Sibir faces Dynamo Moscow trying to halt its eleven-game skid
Three games are on tap on a light KHL Saturday, with Sibir hosting Dynamo Moscow, HC Sochi welcoming the Shanghai Dragons, and Western-leading Lokomotiv clashing with Barys.
The matchday starts with a clash between Sibir and Dynamo Moscow. Both teams enter this matchup searching for a spark to lift them out of recent difficulties, with the hosts being on a tough eleven-game losing streak and the Muscovites losing their last three matches. After losing 0:7 to Dinamo Minsk, Sibir has parted ways with head coach Vyacheslav Butsayev, and maybe that move will give the team a motivation boost to get out of the hole as the team sits at the foot of the Eastern Conference’s table. For now, the team will be playing under Yaroslav Lyuzenkov, who was with the team since the 2024-2025 campaign. However, the Blue-and-Whites will also be pushing hard for a win to get out of their losing streak, and it will be an exciting game in Novosibirsk. Dynamo Moscow is currently the fifth seed in the West and will push for a return to the top four.
13:30: Sibir (7-15-3, 11th E) vs Dynamo Moscow (15-9-1, 5th W)
About the game
Sibir starts a two-game home series on an eleven-match losing streak.
Dynamo Moscow ends a two-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
Injury list
Sibir: Fyodor Gordeyev, Roman Kalinichenko, Chase Priskie, Valentin Pyanov, Sergei Shirokov.
Dynamo Moscow: Artyom Mikheyev.
The action then moves to the West for a couple of games. First, HC Sochi will seek a return to victory in a home game against the Shanghai Dragons. The Black Sea franchise lost its previous four matches and will be seeking a win to try and gain some points to at least hope to catch up with Lada in tenth place. The Dragons had a strong showing in their last game, defeating Dynamo Moscow 4:1 with two points from Gage Quinney, but have only two wins in the last five matches, slipping down to seventh place in the West.
15:00: HC Sochi (5-14-4, 11th W) vs Shanghai Dragons (11-7-6, 5th W)
About the game
HC Sochi starts a five-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
The Shanghai Dragons enter the second game of a four-match road trip following a win over Dynamo Moscow on Monday (4:1).
HC Sochi’s defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Kevin Labanc is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 4 (3+1) points.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Matvei Guskov, Pavel Khomchenko, Vasily Machulin.
Shanghai Dragons: Parker Foo, Jeremy Groleau, Riley Sutter.
Closing the match day is a clash between Lokomotiv and Barys. The Gagarin Cup champion keeps on leading the Western Conference and won four of its last five matches, losing only to second seed Torpedo. It will be the second meeting of the season with Barys, with the Railwaymen claiming a commanding 5:1 win in Astana earlier in the season. The Kazakhs are having a good season so far, but lost their last outing, to Metallurg. After the loss, Barys slipped down to ninth place, but the standings are very tight and the team has many chances to fall within the Eastern Conference top eight.
17:00: Lokomotiv (18-6-2, 1st W) vs Barys (8-13-5, 9th E)
About the game
Lokomotiv, who defeated Barys earlier in the season (5:1), starts a five-game home series fresh off a win over Spartak on Wednesday (6:3).
Barys starts a two-game road trip after a loss to Metallurg on Sunday (1:4).
Barys’ forward Dinmukhamed Kaiyrzhan scored a goal in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Richard Panik, Andrei Sergeyev, Danil Tesanov, Alexander Volkov.
Barys: Nikita Boyarkin, Tyler Wotherspoon.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Maxim Beryozkin may dish out his 100th KHL assist (currently at 99).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10th league shutout.
