The busiest day. March 13 round-up
With nine games on Friday’s card, this was the most action-packed day of the KHL season. The focus was on the Eastern Conference, where Sibir and Amur are fighting for the last remaining playoff spot. And the outcome was inconclusive as both teams suffered overtime losses. Sibir fell at home to Metallurg, while Amur stumbled at Spartak. There were big victories for Avangard (6-1 vs Dragons), SKA (5-0 vs Severstal) and Admiral (6-2 vs Barys). Traktor came from behind to beat Torpedo in overtime, Dynamo recovered twice before winning a shoot-out in Ufa. Maxim Shalunov potted a hat-trick as Lokomotiv won 4-2 at Lada and Dmitrij Jaskin’s 200th KHL goal helped Ak Bars to a 2-0 win over Sochi.
Revenge win for Admiral
Admiral Vladivostok 6 Barys Astana 2 (1-1, 3-1, 2-0)
A 6-2 victory over Barys saw Admiral avenge its defeat 24 hours earlier and maintain its hopes of escaping last place in the Eastern Conference.
The first period was an even contest, with the teams trading goals midway through the session. Dmitry Timashov gave Admiral the lead, but Vsevolod Logvin’s solo effort tied it up.
Early in the second, Barys got in front. Tyce Thompson, yesterday’s game-winner, was on target again to make it 2-1. Again, the response was swift with Yegor Chezganov tying it up. Libor Sulak’s assist saw him establish a club record 10-game hot streak worth 4+10 points.
That 24th-minute marker saw the Sailors take control. By the midway mark the home team was up 4-2 on further goals from Pavel Shen and Vyacheslav Osnovin. Andrei Shutov came into the game in place of Barys starting goalie Adam Scheel.
The final frame saw Admiral close out the win with little drama. In the closing stages, Dmitry Zavgorodny added an empty net goal before Dmitry Deryabin completed the scoring.
Another point as Sibir edges towards playoff spot
Sibir Novosibirsk 1 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 OT (0-0, 0-0, 1-1, 0-1)
Unable to hold a lead against Metallurg, Sibir missed a chance to secure its playoff place on Friday. A home win here, coupled with a regulation-time loss for Amur at Spartak, would have ensured the Novosibirsk club completed the 2026 playoff contenders. Instead, the race goes on in the Eastern Conference.
Metallurg, which clinched top spot in the regular season standings during the week, has plans to give game time to players from the reserves. However, with today’s game having real significance in the playoff race, Andrei Razin sent out a strong team.
The teams played two goalless periods. These were not without incident, with both power plays looking sharp. For Sibir, Semyon Koshelev almost grabbed the opening goal when he leapt out of the penalty box, stripped Vladimir Tkachyov of the puck and almost scored on a counterattack. At the other end, Yegor Korobkin went close after a helpful bounce off the end boards.
The opening goal arrived in the 45th minute and it went to the playoff-chasing host. Visiting goalie Alexander Smolin’s positioning was questionable, and Alexei Yakovlev took advantage to find an open angle. However, the lead lasted barely four minutes. On a delayed penalty, Metallurg laid siege to Anton Krasotkin’s net and Luke Johnson forced home the equalizer.
In the closing stages Anton Kosolapov was denied a winner by the post. Sibir then had to deal with a major penalty for Andy Andreoff. He returned to the game a couple of minutes into the extras, but Andrei Churkin almost immediately replaced him in the box. And that power play proved decisive – Derek Barach’s one-timer settled the outcome for Metallurg.
Hawks savage Dragons in home finale
Avangard Omsk 6 Shanghai Dragons 1 (1-0, 2-0, 3-1)
Omsk hosted its final game of the regular season, and Avangard signed off in style with a comfortable 6-1 win over Shanghai Dragons. The visitor slumped to a fourth successive loss as a disappointing season for the new-look franchise winds down.
Avangard had Alexander Svitov back behind the bench, meaning Rafael Richer was asked to work from the upper tier of the arena.
It took time for the game to settle. Avangard looked livelier from the start, but the game got bogged down in battles for possession and there were few scoring chances. As the action warmed up, Spencer Foo went close to grabbing the opener for the visitor before Nail Yakupov made the breakthrough on the power play in the 15th minute.
Early in the second period, the Dragons had a big chance to draw level. Avangard took two penalties in a row, and Shanghai had 24 seconds of five-on-three. However, the visitor could not take advantage. The penalties kept coming, for both teams, and Nikolai Prokhorkin doubled the lead in the 34th minute during a spell of four-on-four action. Three minutes later, the forward got his second assist of the game as Slava Voynov added a third.
The final frame brought more goals. Giovanni Fiore made it 4-0, adding to his hat-trick in the previous game against Torpedo. Mike McLeod had a great assist on that play, and scored himself in the 52nd minute with Avangard enjoying a five-on-three power play. Between those goals, Shanghai managed a consolation effort: Kevin Labanc’s quality snipe robbed Nikita Serebryakov of a shut-out, but had little bearing on the outcome.
McLeod’s power play goal brought an assist for Damir Sharipzyanov, who collected his 65th point of the season to match Chris Lee’s record haul for a KHL defenseman. And there was still time for another power play goal six minutes from the end as Konstantin Okulov put away a rebound to seal a big win.
Fightback win for Traktor
Traktor Chelyabinsk 3 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 OT (0-2, 2-0, 0-0, 1-0)
Vasily Glotov’s overtime goal handed Traktor its second victory in 10 days over Torpedo. However, today’s encounter was far tighter than the 5-0 success in Nizhny Novgorod, with Torpedo opening a 2-0 lead before falling in the extras.
The visitor took the lead in the fifth minute. Mikhail Grigorenko gave away possession and Yegor Vinogradov got the better of Arseny Koromyslov and sent the puck to the slot for Vladimir Tkachyov to steer home. The forward, who captained Traktor last season, did not celebrate the goal on his former team. However, his current colleagues had more cause for celebration before the intermission when Andrei Belevich doubled the lead.
Traktor turned it all around in the second period. Grigorenko made up for his blunder on the the opening goal, firing home a Vitaly Kravtsov feed to reduce the arrears. Then Kravtsov himself tied the game after Grigorenko’s face-off win. Kravtsov’s two points in today’s game leave him just one shy of Anton Glinkin’s club record in the KHL.
The final stanza brought chances for either team to win it, but the two goalies came out on top. Tied at two, the game went to overtime. Yegor Korshkov had a great chance to win it for the home team when he found himself alone in front of Dmitry Shugayev. That opportunity went begging, but soon after Glotov raced clear to score the winner.
Gusev gives Dynamo the edge
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2 Dynamo Moscow 3 SO (1-1, 1-1, 0-0, 0-0, 0-1)
After some uncertain form this season, Dynamo looks to be finding its game at the right time. Today brought a third successive win, outlasting Salavat Yulaev for a shoot-out verdict in Ufa.
The home team, however, may be heading in the opposite direction. This was a third straight loss for Viktor Kozlov’s men. Both teams are locked into the playoffs, neither is likely to finish top four, but the contrasting momentum will be of interest to both sets of coaching staff.
It was Kozlov vs Kozlov behind the benches as well, with Viktor facing Dynamo’s Vyacheslav for the first time since he replaced Alexei Kudashov as the Muscovites’ head coach. The pair – not related – were team-mates when Salavat Yulaev won the Gagarin Cup in 2011.
The home team struck first, opening the scoring in the fifth minute through Sheldon Rempal. He managed to evade the attentions of the visiting defense before beating Maxim Motorygin with a backhander. Dynamo responded five minutes later through Dylan Sikura, who produced a similar goal at the other end.
The game opened up in the second period, but the result was the same: Salavat Yualev scored, Dynamo equalized. Yegor Suchkov restored the lead on the power play on 25:38, but this time it lasted less than a minute. The Muscovites got a PP of their own and Maxim Mamin celebrated a goal on his 600th KHL appearance, banging home Nikita Gusev’s feed to the back door.
Midway through the game Denis Yan had a third goal for Ufa. However, his counterattack was a fraction too quick; the forward strayed offside and the play was called back.
Neither team could win it in the third, nor in overtime. Instead, it went to a shoot-out, with both goalies in top form. After three saves apiece, the first round of sudden death saw Motorygin stop Rempal before Gusev beat Semyon Vyazovoi to win it for Dynamo.
Shalunov hat-trick stalls Lada
Lada Togliatti 2 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 (1-1, 0-1 1-2)
Maxim Shalunov scored three as Lokomotiv defeated Lada for the fourth time this season. Although the visitor got the lead midway through the first period, there was little serious danger for the Western Conference leader and Shalunov led his team to victory.
With top spot in the west secure, and no chance of catching Metallurg in the overall standings, Bob Hartley has been shuffling his line-up. Today, Artur Kayumov was the most prominent absentee, while Alexei Melnichuk continued in goal ahead of Daniil Isayev
Lada made a good start, pushing the visitor onto the back foot. That effort was rewarded after 10 minutes when Nikita Mikhailov found the net. Lokomotiv responded quickly, but Alexander Volkov’s goal on a rebound was ruled out when the video showed he had kicked it home. The Railwaymen looked most threatening on the power play, and late in the opening frame Shalunov tied it up when his team had a man advantage. Volkov picked up an assist on that play.
In the second period, Mikhailov was again the greatest threat for Lada. There was also a big moment when Maxim Belousov hit the post. But Lokomotiv steadily took control of the game and got in front when Maxim Beryozkin dished off a fine pass for Shalunov to pot his second.
Alexander Polunin extended the lead in the 47th minute, but the third period saw better play from Lada. The home team managed to get one back through
Andrei Altybarmakyan, keeping the game interesting until the end. However, the final word went to Shalunov. His hat-trick goal takes him to 30 for the season, improving on his own club record.
Landmark goal for Jaskin
Ak Bars Kazan 2 HC Sochi 0 (2-0, 0-0, 0-0)
Dmitrij Jaskin potted his 200th KHL goal and Maxim Arefyev celebrated his second shut-out of the season as Ak Bars had too much for Sochi.
The home team took control of this game in the first period, and never let go. Ak Bars outshot Sochi 15-5 and took a 2-0 lead to the intermission. In the 12th minute a fantastic stretch pass from Alexander Chmelevski released Nathan Todd to fire the opener over Pavel Khomchenko’s left shoulder. Five minutes later, a protracted spell of pressure on Khomchenko’s net brought a second goal, and a landmark for Jaskin. The Czech international finished off a Mitch Miller set-up to double the lead.
That effectively finished off the game. In the second and third periods, Sochi worked hard to try and find a way back, but lacked the necessary cutting edge. Arefyev finished with 28 saves to secure his shut-out; Ak Bars is assured of a top-three finish in the Eastern Conference.
Toothless Tigers beaten in overtime
Spartak Moscow 1 Amur Khabarovsk 0 OT (0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0)
Amur missed the chance to close the gap on eighth-placed Sibir after failing to win at Spartak. Ivan Morozov snapped a goalless tie in overtime, giving the Red-and-Whites a third victory in four games.
That means it’s as-you-were in the race for the last remaining playoff spot. Sibir is still five points clear of Amur, but now there are just three games left and the Tigers must win them all – and hope for assistance from Sibir’s remaining opponents.
The decisive moment came 42 seconds into the extras. Mikhail Maltsev moved into the Amur zone and played the puck back to the blue line. Morozov skated onto it, moved forward and fired a wrister to the top shelf while Daniil Orlov screend Maxim Dorozhko in the visitor’s net.
Spartak might have finished the job in regulation after a strong third period showing. Morozov himself hit the post, then Danil Pivchulin fired narrowly wide and Pavel Poryadin also dinged the iron.
Amur’s best chances came in the first period, when the Tigers outshot Spartak 11-1. Even then, though, it was noticeable that the home team had a solid share of attacking possession; the visitor’s willingness to shoot in improbably situations contributed to its lopsided count after 20 minutes.
As the game went on, Spartak’s own offense emerged as more of a force. And that brought its reward in the closing stages as the home team secured the win.
Five-star SKA smashes Severstal
SKA St. Petersburg 5 Severstal Cherepovets 0 (1-0, 3-0, 1-0)
Five goals brought a fifth straight win for SKA as Igor Larionov’s team picks up some momentum ahead of the playoffs. Today’s success, led by two goals from Marat Khairullin, sent Severstal to a fourth loss in five.
The first period was an even contest. However, SKA got the only goal of the frame in the 13th minute. Yegor Zelenov was the architect, cruising from end-to-end before setting up Rocco Grimaldi to score.
After the intermission, SKA took complete control. Three unanswered goals and a shot count of 17-4 spoke of the home team’s dominance. And that came after Severstal had an early power play. Markus Philipps jumped out of the box, got on the rush and made it 2-0.
Then came Khairullin’s first, also unassisted, before Scott Wilson added a fourth in the 29th minute. That chased starting goalie Konstantin Shostak from the net as Vsevolod Skotnikov replaced him. He kept his goal intact until the 57th minute when Khairullin potted his second of the game to complete a convincing win for SKA.
