Seven-game matchday with a big milestone for Kvartalnov
A tense KHL Sunday features seven games across the league, starting early in the Far East with a revenge clash between Admiral and Sibir after Friday’s swing in the standings. Avangard hosts Lada in Omsk looking to extend its winning streak, while Neftekhimik and Salavat Yulaev face tough tests against Torpedo and Severstal, respectively. The action then shifts West with a Moscow derby between CSKA and Spartak, SKA visiting Sochi, and a high-stakes Dinamo Minsk–Dynamo Moscow rematch.
The matchday starts early in the Far East with a revenge game between Admiral and Sibir. Two days ago, the Novosibirsk side collected a 4:2 win in Vladivostok, with Taylor Beck netting his first goal since his return wearing the Sibir jersey. It was the third straight loss for the Sailors, and that run of poor form sees the Vladivostok club sink to the foot of the table, surpassed by Sibir after the win. It will be the teams’ fifth meeting in the season, and the last in the solar year for Admiral, who will be restarting play in 2026 with a Far East Derby against Amur.
10:00: Admiral (12-19-6, 11th E) vs Sibir (14-21-4, 10th E)
About the game
Admiral is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous three matches.
Sibir is in the middle of a three-game road trip and most recently defeated Admiral on Friday (4:2).
The season series between the two sides is 2-2 (1:2 SO, 2:0, 3:2, 2:4).
Admiral’s forward Nikita Soshnikov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Admiral: Adam Huska, Maxim Maltsev, Ruslan Pedan.
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Ivan Chekhovich may line up for his 300th league appearance.
Sibir’s forward Sergei Shirokov may become the seventh player in KHL history to reach 250 career goals (currently at 248).
Then, in Omsk, Avangard takes on Lada. The Hawks are in top shape, with four straight wins including a nice one in a heavyweight battle against Metallurg on Friday (2:1 SO). Despite the streak and the win in direct confrontation, Magnitka still has seven points over Avangard in the Eastern Conference’s standings. Omsk goalie Nikita Serebryakov started for the Hawks in the last nine straight games, perhaps Guy Boucher will give a chance to Andrei Mishurov, who already shut out Lada in the teams’ lone meeting this season so far, on Nov. 18 (3:0). After losing the last two games, to Dinamo Minsk (2:7) and Traktor (1:6), respectively, the Togliatti side fell to last place in the West, with HC Sochi overcoming Pavel Desyatkov’s squad by one point.
14:00: Avangard (25-9-3, 3rd E) vs Lada (11-24-3, 11th W)
About the game
Avangard, who defeated Lada earlier in the season (3:0), enters the third game of a four-match home series on a four-game winning streak.
Lada starts a six-match road trip following two straight losses.
Lada’s forward Andrei Chivilyov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that span.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s forward Konstantin Okulov may reach 300 KHL assists (currently at 299).
In the meantime, Neftekhimik hosts Torpedo. On Friday, the Wolves wasted a two-goal advantage over the Shanghai Dragons in the third period, but still celebrated victory in extra time (4:3 OT). It was the first win for Neftekhimik after five straight losses, two of which beyond regulation, and today the Wolves play their last game in 2025. It will be the third meeting between the two sides this season, with Torpedo claiming a 5:2 road win in Nizhnekamsk a little more than ten days ago. Most recently, the Nizhny Novgorod Motormen lost in extra time to CSKA (2:3 OT), but won their previous four matches. Torpedo is now the fifth seed in the Western Conference’s standings, at just two points from the top four.
14:00: Neftekhimik (19-18-3, 5th E) vs Torpedo (23-11-4, 5th W)
About the game
Neftekhimik plays the lone home game of the series following a win over the Shanghai Dragons on Friday (4:3 OT).
Torpedo starts a two-game road trip after a loss to CSKA also on Friday (2:3 OT).
The season series between the two teams is 1-1 (2:1, 2:5).
Torpedo’s defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (1+5) points over that stretch.
Torpedo’s forward Vladimir Tkachyov is also on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (5+1) points.
Torpedo’s forward Yegor Sokolov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Torpedo’s forward Vasily Atanasov is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 4 (1+3) points.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Raul Yakupov.
Torpedo: Denis Alexandrov, Alexei Kruchinin, Nikita Shavin.
In the last Eastern game of the matchday, Salavat Yulaev hosts Severstal. The Ufa team has most recently traded wins with Amur, and despite having accumulated only a couple of wins in the last five matches, Salavat Yulaev remains a prime candidate for the last playoff spot in the East as it’s now in eighth place with two games in hand on ninth-placed Barys. Severstal is in a better position, battling for the Western Conference’s lead and currently tied with Dinamo Minsk in second place just one point shy of Lokomotiv. The Steelers are now riding a two-win streak.
14:30: Salavat Yulaev (16-20-3, 8th E) vs Severstal (26-12-1, 2nd W)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev, who defeated Severstal earlier in the season (2:1), enters the fourth game of an eight-match home series following a win over Amur on Thursday (4:2).
Severstal starts a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Daniil Alalykin, Gleb Kuzmin.
Severstal: Makar Fomin, Konstantin Shostak, Grigory Vashchenko.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Devin Brosseau, Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Evgeny Kulik, and Severstal’s defenseman Nikita Kamalov may all reach 100 points in the KHL (currently all at 99).
Severstal’s forward Mikhail Ilyin lines up for his 200th league appearance.
The action then moves to the Western Conference, starting with a Moscow derby between CSKA and Spartak. It will be the third such derby of the current campaign, with Spartak so far sweeping the series. On Thursday, CSKA returned to victory against Torpedo (3:2 OT) after losing three straight games, to Severstal (1:3), Dynamo Moscow (0:1 SO), and Lokomotiv (1:2 SO). The win helped CSKA cement its positioning above the playoff line, now with a four-point cushion over the Shanghai Dragons. Spartak is just two points above, tied with SKA – today’s game may be critical for the Western table, but both teams will be seeking a win anyways as the local rivalry renews. Interestingly enough, CSKA’s next game – and last outing in 2025 – will be another Moscow Derby, this time against Dynamo Moscow.
17:00: CSKA (18-15-7, 8th W) vs Spartak (20-14-5, 7th W)
About the game
CSKA starts a six-game home series fresh off a win over Torpedo on Thursday (3:2 OT).
Spartak enters the eighth game of a twelve-match road trip following a loss to the Shanghai Dragons on Wednesday (3:4 SO).
The season series between the two teams is 0-2 (5:6 SO, 2:3).
Spartak’s forward Nathan Todd had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
CSKA: Dmitry Buchelnikov, Danila Moiseyev, Dmitry Samorukov.
Spartak: Pavel Poryadin.
In the meantime, HC Sochi hosts SKA. The Black Sea franchise lost its previous couple of matches, to Severstal (3:4 OT) and Torpedo (1:4), and remains in tenth position in the West, just one point above Lada. HC Sochi faced SKA twice this season, losing both times. The St. Petersburg franchise enters today’s game after a somewhat surprising win in Minsk (4:1), and has three wins in its last five matches. In the Western Conference’s table, HC Sochi is in tenth place, just one point above Lada, while SKA continues its fight for a playoff spot, but with a six-point cushion over the Shanghai Dragons. Earlier in the season, SKA defeated HC Sochi twice.
17:00: HC Sochi (10-20-6, 10th W) vs SKA (20-12-5, 6th W)
About the game
HC Sochi starts a two-game home series following two straight losses.
SKA is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Dinamo Minsk on Friday (4:1).
The season series between the two sides is 0-2 (2:4, 1:8).
HC Sochi’s defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that stretch.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Daniil Bashkirov, Daniil Seroukh, Igor Shvyryov.
SKA: Matvei Korotky, Trevor Murphy, Vladislav Romanov, Nikita Zaitsev.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s forward Dmitry Kagarlitsky may reach 200 KHL goals (currently at 198).
HC Sochi’s goalie Pavel Khomchenko may record his 10th league shutout.
SKA’s forward Andrei Loktionov may dish out his 200th assist in the KHL (currently at 199).
Closing out an intense matchday is Dinamo Minsk facing Dynamo Moscow in a revenge match of their meeting earlier this week. On Tuesday, the Belarusians collected an impressive 7:1 win in Moscow on a night that everything worked for Dmitry Kvartalnov’s men. After that game, and after scoring seven goals twice in a row, however, the Bison’s charge was cut short with a home loss to SKA (1:4). Differently from Dinamo Minsk, the Muscovites bounced back quickly and shut out Lokomotiv in Yaroslavl on Thursday, cutting the Bison’s advantage in the standings to just one point, with today’s opponents being now the third and fourth seed in the West, respectively. However, Dmitry Kvartalnov’s big milestone, and Vadim Shipachyov’s race to his 1,000th KHL point, may give the hosts a further layer of motivation.
17:10: Dinamo Minsk (24-8-5, 3rd W) vs Dynamo Moscow (25-12-2, 4th W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk, who defeated Dynamo Moscow earlier in the season (7:1), wraps up a four-game home series following a loss to SKA on Friday (1:4).
Dynamo Moscow enters the fourth game of a seven-match road trip after defeating Lokomotiv on Thursday (2:0).
Dinamo Minsk’s forwards Sam Anas and Vitaly Pinchuk are on an identical three-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points over that stretch.
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Alex Limoges is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points.
Dynamo Moscow’s forward Maxim Motorygin is on a 64:24 shutout streak.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Darren Dietz.
Dynamo Moscow: Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may record his 30th KHL shutout.
Dinamo Minsk’s head coach Dmitry Kvartalnov is the first coach in history to reach 1,000 KHL games.
