Traktor seeks first win, Dinamo Minsk plays first game
The KHL matchday features five games, starting with Barys seeking its second straight win at home against Amur. Neftekhimik and Traktor both chase their first wins in a battle complicated by the absence of suspended forward Joshua Leivo. The Western Conference offers key contests as Dinamo Minsk begins a road trip in Moscow, Lokomotiv hosts Severstal, and both Dynamo Moscow and HC Sochi look to bounce back after opening losses.
The matchday starts in Kazakhstan, with Barys trying to replicate its first win of the season in a home game against Amur. The Tigers also won their opening game, with goalie Maxim Dorozhko posting his first shutout for his new team. Moreover, the Khabarovsk side defeated Barys a whopping eleven straight times. This means that it won’t be an easy game for Barys, who will however, trying to seek its second straight victory and win its crowd back after more than 10,000 witnessed their victory over Traktor.
The Chelyabinsk side will be hunting for its first win of the season when they visit Nizhnekamsk after losing to Lokomotiv and Barys – both losses came in extra time. Neftekhimik also lost its first game, to Severstal, with a 0:5 scoreline. With both teams seeking revenge and a morale boost, fans should expect unpredictability in this game as well. Moreover, Traktor will have to do without leading forward Joshua Leivo, who is banned for the next two games.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for three games. In Moscow, Dinamo Minsk will kick off its 2025-2026 campaign with the first of five road games. The Belarusians had a good showing in the preseason, winning five games of eight and won silver at the Mayor of Moscow Cup, only losing to CSKA. Despite a few significant losses like Jordan Gross to Traktor, Roman Gorbunov to Avtomobilist, and Alexander Volkov to Avangard, the Bison strengthened its roster signing goalie Zach Fucale (off Traktor), defenseman Ty Smith, and forward Alex Limoges, among the others. Spartak defeated HC Sochi in its home opener (4;3), and will try building some momentum after a first, nice win.
In Yaroslavl, the tension will be high as reigning champ Lokomotiv hosts Severstal. Both teams have ambitions, and both teams won their first game, against Traktor (4:3 SO) and Neftekhimik (5:0), respectively. In KHL history, Lokomotiv claimed 43 wins against Severstal’s 19, but in the postseason, in the teams’ only meeting, the Cherepovets side emerged victorious, 4-2 back in 2013.
Seeking a win will also be Dynamo Moscow and HC Sochi. They lost in their openers, against CSKA (2:6) and Spartak (3:4), respectively. The Blue-and-Whites will be trying to get their first win of the season not to lose ground from the other Moscow things, among other reasons, but Sochi will also need points to achieve a victory, increase its morale, and gain some precious points in the Western Conference standings.
17:00: Barys (1-0-0) vs Amur (1-0-0)
About the game
Barys enters the second game of a four-match home series after defeating Traktor on Sunday (4:3 OT).
Amur is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Sibir also on Sunday (2:0).
Amur’s goalie Maxim Dorozhko is on a 69:41 shutout streak.
Injury list
Barys: Nikita Boyarkin, Tamirlan Gaitamirov, Ivan Nikolishin, Roman Starchenko.
19:00: Neftekhimik (0-1-0) vs Traktor (0-0-2)
About the game
Neftekhimik enters the second game of a four-match home series following a loss to Severstal on Sunday (0:5).
Traktor is at its third game of a six-match road trip and lost its previous couple of matches.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Nikita Khoruzhev.
Disqualifications
Traktor’s forward Joshua Leivo serves the first game of a two-match ban.
19:30: Spartak (1-0-0) vs Dinamo Minsk (0-0-0)
About the game
Spartak enters the second game of a four-match home series following a win over HC Sochi on Sunday (4:3).
Dinamo Minsk kicks off its 2025-2026 campaign on the road, playing the first game of five away from home.
Milestone alert
Spartak’s goalie Artyom Zagidulin may celebrate his 50th win in the KHL.
Spartak’s goalie Dmitry Nikolayev may record his 10th league shutout.
19:30: Lokomotiv (1-0-0) vs Severstal (1-0-0)
About the game
Lokomotiv ends a two-game home series after defeating Traktor on Friday (4:3 SO).
Severstal is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Neftekhimik on Sunday (5:0).
Severstal’s goalie Alexander Samoilov is on an 80:29 shutout streak.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Daniil Tesanov.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Polunin may record his 100th league assist (currently at 99).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
Severstal’s forward Kirill Pilipenko may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 199) and net his 100th league goal (currently at 98).
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (0-1-0) vs HC Sochi (0-1-0)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow plays the lone home game of the season after losing to CSKA on Saturday (2:6).
HC Sochi ends a two-game road trip following a loss to Spartak also on Saturday (3:4).
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Artyom Mikheyev.
HC Sochi: Jean-Christophe Beaudin, Amir Garayev.
