A light KHL Sunday brings three intriguing clashes

Admiral hosts Neftekhimik in the Far East as the Wolves play their second game in two days, while Sibir welcomes Western Conference leaders Lokomotiv in Novosibirsk. The matchday closes with Barys hosting SKA in Kazakhstan, where the home side looks to bounce back and SKA aims to extend its winning streak as three games are on tap today.

The matchday starts early in the Far East again, with Admiral hosting Neftekhimik as the teams collide for the second time in the season, with the Nizhnekamsk side claiming the first one. It will be the second game in two days for the Wolves, after yesterday’s win in Astana (6-3). The Wolves have currently two wins in a row, having also defeated Lada on Wednesday (7-3), and are currently the second team in the Eastern Conference’s standings, trailing only Metallurg, who also win yesterday (2-1 over Ak Bars). The Sailors have instead lost their last couple of outings, against West’s grands CSKA (3-4) and Lokomotiv (1-2), but retain a spot among the top eight in the East. Will Admiral take advantage of Neftekhimik’s tough schedule and a long flight overnight to reach Vladivostok?

Then, in Novosibirsk, Sibir hosts Lokomotiv. The Gagarin Cup champions lost to Amur on Friday (2-4) after their win over Admiral. Despite the setback, and two losses in the last three games, Lokomotiv tops the Western Conference’s standings with a two-point advantage over three tied clubs, CSKA, Torpedo, and SKA. Sibir instead enters into today’s game following a 2-3 SO home loss to Ak Bars on Thursday. Both teams will be hunting points, but Sibir at this point needs them much more to get back on track after a difficult start to the 2026-2027 campaign.

Closing out a light matchday is Barys hosting SKA. The Kazakhs lost to Neftekhimik yesterday (3-6), but in general are having a good season and are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference’s table. SKA is faring even better, and won its latest three matches, over HC Sochi (1-0), the Shanghai Dragons (7-2), and Traktor (4-3). With Barys willing to bounce back after the loss to the Wolves, and SKA in good form, the Kazakh crowd will be treated to a high-intensity game.

12:00: Admiral (2-4-2) vs Neftekhimik (6-2-1)

About the game

Admiral wraps up a five-game home series following two straight losses.

Neftekhimik, who defeated Admiral earlier in the season (2-1), is in the middle of a three-game home series and won its previous two contests.

Neftekhimik’s forward Ivan Nikolishin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (1+4) points over that stretch.

Neftekhimik’s forward German Tochilkin scored a goal in each of his previous three matches.

Injury list

Admiral: Mario Grman, Ivan Kulbakov, Kyle Olson, Artyom Pimenov, Vladislav Tsitsyura.

13:30: Sibir (2-4-2) vs Lokomotiv (7-2-0)

About the game

Sibir ends a two-game home series following a loss to Ak Bars on Thursday (2-3 SO).

Lokomotiv wraps up a three-game road trip after a defeat to Amur on Friday (1-3).

Injury list

Sibir: Maxim Osipov.

Lokomotiv: Maxim Beryozkin, Artur Kayumov.

Milestone alert

Sibir’s forward Mikhail Abramov lines up for his 100^th league appearance.

Sibir’s forward Stepan Nikulin may reach 100 career points (currently at 99).

Sibir’s goalie Anton Krasotkin may line up for his 300^th KHL game.

Lokomotiv’s goalie Daniil Isayev may record his 40^th career shutout, while Alexei Melnichuk may reach 10.

Lokomotiv’s defenseman Nikita Cherepanov lines up for his 700^th game in the KHL.

15:00: Barys (5-3-0) vs SKA (6-1-0)

About the game

Barys is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost to Neftekhimik yesterday (3-6).

SKA is in the middle of a three-game road trip and won its previous three matches.

Barys’ forward Vsevolod Logvin had an assist in each of his three previous games.

Barys’ forward Garrett Pilon is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points over that stretch.

Injury list

Barys: Madi Dikhanbek.

SKA: Trevor Murphy, Linus Weissbach.

Milestone alert

SKA’s forward Daniil Aimurzin may reach 100 assists in the KHL (currently at 99).