Barys and Traktor face intriguing tests against Neftekhimik and SKA

It’s an exciting KHL Fridaym starting with Amur welcoming Lokomotiv in Khabarovsk, while Traktor faces SKA in Chelyabinsk as the St. Petersburg team returns from a nine-day break. In Astana, Barys looks to extend its winning run against Neftekhimik, and Lada closes out the action against CSKA, with four games promising plenty of intriguing storylines.

The matchday kicks off in Khabarovsk with a showdown between Amur and Lokomotiv. The Railwaymen started their Far East tour with a 2-1 win in Vladivostok, losing no time after a 0-5 heavy defeat to Barys. Lokomotiv remains at the top of the league’s standings, with only one loss in eight games, and one of the best defenses, with only 13 allowed goals. After a good start to the 2026-2027 campaign, the Tigers lost their latest couple of matches, to Severstal (1-4) and CSKA (0-2); today’s game will be for Amur a good chance to bounce back and gain a morale boost as the team currently sits out the playoff places in the Eastern Conference’s standings.

The matchday continues in the Urals, with Traktor hosting SKA. The Chelyabinsk side is still in last position in the East, but they had a sigh of relief on Sunday, when Traktor celebrated a much-waited win over Avangard (2-1), with Norwegian international Henrik Haukeland recording his first KHL win with a 21-save performance. SKA is doing much better. The St. Petersburg franchise will enter today’s game on a two-match winning streak after defeating HC Sochi (2-1) and the Shanghai Dragons (7-2), and is coming off a nine-day pause. Will this mean that they will be fresh for today’s contest or maybe the team lost some pace with Traktor taking full advantage? The crowd at the Valery Belousov Arena will be treated to an exciting game.

In Kazakhstan, Barys will seek yet another victory in a home game against Neftekhimik. After a huge win in Yaroslavl (5-0), Barys made another victim in Moscow, when the Kazakhs came out on top with a 4-1 triumph powered by a double by Garrett Pilon and a 37-save performance from goalie Andrei Shutov. However, Neftekhimik isn’t on bad form either. The Wolves did lose to Salavat Yulaev (0-2) and Metallurg (2-6), but bounced back quickly with a home win over Lada (7-2) as they are currently the third team in the Eastern Conference’s table. It will be an exciting game in Astana between two offensive teams which will want to win.

The action then moves to the Western Conference for a last game, with Lada hosting CSKA. The Togliatti side is struggling, with only one win in its first eight matches in the season, over Dinamo Minsk on Sept. 14 (4-2). Today, Lada will need to up its game to stand a chance against CSKA. The Muscovites are on a roll, with four straight wins, against HC Sochi (4-0), Torpedo (3-2), Admiral (4-3 SO), and Amur (2-0) – all on the road. After today’s game CSKA will fly back to the Russian capital, where the team will host SKA on Tuesday in a highly-anticipated matchup.

12:00: Amur (2-4-1) vs Lokomotiv (7-1-0)
About the game
Amur enters the fourth game of a five-match home series following two straight defeats.
Lokomotiv is in the middle of a three-game road trip and defeated Admiral on Wednesday (2-1).
Injury list
Amur: Alexander Dergachyov, Danila Galenyuk, Alexei Krutov, Yegor Rykov.
Lokomotiv: Maxim Beryozkin, Artur Kayumov.
Milestone alert
Amur’s defenseman Vyacheslav Voynov may reach 250 points in the KHL (currently at 249).
Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev may record his 40th career shutout, while Alexei Melnichuk may reach 10.

17:00: Traktor (2-4-0) vs SKA (5-1-0)
About the game
Traktor wraps up a four-game home series following a win over Avangard on Sunday (2-1).
SKA starts a three-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
SKA’s goalie Sergei Ivanov is on an 82:31 shutout streak.
Injury list
Traktor: Vitaly Kravtsov, Sergei Telegin.
SKA: Trevor Murphy, Linus Weissbach.
Milestone alert
Traktor’s defenseman Vladislav Valentsov lines up for his 300th league appearance.
SKA’s forward Daniil Aimurzin may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).

17:30: Barys (5-2-0) vs Neftekhimik (5-2-1)
About the game
Barys starts a two-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Neftekhimik starts a three-game road trip fresh off a win over Lada on Wednesday (7-2).
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik’s forward Rafael Bikmullin may score his 50th goal in the KHL (currently at 49).

18:00: Lada (1-4-3) vs CSKA (5-3-0)
About the game
Lada plays the lone home game of the series on a three-match losing streak.
CSKA wraps up a five-game road trip following four consecutive victories.
CSKA’s goalie Alexander Samonov is on a 63:44 shutout streak.
Injury list
Lada: Ivan Romanov.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s forward Denis Zernov may score his 300th career point (currently at 299).