Four games across both conferences headline Tuesday’s KHL action
The matchday opens in the East with Salavat Yulaev hosting Avangard. Avtomobilist then welcomes Sibir aiming to extend its winning run and solidify a top-four spot. In the West, Lada hosts Barys in a clash of playoff hopefuls, before Spartak visits the Shanghai Dragons in a crucial battle for the final postseason positions.
The matchday starts in the Eastern Conference, with Salavat Yulaev taking on Avangard. The Hawks won the first two meetings with Salavat Yulaev this season, but the teams’ first clash of 2026 went the way of the Ufa side (4:3). The Omsk club will look to respond immediately and settle the score without delay. Salavat Yulaev, in turn, will be fully motivated after suffering a setback against Avtomobilist — their five-game winning streak came to an end in that loss, and they will aim to get back on track against another serious opponent. However, Avangard will enter the game on a two-match winning streak after defeating CSKA (2:1) and Traktor (5:2). In Chelyabinsk, defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov netted his second hat-trick – he’s the first defenseman in KHL history to achieve this result. The Hawks are in third place in the Eastern Conference’s table, with Salavat Yulaev in sixth place, tied with Traktor at 48 points.
17:00: Salavat Yulaev (22-21-4, 6th E) vs Avangard (30-12-3, 3rd E)
About the game
Salavat Yulaev plays the lone home game of the series following a loss to Avtomobilist on Saturday (2:6).
Avangard is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous couple of matches.
The season series between the teams is 1-2 (2:3 ОТ, 2:5, 4:3).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Sheldon Rempal is on a twelve-game scoring streak, with 23 (6+17) points over that stretch.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Jake Rodewald is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Dean Stewart had at least an assist in each of his previous three games, totaling four helpers.
Avangard’s defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov is on a six-game scoring streak, with 11 (6+5) points over that span.
Avangard’s defenseman Maxime Lajoie is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Gleb Kuzmin, Alexei Vasilevsky.
Avangard: Alexander Volkov.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Evgeny Kulik may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 99).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov may dish out his 100th career assist (currently at 99).
Avangard’s forward Konstantin Okulov lines up for his 700th KHL game. The three-time Gagarin Cup winner has 184 goals and 308 assists in his productive KHL career.
Avangard’s forward Dmitry Rashevsky may reach 100 career assists (currently at 99).
In the meantime, Avtomobilist faces Sibir trying to stretch its winning streak. The Motormen won their last three matches, having handed defeats to Barys (2:1 OT), Traktor (4:1), and Salavat Yulaev (6:2). Daniel Sprong had an excellent start with his new team, having now four points in three games with Avtomobilist. The Motormen wrap up the Eastern Conference top four, with 55 points. Sibir is currently the eighth seed in the East, but a home loss to Neftekhimik complicated things for Yaroslav Lyuzenkov’s men who now are only two points above Amur and Barys.
17:00: Avtomobilist (26-17-3, 4th E) vs Sibir (18-24-5, 8th E)
About the game
Avtomobilist enters the fourth game of a six-match home series on a three-game winning streak.
Sibir starts a four-game road trip following a loss to Neftekhimik on Saturday (1:3).
The season series between the two sides is 3-0 (7:1, 4:2, 5:0).
Avtomobilist’s forward Reid Boucher is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that stretch.
Avtomobilist’s forward Stephane Da Costa is also on a three-game scoring streak, but with 7 (4+3) points.
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Dmitry Yudin.
Sibir: Ilya Fedotov, Daniil Valitov.
The action then moves to the Western Conference for further two games. First, Lada hosts Barys as both teams will be looking for a win to build on a recent victory. After two straight losses, against SKA (3:4 SO) and Salavat Yulaev (2:5), Lada returned to wins on Sunday when the team defeated HC Sochi on home ice (4:0). Despite the win, however, the Togliatti side remains at the bottom of the league’s standings with 32 points. Barys is currently the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference, but its gap to the playoff places reduced to two points after a strong home win over CSKA (3:1), with Michael Vecchione netting a double, including the game-winning goal. Barys will try to build on the recent win to increase its chances for a postseason qualification. It will be the first meeting between the sides in the current season.
18:00: Lada (13-28-6, 11th W) vs Barys (16-25-7, 10th E)
About the game
Lada enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following a win over HC Sochi on Sunday (4:0).
Barys starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over CSKA on Saturday (3:1).
Lada’s goalie Alexander Trushkhov is on a 70:30 shutout streak.
Lada’s forward Riley Sawchuk is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that stretch.
Lada’s forward Nikita Mikhailov had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
Barys: Kirill Savitsky.
Milestone alert
Lada’s forward Andrei Obidin can reach 100 career points (currently at 99).
In the closing day of Tuesday’s action, Spartak travels again, this time to St. Petersburg, to face the Shanghai Dragons. The Muscovites sit eighth in the Western Conference, while the Dragons are ninth, trailing the Red-and-Whites by eight points. In practical terms, the Shanghai Dragons are in desperate need of a win just to stay in the race for a top-eight spot, while Spartak must keep collecting points to move ahead of CSKA and SKA in the standings. The teams’ rivalry in the 2025-2026 season has already been a busy one, with five games played. Spartak leads the series 3–2, but the most recent meeting shortly before the New Year break went the Dragons’ way (4:3 SO), when they were still coached by Gerard Gallant. The Dragons may take the ice for this matchup under new head coach Mitch Love, whose appointment was announced over the weekend.
19:30: Shanghai Dragons (17-19-9, 9th W) vs Spartak (23-17-5, 8th W)
About the game
The Shanghai Dragons play the lone home game of the series on a three-match losing streak.
Spartak starts a two-game road trip following a loss to Torpedo on Saturday (0:1).
The season series between the two teams is 2-3 (3:1, 0:3, 6:7 SO, 1:3, 4:3 SO).
Injury list
Shanghai Dragons: Parker Foo, Jeremy Groleau, Ben Harpur, Troy Josephs, Patrik Rybar.
Milestone alert
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Kirill Rasskazov may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
Spartak’s forward Mikhail Maltsev may record his 100th KHL point (currently at 99).
