchup to start an action-packed matchday.
In the second game of the day, Barys welcomes Traktor. The Chelyabinsk side has lost its first game in the new season losing the Opening Cup game to Lokomotiv (1:2 SO), while Barys will open its 2025-2026 campaign with a home game today. The Kazakhs had a decent preseason, with three wins in five games, including two consecutive over Sibir. However, defeating Traktor and its powerful roster will be a much tougher task for a squad that finished last season’s campaign in last place.
In the third Eastern game, Neftekhimik will face Severstal. The Cherepovets side has been literally unbeatable in the preseason, winning all its five matches, with Nikita Chebykin at the top of his game with 7 (4+3) points. The Wolves, instead, only collected two wins in eight matches, and are still finding the correct approach after changing head coach, with Igor Grishin replacing Oleg Leontyev after the Belarusian coached the team for three seasons. Reaching the playoffs will be hard for Neftekhimik, while Severstal will look to finally get past the first round.
The action then moves to the West for a last game, with Spartak taking on HC Sochi. The Red-and-Whites lost an important player in Nikolai Goldobin, who moved to SKA, but nevertheless retained most of its core, including resigning Slovak productive forward Adam Ruzicka and, perhaps even more importantly, agreeing on new terms with head coach Alexei Zhamnov. The Black Sea franchise hired the experienced bench boss Vladimir Krikunov and is hoping to return to the playoffs after making its latest appearance in 2018-2019, when the team lost 2-4 to Lokomotiv in the first round. Given the premise, Spartak looks like the team to beat in this matchup, but surprises are always to be expected.
13:30: Sibir vs Amur
About the game
Sibir starts a two-game home series, while Amur kicks off its 2025-2026 campaign with a three-game round trip.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s head coach Vadim Yepanchintsev may celebrate his 100th win in the KHL as a head coach.
14:30: Barys vs Traktor (0-0-1)
About the game
Barys launches its 2025-2026 campaign with the first game of a four-match home series.
Traktor plays the second game of a six-match road trip after losing to Lokomotiv in the Opening Cup game on Friday (1:2 SO).
Injury list
Barys: Nikita Boyarkin, Tamirlan Gaitamirov, Ivan Nikolishin, Roman Starchenko.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s forward Andrei Svetlakov may record his 150th KHL assist (currently at 149).
17:00: Spartak vs HC Sochi
About the game
Spartak starts its season with a four-game home series, while HC Sochi plays the first game of a short, two-match road trip with two games in Moscow before its home opener on Sept. 12.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Jean-Christophe Beaudin, Amir Garayev.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s goalie Dmitry Nikolayev may record his 10th shutout in the KHL.
HC Sochi’s forward Artur Tyanulin lines up for his 200th league appearance.
17:00: Neftekhimik vs Severstal
About the game
Neftekhimik kicks off its season with a four-game home series, while Severstal starts with the first match of a three-game road trip.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Nikita Khoruzhev.
Milestone alert
Severstal’s forward Ilya Ivantsov lines up for his 200th KHL match.
