Shipachyov chases 1,000th point in home town Cherepovets
A packed six-game KHL matchday spans the entire league, starting in Novosibirsk with Sibir hosting Lokomotiv and continuing in Nizhnekamsk, where Neftekhimik faces Admiral. Ufa welcomes Avtomobilist, while a top-of-the-table Eastern Conference clash sees Metallurg take on Avangard in Magnitogorsk. In the West, Severstal meets Dinamo Minsk in Cherepovets, before Ak Bars and Barys close out the action in Kazan.
A showdown between Sibir and Lokomotiv will open the match day. The hosts are in great form, with four wins over the last five matches, only losing to Avangard in the 2026 first game (2:5). In its last outing, Sibir celebrated a 5:2 win over Admiral and got further closer to the playoffs line, being now the ninth seed in the East after surpassing Barys. Lokomotiv just returned to the top of the West’s standings, despite an extra time loss in Magnitogorsk (4:5 OT). The Railwaymen have a two-point cushion over Severstal and Dinamo Minsk, who will face later today in Cherepovets.
13:30: Sibir (17-22-4, 9th E) vs Lokomotiv (27-12-5, 1st W)
About the game
Sibir ends a three-game home series following a win over Admiral on Tuesday (5:2).
Lokomotiv, who defeated Sibir earlier in the season (4:1), enters the third game of a four-match road trip after a loss to Metallurg also on Tuesday (4:5 OT).
Sibir’s forward Semyon Koshelev is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that stretch.
Sibir’s forward Taylor Beck is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Lokomotiv: Yegor Surin,
Milestone alert
Sibir’s forward Maxim Sushko lines up for his 200th league appearance.
Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may reach 10 KHL shutouts.
In Nizhnekamsk, Neftekhimik seeks a return to victory in a home clash against Admiral. After a strong-willed, 5:0 win against Torpedo in the 2025’s final game, Neftekhimik lost to Admiral and Salavat Yulaev, both with a 1:2 scoreline, and slipped down to sixth place in the Eastern Conference’s standings, with Traktor overtaking the Wolves in the fifth spot, albeit with just a one-point difference. The Sailors tried hard on Tuesday in Novosibirsk, but the game ended with Admiral defeated for the fifth time in six games with the team stuck in last place in the East. Today’s opponents will meet again in two days.
14:00: Neftekhimik (20-20-3, 6th E) vs Admiral (13-20-7, 11th E)
About the game
Neftekhimik starts a two-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
Admiral enters the second game of a four-match road trip following a loss to Sibir on Tuesday (2:5).
Neftekhimik’s forward Andrei Belozyorov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (4+2) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Raul Yakupov.
Admiral: Alexander Daryin, Adam Huska, Maxim Maltsev.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s defenseman Libor Sulak may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
Then, in Ufa, Salavat Yulaev faces Avtomobilist as the teams meet for the third time this season. The Motormen had two wins in head-to-head matchups so far, and will be looking for a third win and a return to victory after two straight defeats, to Ak Bars (0:5) and Traktor (1:3), respectively. Despite the losses, the Yekaterinburg side remains in its place at the bottom of the Eastern Conference’s top four with 49 points – five more than Traktor. The Ufa team is in good form, with three wins in the last five games, including a 2:1 success over Neftekhimik in its last outing. With Amur losing to the Shanghai Dragons yesterday, Salavat Yulaev remained in seventh place in the East.
14:30: Salavat Yulaev (18-20-4, 7th E) vs Avtomobilist (23-16-3, 4th E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev enters the seventh game of an eight-match home series following a win over Neftekhimik on Monday (2:1).
Avtomobilist wraps up a three-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
The season series between the two games is 0-2 (1:4, 2:4).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Sheldon Rempal is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 14 (4+10) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Daniil Alalykin, Gleb Kuzmin.
Avtomobilist: Artyom Kashtanov, Denis Romantsev.
Disqualifications
Avtomobilist’s defenseman Nikita Tryamkin serves a one-game ban.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Devin Brosseau and defenseman Evgeny Kulik may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99). Sheldon Rempal may also reach 100 points, but is currently at 98.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov may record his 100th KHL assists (currently at 99).
Another classic Eastern Conference matchup is on schedule in Magnitogorsk, with Metallurg hosting Avangard. The teams met most recently on Dec. 26, with the Hawks claiming a home win in extra time (2:1 SO) as Nikolai Prokhorkin scored in both regulation and post-game shootouts. After that game, Avangard lost at home to Barys in the 2025 last game (2:4), then won twice in a row, over Sibir (5:2) and Ak Bars (2:1), respectively, to climb up to second place in the East. Metallurg lost no time, defeating Traktor (5:4 OT), the Shanghai Dragons (7:3), and Lokomotiv (5:4 OT), to stay at the top of the Eastern Conference’s table with a seven-point cushion over the Hawks.
14:30: Metallurg (31-6-4, 1st E) vs Avangard (28-10-3, 2nd E)
About the game
Metallurg enters the second game of a four-match home series on a two-game winning streak.
Avangard ends a three-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
The season series between the two teams is 1-3 (1:5, 4:1, 1:3, 1:2 SO).
Metallurg’s forward Nikita Korotkov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 7 (3+4) points over that stretch.
Metallurg’s forward Dmitry Silantyev is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points.
Metallurg’s defenseman Valery Orekhov and forward Sergei Tolchinsky are also on an identical three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points.
Injury list
Metallurg: Alexander Siryatsky.
Milestone alert
Metallurg’s forward Yegor Korobkin may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Avangard’s forward Dmitry Rashevsky may score his 200th career point (currently at 199).
Avangard’s defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov may dish out his 200th league assist (currently at 198).
In Cherepovets, all eyes will be on Vadim Shipachyov, who will visit his home town for a chance to finally reach 1,000 KHL points. In Dinamo Minsk’s last outing against CSKA (2:4), Shipachyov reached 999, then had what would be his 1,000th point, but the refs ruled out the Bison’s goal, leaving the veteran forward without his highly-sought milestone. Moreover, the Belarusians had a rare two-game losing streak, having lost to CSKA and Traktor (4:5) – Dinamo Minsk’s last win was still in 2025. Severstal has also lost its last outing, to Spartak at home (1:2). The two sides share second place in the Western Conference with 57 points, two fewer than Lokomotiv. However, Dinamo Minsk has two games in hand on Severstal.
17:00: Severstal (27-13-3, 2nd W) vs Dinamo Minsk (26-10-5, 3rd W)
About the game
Severstal enters the third game of a six-match home series following a loss to Spartak on Tuesday (1:2).
Dinamo Minsk wraps up a four-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
The season series between the two sides is 2-1 (2:4, 5:2, 4:2).
Severstal’s forward Adam Liska is on a six-game scoring streak, with 8 (5+3) points over that stretch.
Severstal’s forward Ruslan Abrosimov is on a five-game scoring streak, with 6 (3+3) points.
Dinamo Minsk’s forwards Sam Anas and Vasily Pinchuk are on an identical seven-game scoring streak, with 13 (5+8) points over that span.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Stanislav Galiyev.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s forward Vadim Shipachyov may score his 1,000th KHL point (currently at 999).
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may record his 30th league shutout.
The matchday closes out with a showdown between Ak Bars and Barys. It will be the fourth meeting between the two sides this season, with the Kazan club claiming wins in the three previous clashes. Both sides lost their most recent outing, with Ak Bars suffering a loss against Avangard (1:2) and Barys losing in Nizhny Novgorod (2:3). The Kazan franchise remains in third place in the Eastern Conference’s table, while Barys’ recent slow form saw the Kazakhs slip down to tenth place, but there are still plenty of games to catch up.
17:00: Ak Bars (28-13-2, 3rd E) vs Barys (15-22-6, 10th E)
About the game
Ak Bars enters the fifth game of a six-match home series following a loss to Avangard on Tuesday (1:2).
Barys is in the middle of a five-game road trip and lost to Torpedo also on Tuesday (2:3).
The season series between the two teams is 3-0 (2:1, 4:3, 3:2 SO).
Ak Bars’ forward Alexander Chmelevsky is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that stretch.
Barys’ forward Kirill Panyukov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Nikita Lyamkin, Albert Yarullin.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Alexei Pustozyorov may line up for his 200th league appearance.
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov may record his 40th career shutout.
