An action-packed Wednesday packed with playoff drama

An action-packed Wednesday packed with playoff drama features six games, as Sibir hosts Spartak, Avtomobilist welcomes Metallurg, Severstal faces Dynamo Moscow, Ak Bars takes on Traktor, CSKA battles Torpedo, and the Shanghai Dragons host Salavat Yulaev in a pivotal clash for positioning in both conferences.

The KHL matchday starts in the Eastern Conference with a showdown between Sibir and Spartak. The Novosibirsk side collected a nice win over Barys on Monday (4:1) that allowed the team cutting its gap to the playoff places to just six points. It was only Sibir’s third regulation win this season – the team has a long road ahead, starting with today’s game against Spartak. The Red-and-Whites also showed good form of late, and have now three straight wins, over Ak Bars (1:0), Avtomobilist (3:1), and Lada (5:4) – with goalie Alexander Georgiyev posting his first KHL win. Spartak is currently the sixth seed in the West, at 37 points, but its positioning in the standings will be challenged as the team embarks for a very long, twelve-game road trip that will see them return to home ice only in a month and a half (though several games are scheduled in Moscow and St. Petersburg). It will be a key stretch for Spartak and its chances in the current campaign.

15:30: Sibir (10-19-3, 11^th E) vs Spartak (17-12-3, 6^th W)

About the game

Sibir ends a three-game home series following a win over Barys on Monday (4:1).

Spartak, who defeated Sibir earlier in the season (6:3), starts a twelve-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.

Injury list

Sibir: Yegor Alanov.

Spartak: Dmitry Vishnevsky.

Milestone alert

Sibir’s forward Kirill Rasskazov may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).

Then, Avtomobilist will start a new home stand facing table-topping Metallurg. The Yekaterinburg club is just one step away from its 500^th victory in KHL history, and it would be symbolic if they could achieve it in the Urals derby. The opponents played their most recent games on 29 November. Nikolai Zavarukhin’s team earned an away win over Sibir (4:2), while the Steelers gave Barys little chance on home ice (5:2). With 50 points, Andrei Razin’s team continues to confidently lead the Eastern Conference. Avtomobilist are 13 points back and sit in fourth place. It is worth noting that Anatoly Golyshev missed the home side’s last game – according to the head coach, he expects the veteran forward to return to the lineup once he regains his previous form.

17:00: Avtomobilist (17-12-3, 4^th E) vs Metallurg (24-6-2, 1^st E)
About the game

Avtomobilist starts a five-game home series following a win over Sibir on Saturday (4:2).

Metallurg, who defeated Avtomobilist earlier in the season (5:4), starts a four-game road trip fresh off a win over Barys also on Saturday (5:2).

Injury list

Avtomobilist: Sergei Zborovsky.

Metallurg: Andrei Kozlov, Alexander Siryatsky.

Milestone alert

Avtomobilist may celebrate its 500^th KHL win.

Avtomobilist’s forward Anatoly Golyshev may reach 200 KHL assists (currently at 199).

Metallurg’s forward Nikita Mikhailis lines up for his 600^th league appearance. The 2024 Gagarin Cup champion has 145 and 181 career assists.

Then, in the first Western game of the night, Severstal will wrap up a long eight-game home stand facing Dynamo Moscow. The teams’ first meeting this season took place on Oct. 30 in Cherepovets, when the Blue-and-Whites came out on top (3:0). Coming into the new clash, Vyacheslav Kozlov’s side are riding a three-game winning streak, with the last two being shutouts against Lokomotiv (1:0) and Torpedo (4:0). Severstal, for their part, have two consecutive wins over Lokomotiv (2:0) and Traktor (3:2). With 46 points, Andrei Kozyrev’s team sit second in the Western Conference. Dynamo are six points back in fifth place.

19:00: Severstal (23-10-0, 2^nd W) vs Dynamo Moscow (19-10-2, 5^th W)
About the game

Severstal wraps up an eight-game home series on a two-match winning streak.

Dynamo Moscow, who defeated Severstal earlier in the season (3:0), starts a three-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.

Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin is on an impressive 160:01 shutout streak.

Dynamo Moscow’s forward Dylan Sikura is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that stretch.

Dynamo Moscow’s forward Anton Slepyshev had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.

Injury list

Severstal: Marek Fomin, Vladislav Tsitsyura.

Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.

Milestone alert

Severstal’s forward Alexander Skorenov may score his 100^th KHL point (currently at 99).

Severstal’s goalie Alexander Samonov and Dynamo Moscow’s netminder Maxim Motorygin may line up for their 100^th league appearance.

Dynamo Moscow’s forward Anton Slepyshev may score his 300^th KHL point (currently at 297).

In the last game in the Eastern Conference, Ak Bars, under head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin, will face his former club Traktor for the first time this season. Coming into this game, the Kazan side have two straight wins, against SKA (5:2) and the Shanghai Dragons (4:1). With 44 points, the hosts are the second seed in the East. Traktor are nine points back in sixth. After big wins over the Shanghai Dragons and HC Sochi with a combined score of 15:1, Raphael-Pierre Riche’s team went on the road, where they lost to Severstal (2:3). After the game in Tatarstan, Traktor will return home. Ak Bars will complete a three-game home stand this evening.

19:00: Ak Bars (21-10-2, 2^nd E) vs Traktor (15-13-5, 6^th E)
About the game

Ak Bars ends a three-game home series on a two-match winning streak.

Traktor ends a two-game road trip after a loss to Severstal on Monday (2:3).

Traktor’s forward Mikhail Grigorenko is on a five-game scoring streak, with 11 (2+9) points over that stretch.

Traktor’s defenseman Grigory Dronov is also on a five-game scoring streak, but with 7 (3+4) points.

Traktor’s forward Vitaly Kravtsov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 11 (4+7) points.

Traktor’s defenseman Logan Day is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points.

Injury list

Ak Bars: Albert Yarullin.

Traktor: Sergei Mylnikov, Andrei Svetlakov.

Milestone alert

Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Chmelevsky may net his 100^th KHL tally (currently at 99).

Traktor’s forward Vladimir Zharkov lines up for his 800^th league appearance.

Then, in Moscow, CSKA faces Torpedo. The Nizhny Novgorod’s side is coming off back-to-back defeats against Dinamo Minsk (1:2) and Dynamo Moscow (0:4). With 41 points, Alexei Isakov’s team sit fourth in the Western Conference. CSKA continue their battle for a playoff spot, trailing by nine points. Two days ago, CSKA came back from 0:2 down at home against Salavat Yulaev, but still lost in the shootout. That defeat was their third in the last four games. Igor Nikitin’s team have three games left before the regular-season break – will that be enough time to secure a place in the top eight? It is expected that defenseman Nikita Nesterov may return to CSKA’s line-up soon. Forward Daniel Sprong also missed the game against the Ufa side as a coach’s decision.

19:30: CSKA (14-14-4, 9^th W) vs Torpedo (19-11-3, 4^th W)
About the game

CSKA ends a four-game home series following a loss to Salavat Yulaev on Monday (2:3 SO).

Torpedo enters the second game of a four-match road trip on a two-game losing streak.

The season series between the two sides is 1-1 (1:0, 1:2).

CSKA’s defenseman Jeremy Roy is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that stretch.

Injury list

CSKA: Dmitry Buchelnikov, Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev.

Torpedo: Alexei Kruchinin.

Milestone alert

CSKA’s defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk lines up for his 100^th league appearance.

Torpedo’s forward Dmitry Shevchenko may line up for his 400^th KHL game.

In St. Petersburg, a showdown between the Shanghai Dragons and Salavat Yulaev closes out an action-packed KHL Wednesday. The teams come into their head-to-head meeting in completely opposite form. The Chinese Franchise is on a run of four straight defeats against Ak Bars (2:3 SO), Traktor (0:9), Neftekhimik (5:7) and Ak Bars again (1:4). With 33 points, Gerard Gallant’s men risk dropping out of the Western Conference playoff zone in the near future if their losing streak continues. Salavat Yulaev, on the contrary, have put together three consecutive wins over Neftekhimik (3:1), Barys (7.4) and CSKA (3:2 SO). With 29 points, Viktor Kozlov’s side have moved up to seventh place in the East. Will they be able to extend their winning run in Saint Petersburg and cement its positioning in the Eastern Conference’s table?

19:30: Shanghai Dragons (13-11-7, 8^th W) vs Salavat Yulaev (13-15-3, 7^th E)
About the game

The Shanghai Dragons start a two-game home series on a four-match losing streak.

Salavat Yulaev ends a two-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.

Salavat Yulaev’s forward Alexander Zharovsky is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that stretch.

Injury list

Shanghai Dragons: Jake Bischoff, Parker Foo, Jeremy Groleau.

Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin.