The KHL returns with a full slate of games!
A packed eight-game matchday is loaded with derbies and direct battles across the KHL. Action begins in Novosibirsk, where Sibir hosts Avangard, before Avtomobilist welcomes Barys in the Urals. Lada takes on CSKA in Togliatti, while Lokomotiv faces Dinamo Minsk in Yaroslavl. Kazan stages another Green Derby as Ak Bars hosts Salavat Yulaev, Neftekhimik meets Torpedo, Dynamo hosts Spartak in Moscow, and SKA entertains the Shanghai Dragons in St. Petersburg.
An action-packed match day will start in Novosibirsk with a derby between Sibir and Avangard. It will be the first time that the rivalry will be renewed this season. Both teams entered the Channel One Cup break on a positive note, with Sibir winning its last match, grabbing a shootout win in Astana (2:1 SO). The Hawks have instead four wins in their last five games, including three straight victories – over Metallurg (3:1), HC Sochi (5:2), and Spartak (7:5). The teams last met exactly a year ago, on Dec. 17, when Avangard won 5:3 on the road. As for the standings, the Hawks have a six-point advantage over Avtomobilist and are in third place in the East, while Sibir, who just acquired forward Maxim Sushko from Neftekhimik, remains at the foot of the table.
15:30: Sibir (11-19-4, 11th E) vs Avangard (21-8-3, 3rd E)
About the game
Sibir starts a four-game home series fresh off a win over Barys on Dec. 7 (2:1 SO).
Avangard starts a three-game road trip on a three-match winning streak.
Avangard’s forward Alexander Volkov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (4+1) points over that stretch.
Avangard’s forward Andrew Poturalski and defenseman Artyom Blazhiyevsky are on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Injury list
Sibir: Yegor Alanov, Alexander Pershakov, Valentin Pyanov.
Disqualifications
Avangard’s forward Vasily Ponomaryov serves a one-game ban.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Ivan Chekhovich lines up for his 300th league appearance.
Avangard’s goalie Nikita Serebryakov may record his 20th KHL shutout.
In the Urals, Avtomobilist faces Barys. Being six points below Avangard, the Motormen will try to build on their win before the break over Western leader Severstal, while the Astana franchise will instead try to recover after losing to Sibir. However, earlier in the season, Barys celebrated a home win over Avtomobilist, and today will try to repeat the feat to return to the playoff places. The Motormen have a two-point cushion over fifth-placed Neftekhimik and will try to avoid losing ground from Avangard.
17:00: Avtomobilist (18-13-3, 4th E) vs Barys (12-17-6, 9th E)
About the game
Avtomobilist is in the middle of a five-game home series and defeated Severstal on Dec. 05 (4:1).
Barys, who defeated Avtomobilist earlier in the season (3:2 OT), starts a two-game road trip following a loss to Sibir on Dec. 07 (1:2 SO).
Avtomobilist’s forward Alexander Sharov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that streak.
Avtomobilist’s forward Anatoly Golyshev and Barys’ defenseman Riley Walsh are also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Stephane Da Costa, Maxim Denezhkin, Sergei Zborovsky.
Barys: Tyler Wotherspoon.
In Togliatti, Lada faces CSKA for the third time in the season, after the Muscovites celebrated twice in previous clashes. Lada went into the break on the back of an unpleasant four-game losing streak, which allowed Western Conference bottom-dwellers HC Sochi to draw level on points (23 each). CSKA sit eighth in the standings, but hold only a one-point advantage over the Shanghai Dragons, who have two games in hand. Will Igor Nikitin’s side be able to finish the remainder of the regular season strongly and avoid the shock of missing out on the playoffs?
During the break, Lada completed a trade with Sochi, acquiring the southern club’s leading scorer of recent seasons, forward Artur Tyanulin, in exchange for forward Danil Bashkirov. In addition, on the eve of their head-to-head meeting, the Togliatti side also struck a deal with CSKA: defenseman Mac Hollowell will continue his career with the Muscovites, while defensemen Colby Williams and Nikolai Makarov will suit up for Lada.
18:00: Lada (10-21-3, 10th W) vs CSKA (16-14-5, 8th W)
About the game
Lada ends a three-game home series on a four-match losing streak.
CSKA enters the third game of a four-match road trip following two straight wins.
The season’s series is 0-2 (2:7, 2:4).
Lada’s forward Andrei Altybarmakyan is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.
Lada’s forward Nikita Setdikov had an assist in each of his previous four matches.
CSKA’s forward Maxim Sorkin is on a three-game scoring streak with 3 (1+2) points.
CSKA’s defenseman Ivan Patrikhayev is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Lada: Andrei Obidin, Alexei Ozhgikhin.
CSKA: Dmitry Buchelnikov, Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev.
Milestone alert
Lada’s forward Andrei Altybarmakyan lines up for his 300th KHL appearance.
Then, in another Western Conference exciting matchup, Lokomotiv hosts Dinamo Minsk. The teams met for the first time this season on September 29 in Minsk, when the Bison came out on top in a shootout (3:2). The next meeting between Dinamo Minsk’s head coach Dmitry Kvartalnov and his former team will be hosted in Yaroslavl. The two sides are direct rivals in the Western Conference standings, with both battling for the top spot. The advantage lies with the Minsk team, who have played four fewer games than second-placed Lokomotiv and league leaders Severstal, trailing them by one and two points respectively. The visitors went into the regular-season break riding a five-game winning streak, meaning the Belarusians have not lost for almost a month, since November 18. Lokomotiv have conceded just one goal in their last two games, defeating Amur (3:0) and Admiral (3:1) on the road in the Far East. For Lokomotiv head coach Bob Hartley, the next victory would be his 200th in the KHL. Will he be able to achieve it against direct rivals in the West’s standings?
19:00: Lokomotiv (22-10-4, 2nd W) vs Dinamo Minsk (22-7-3, 3rd W)
About the game
Lokomotiv starts a six-game home series on a two-game winning streak.
Dinamo Minsk, who defeated Lokomotiv earlier this season (3:2 SO), enters the fourth game of a five-match road trip also following two straight wins.
Lokomotiv’s forward Artur Kayumov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that span.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Daniil Lipsky is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Andrei Sergeyev, Daniil Tesanov.
Milestone alert
Lokomotiv’s forward Yegor Surin lines up for his 100th league appearance.
Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov may reach 500 KHL assists.
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10th league shutout.
Lokomotiv’s head coach Bob Hartley may celebrate his 200th KHL win.
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may record his 30th shutout in the KHL.
Kazan will then host the fourth Green Derby of the season. For now, the edge in one of the KHL’s marquee rivalries this regular season belongs to Ak Bars, who lead the series. The visitors claimed their win over the Kazan side shortly before the regular-season break, on Dec. 05. After that, Viktor Kozlov’s team fell to CSKA (1:3), while Anvar Gatiyatulin’s squad defeated Neftekhimik (3:1). This season, the rivals are facing different challenges in the standings. Ak Bars sit second in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Metallurg and three ahead of Avangard, having played four more games. Salavat Yulaev is in the eighth spot, holding only a narrow advantage over Barys, albeit with one game in hand. Notably, the next victory would be the 700th in League history for Salavat Yulaev. Will they be able to achieve it in such a fiercely contested showdown?
19:00: Ak Bars (23-11-2, 2nd E) vs Salavat Yulaev (14-17-3, 8th E)
About the game
Ak Bars play the lone home game of the series, following a road win over Neftekhimik on Dec. 07 (3:1).
Salavat Yulaev starts a two-game road trip following a loss to CSKA also on Dec. 07 (1:3).
The season series between the two teams is 2–1 (3:1, 4:1, 1:4).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Sheldon Rempal is on a five-game scoring streak, with 11 (4+7) points over that span.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Albert Yarullin.
Salavat Yulaev: Daniil Alalykin, Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev can celebrate its 700th KHL win.
In the last Eastern game of the night, Neftekhimik hosts Torpedo. The teams’ first meeting of the season took place on Sept. 27 in Nizhny Novgorod and ended in a 2:1 win for Neftekhimik. Torpedo head into this new matchup after two victories beyond regulation before the break, defeating CSKA (5:4 SO) and the Shanghai Dragons (4:3 SO). With 45 points, Torpedo sit fifth in the Western Conference — five points ahead of Spartak and just one behind Dynamo Moscow who round out the top four. During the break, the Nizhny Novgorod side strengthened their roster by signing forward Amir Garayev, who had previously spent five seasons with HC Sochi. Neftekhimik, who have 37 points to their name, hold an identical fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They trail Avtomobilist by two points and enjoy the same margin over Traktor.
19:00: Neftekhimik (18-16-1, 5th E) vs Torpedo (21-11-3, 5th W)
About the game
Neftekhimik, who defeated Torpedo earlier in the season (2:1), enters the seventh game of an eight-match home series following a loss to Ak Bars on Dec. 07 (1:3).
Torpedo ends a four-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Ilya Khlystov.
Torpedo: Alexei Kruchinin, Shane Prince, Kirill Voronin.
In Moscow, Dynamo and Spartak will battle out in their third meeting this season. Dynamo went into the regular-season break riding an impressive six-game winning streak. The White-and-Blues have not lost for almost a month — since Nov. 20 — weathering the resignation of Alexey Kudashov and the appointment of Vyacheslav Kozlov as acting head coach. In the Western Conference standings, the Moscow clubs are close rivals. Dynamo sit fourth with 46 points, while the Red-and-Whites are sixth, six points behind. Alexey Zhamnov’s team entered the regular-season break after two consecutive defeats, against Barys (3:4 OT) and Avangard (5:7). Will they be able to halt the losing streak?
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (22-10-2, 4th W) vs Spartak (18-13-4, 6th W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow starts a two-game home series on a six-match winning streak.
Spartak enters the fourth game of a twelve-match road trip following two straight losses.
Earlier this season, the opponents had already traded wins against each other (5:0, 2:4).
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Dylan Sikura is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 12 (6+6) points over that stretch.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Nikita Gusev is on a four-game scoring streak instead, with 10 (4+6) points.
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Daniil Pylenkov had at least an assist in each of his last four matches, totaling five helpers.
Spartak’s forward Adam Ruzicka is on a five-game scoring streak, with 10 (5+5) points over that span.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Spartak: Nikita Korostelyov, Pavel Poryadin, Dmitry Vishnevsky.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Anton Slepyshev may reach 300 KHL points (currently at 299).
In the last game of a tense matchday, SKA hosts the Shanghai Dragons in another St. Petersburg derby, the third this season, with the series currently tied at one. The season has unfolded in opposite ways for the two teams. The Dragons enjoyed a bright start, but their results have gradually declined — largely due to the lack of a full preseason — and following a shootout loss to Torpedo (3:4 SO) on Dec. 05, despite a hat-trick from forward Borna Rendulic, their fifth defeat in the last six games, Gerard Gallant’s team dropped out of the playoff zone, sitting ninth. The matchup gains extra edge not only because both teams are based in the same city, but also due to their direct competition in the standings. SKA is currently the seventh seed in the West, three points ahead of the Dragons. After an unconvincing start to the regular season, the St. Petersburg have managed to steady their results, unlike the Dragons, and have won three of their last four games. Will they be able to maintain this momentum after the regular season resumes?
19:30: SKA (17-11-5, 7th W) vs Shanghai Dragons (14-11-8, 9th W)
About the game
SKA enters the second game of a four-match road trip following a loss to Amur on Dec. 07 (3:4 SO).
The Shanghai Dragons play the lone road game of the series following a loss to Torpedo on Dec. 05 (3:4 SO).
SKA’s forward Sergei Plotnikov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points over that span.
SKA’s forward Nikolai Goldobin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Shanghai Dragons’ defenseman Adam Clendening had an assist in each of his previous four matches.
Injury list
SKA: Matvei Korotky, Trevor Murphy, Vladislav Romanov, Sergei Sapego, Nikita Zaitsev, Valentin Zykov.
Shanghai Dragons: Jake Bischoff, Parker Foo, Jeremy Groleau.
Milestone alert
SKA’s forward Andrei Loktionov may reach 200 KHL assists (currently at 199).
