Shanghai Dragons vs Barys in second game of 2026 KHL World Games in China
Six games are on the KHL schedule today. Admiral and Neftekhimik meet again in Vladivostok, while Amur hosts Salavat Yulaev in a crucial clash for the Eastern playoff race. The action then moves to Shanghai, where the Dragons face Barys in the second match of the 2026 KHL World Games. Later, Lada welcomes Spartak, Ak Bars takes on Sibir in Kazan, and Dynamo Moscow closes the day against SKA.
In Vladivostok, Admiral welcomes Neftekhimik for a revenge match after two days ago the Sailors gave the Wolves a lesson with a strong, 7:3 home win. It was the third loss in a row for the Nizhnekamsk team, who remained in seventh place in the Eastern Conference’s standings, just three points above Amur. The Sailors will again play for the home crowd – they’ve already lost any hope for a postseason qualification and are the last seed in the East’s table.
09:30: Admiral (17-33-12, 11th E) vs Neftekhimik (30-30-3, 7th E)
About the game
Admiral enters the fourth game of a six-match home series following a win over Neftekhimik on Thursday (7:3).
Neftekhimik wraps up a five-game road trip on a three-match losing streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1-2 (2:3 SO, 2:4, 7:3).
Admiral’s defenseman Libor Sulak is on a seven-game scoring streak, with 10 (3+7) points over that stretch.
Neftekhimik’s defenseman Damir Zhafyarov had an assist in each of his previous three games.
Injury list
Admiral: Vladimir Bryukvin, Alexander Daryin, Mario Grman, Ruslan Pedan, Semyon Ruchkin.
Neftekhimik: Vladislav Barulin, Dinar Khafizullin, Raul Yakupov.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s forward Vyacheslav Osnovin may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
In the meantime, Amur hosts Salavat Yulaev. At one point, it looked as though the Tigers might catch up with Sibir and overtake them for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings. However, Thursday’s matchday dramatically changed the picture. Amur suffered a home loss to Salavat Yulaev, while Sibir secured a crucial road victory in the opening game of the 2026 KHL World Games in China, restoring a five-point cushion over the Tigers in the race for the playoffs. It was Amur’s first loss after three consecutive victories, and now reaching the elimination stage looks like a hard task to reach for the tigers. The Ufa team, who is fifth in the standings and secured a spot in the upcoming playoff, has now four wins in its last five matches and seems to be in better shape, but Viktor Kozlov’s men shouldn’t take anything for granted – it will be a battle in Khabarovsk as the teams clash again after only two days. It will be Salavat Yulaev’s last road game in the current regular season: after today’s match, the Ufa team will fly back as it prepares for the elimination stage.
09:30: Amur (24-31-7, 9th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (33-25-4, 5th E)
About the game
Amur enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following a loss to Salavat Yulaev on Thursday (1:4).
Salavat Yulaev wraps up a four-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 1-2 (4:2, 2:4, 1:4).
Injury list
Amur: Roman Abrosimov, Alex Broadhurst.
Salavat Yulaev: Alexander Chyorny, Prokhor Korbit, Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Evgeny Kuznetsov may net his 100th KHL goal (currently at 98).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov may record his 100th career assist (currently at 99).
The action then switches to China for the second clash for the 2026 KHL World Games in Shanghai. The games are being held at the Oriental Sports Center, an arena that has previously hosted the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships, the 2012 World Short Track Championships, as well as world-class tournaments in aquatic sports and esports. Barys will play the third of six games on their current road trip. The Astana side is currently on a five-game losing streak, with the most painful defeat coming on March 2 in St. Petersburg against SKA (0:7). The visitors have already lost any chance of reaching the playoffs and currently sit tenth in the Eastern Conference. A similar situation applies to the Shanghai Dragons, who are ninth in the Western Conference. Will the hosts be able to claim a victory during what is truly a “home” series and please the Shanghai crowd?
14:30: Shanghai Dragons (21-29-12, 9th W) vs Barys (18-33-11, 10th E)
About the game
The Shanghai Dragons, who defeated Barys earlier in the season (4:3 OT), end a two-game home series following a loss to Sibir on Thursday (1:2).
Barys enters the third game of a six-match road trip on a five-game losing streak.
Shanghai Dragons’ forward Riley Sutter is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Shanghai Dragons: Jeremy Groleau, Ben Harpur, Andrei Kareyev, Patrik Rybar.
Barys: Arslan Shaikhmeddenov.
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.
Barys’ goalie Nikita Boyarkin may dress for his 100th league appearance.
In Togliatti, Lada faces Spartak. Earlier this season, the hosts lost both head-to-head meetings with the Red-and-Whites. Four days ago, Togliatti defeated Ak Bars (5:3), which allowed them to remain in the penultimate place in the Eastern Conference, still ahead of HC Sochi. Spartak currently closes out the top eight, trailing Dynamo Moscow by two points. The Red-and-Whites have already secured their place in the playoffs, and the main question now is who they will face in the first round. The team travelled to the Volga region after a home loss to Avangard (1:4). The visitors continue to take the ice without head coach Alexei Zhamnov, who is recovering after undergoing surgery.
16:00: Lada (19-37-7, 10th W) vs Spartak (32-23-6, 8th W)
About the game
Lada enters the third game of a seven-match home series following a win over Ak Bars on Tuesday (5:3).
Spartak starts a three-game road trip following a loss to Avangard on Monday (1:4).
The season series between the two sides is 0-2 (4:5, 2:6).
Spartak's defenseman Dmitry Vishnevsky is on a four-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points over that stretch.
Spartak's forward Daniil Gutik is on a four-game scoring streak, with 6 (5+1) points.
Injury list
Lada: Tyler Graovac, Alexei Ozhgikhin.
Spartak: Brandon Biro, Lucas Lockhart.
Milestone alert
Lada's forwards Tomas Jurco and Andrei Obidin may reach 100 KHL points (currently both at 99).
Then, in the last Eastern game of the night, Ak Bars hosts Sibir. Despite their different positions in the standings, Sibir have managed to record two wins over Ak Bars in three head-to-head meetings this season. Yaroslav Luzenkov’s men arrive in the capital of Tatarstan from Shanghai, where they defeated the Shanghai Dragons in the 2026 KHL World Games. Their lead over Amur, who sit ninth in the Eastern Conference, has now grown to an encouraging five points. Ak Bars will be looking to bounce back from a road loss to Lada. Anvar Gatiyatulin’s team remains firmly in third place with 84 points this season, but may have lost its starting goalie Timur Bilyalov for a couple of weeks or more.
17:00: Ak Bars (38-16-8, 3rd E) vs Sibir (26-28-8, 8th E)
About the game
Ak Bars starts a three-game home series following a loss to Lada on Tuesday (3:5).
Sibir enters the fifth game of a six-match road trip after defeating the Shanghai Dragons on Thursday (2:1).
The season series between the two teams is 1-2 (4:1, 2:3 SO, 2:3 SO).
Ak Bars’ forward Kirill Semyonov had an assist in each of his previous three matches.
Injury list
Sibir: Timur Akhiyarov, Arkhip Nekolenko.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitrij Jaskin may reach 200 KHL goals (currently at 199).
Ak Bars’ goalie Timur Bilyalov may record his 40th career shutout.
Sibir’s forward Taylor Beck may reach 400 points in the KHL (currently at 397).
Then, in the last game of the day, Dynamo Moscow hosts SKA. Earlier in the current regular season, the Blue-and-Whites won two of their three head-to-head meetings with SKA. At the moment, Igor Larionov’s team is on a two-game winning streak, having defeated Barys (7:0) and Dinamo Minsk (2:1 OT). Vyacheslav Kozlov’s side will look to bounce back from a 0:4 loss to Avtomobilist three days ago.
The opponents are direct rivals in the Western Conference standings, occupying sixth and seventh place respectively. SKA is ahead, leading Dynamo by just one point, although the St. Petersburg side has played one game more. If he takes to the ice, SKA forward and captain Sergei Plotnikov will appear in his 1,000th KHL game – a remarkable milestone for the team’s leader.
19:30: Dynamo Moscow (34-23-4, 7th W) vs SKA (33-22-7, 6th W)
About the game
Dynamo Moscow is in the middle of a five-game home series and lost to Avtomobilist on Wednesday (0:4).
SKA wraps up a two-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
The season series between the two sides is 2-1 (2:1, 2:3, 4:1).
SKA’s goalie Artemy Pleshkov is on a 73:34 shutout streak.
SKA’s forward Matvei Korotky is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points over that stretch.
Injury list
Dynamo Moscow: Fredrik Claesson, Kirill Gotovets, Artyom Mikheyev.
SKA: Igor Larionov, Trevor Murphy, Vladislav Romanov, Nikita Zaitsev.
Disqualifications
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Artyom Sergeyev will serve the first of a three-game suspension.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin may record his 10th career shutout.
SKA’s forward Sergei Plotnikov may line up for his 1,000th KHL game.
