The KHL World Games are back in Shanghai with the Dragons hosting Sibir
The KHL matchday moves across the East and West with playoff hopes and positioning on the line. In Vladivostok, Admiral hosts Neftekhimik, while Amur welcomes Salavat Yulaev. In Shanghai, Sibir faces the Dragons in a KHL World Games rematch, while in the West, Dinamo Minsk and SKA clash in a key battle for conference positioning.
The KHL matchday starts in the Far East again with the franchises swapping opponents after Tuesday’s clashes, with Admiral welcoming Neftekhimik and Amur hosting Salavat Yulaev. The Sailors today may lose any remaining postseason hope in case of a loss to Neftekhimik today or if eighth-placed Sibir won’t lose to the Shanghai Dragons in regulation in today’s top game in China. The Vladivostok franchise traded wins with Salavat Yulaev over the last couple of matches, and as such remained in last place in the Eastern Conference’s table. The playoffs are fourteen points away – even if the Sailors will win today, reaching the postseason will be a monumental task. The Wolves will equally look for a win after three straight losses. Other than to Amur (2:3, 1:3), they also lost to CSKA (0:2). Neftekhimik is currently the seventh seed in the East, and defeated Admiral twice earlier in the season.
12:00: Admiral (16-33-12, 11th E) vs Neftekhimik (30-29-3, 7th E)
About the game
Admiral enters the third game of a six-match home series following a loss to Salavat Yulaev on Tuesday (1:2 SO).
Neftekhimik enters the fourth game of a five-match road trip on a three-game losing streak.
The season series between the two teams is 0-2 (2:3 SO, 2:4).
Admiral’s defenseman Libor Sulak is on a six-game scoring streak, with 9 (3+6) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Admiral: Vladimir Bryukvin, Alexander Daryin, Mario Grman, Ruslan Pedan, Semyon Ruchkin.
Neftekhimik: Vladislav Barulin, Dinar Khafizullin.
In the meantime, Amur tries catching up with Sibir in a home game against Salavat Yulaev. The Tigers are now on a three-win run after defeating Neftekhimik twice and a strong-willed win in Omsk (4:3), and have four wins in the last five matches. The Tigers are now at just three points from Sibir and appear in much better form. However, much will depend also on Sibir’s results in the remainder of the season, starting from today’s game in China. Moreover, Salavat Yulaev should also not be counted out. The Ufa team has three wins in the last five matches, with Evgeny Kuznetsov putting on a show in the team’s last game in Vladivostok, and is intended to stay as high as possible in the standings for better chances for home ice in the postseason. Currently, Salavat Yulaev is the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
12:00: Amur (24-30-7, 9th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (32-25-4, 5th E)
About the game
Amur is in the middle of a five-game home series and won its previous three matches.
Salavat Yulaev enters the third game of a four-match road trip following a win over Admiral on Tuesday (2:1 SO).
The season series between the two teams is 1-1 (4:2, 2:4).
Amur’s forward Yaroslav Likhachyov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (2+4) points over that stretch.
Amur’s defenseman Ivan Mishchenko is on a three-game scoring streak instead, with 5 (1+4) points.
Injury list
Amur: Roman Abrosimov, Alex Broadhurst.
Salavat Yulaev: Alexander Chyorny, Prokhor Korbit, Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Amur’s forward Oleg Li lines up for his 600th league appearance, while Salavat Yulaev’s defenseman Dean Stewart may reach 100.
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov may record his 100th KHL assist (currently at 99).
Then, the action shifts to China for the return of the KHL World Games with a game between the Shanghai Dragons and Sibir in Shanghai. What makes things even more interesting is that one of Sibir’s leaders – forward Taylor Beck – played for the Kunlun Red Star in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, and has already experienced playing hockey in the country. The Dragons already lost any hope for postseason qualifications, but they will be still playing hard to please the home crowd and try to give a boost to the sport’s popularity. Moreover, they will also try to build on their recent win over Lada on Sunday (2:1). Sibir will instead fight hard to resist Amur's rally and return to victory after four straight losses. The struggling Novosibirsk franchise lost to the Tigers (1:2 OT), Avangard (1:2 SO), Neftekhimik (0:1), and Salavat Yulaev (2:3 OT). Today’s game will be a great way to showcase the league’s potential in front of a new public. The 2026 KHL World Games will go on with a showdown between the Shanghai Dragons and Barys in two days.
14:30: Shanghai Dragons (21-28-12, 9th W) vs Sibir (25-28-8, 8th E)
About the game
The Shanghai Dragons, who defeated Sibir earlier in the season (3:0), play the first game of a two-match home series fresh off a win over Lada on Sunday (2:1).
Sibir enters the fourth game of a six-match road trip on a four-game losing streak.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Spencer Foo is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (4+2) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Shanghai Dragons: Jeremy Groleau, Ben Harpur, Andrei Kareyev, Patrik Rybar.
Sibir: Timur Akhiyarov, Arkhip Nekolenko, Valentin Pyanov.
Milestone alert
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Kirill Rasskazov may reach 100 career assists (currently at 99).
Shanghai Dragons’ goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th KHL shutout.
Sibir’s forward Taylor Beck may record his 400th KHL point (currently at 397).
Closing out an exciting matchday is a Western showdown between Dinamo Minsk and SKA. It will be the fifth meeting between the two sides in the current season, with the St. Petersburg franchise leading the series with three wins. The Belarusians enter today’s game after a shutout loss to Metallurg (0:3) in a night where nothing has clicked for the Bison, who however remained in second place in the Western Conference’s standings. After two consecutive losses, to Dynamo Moscow (1:4) and Lokomotiv (2:5), SKA bounced back with a big win over Barys on home ice (7:0). The St. Petersburg side is currently in seventh place, and may climb up in case of a win today.
19:30: Dinamo Minsk (37-17-8, 2nd W) vs SKA (32-22-7, 7th W)
About the game
Dinamo Minsk ends a two-game home series following a loss to Metallurg on Tuesday (0:3).
SKA starts a two-game road trip fresh off a win over Barys on Monday (7:0).
The season series between the two sides is 1-3 (2:3 ОТ, 1:4, 4:3, 3:4 SO).
SKA’s goalie Artemy Pleskhov is on a 73:34 shutout streak.
SKA’s forward Ivan Dishkovsky is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Dinamo Minsk: Ryan Spooner.
SKA: Igor Larionov, Trevor Murphy, Vladislav Romanov, Nikita Zaitsev.
Milestone alert
Dinamo Minsk’s goalie Vasily Demchenko may record his 30th KHL shutout.
SKA’s forward Mikhail Vorobyov may reach 200 KHL points (currently at 199).
