First game for Andrei Razin as SKA hosts Avtomobilist; three games on tap today

Andrei Razin has his debut with SKA in a home game against Avtomobilist after he parted ways with Metallurg in a light KHL Tuesday with only three games on tap. In Yaroslavl, Lokomotiv hosts Neftekhimik, and in Moscow, Dynamo meets Sibir. Several teams are seeking a return to win and it will be an exciting day in the KHL.

In Yaroslavl, Gagarin Cup champion Lokomotiv hosts Neftekhimik. The Railwaymen are doing fine in the current campaign, but are chasing CSKA in the Western Conference standings. After a 5-2 loss to Severstal, Loko returned quickly to winning ways with a 6-3 victory in Sochi, with three fast goals in the first period. Today’s opponent, Neftekhimik, continues a road trip started with a 4-1 loss in Moscow to table-topping CSKA. The Wolves face another difficult test, and have a chance to surpass Barys in second place in the Eastern table after the Kazakhs lost 5-2 to Amur yesterday. It will be the first meeting between the two sides in the current season.

Next up is a clash between Dynamo Moscow and Sibir. Both sides’ campaigns have been full of ups and downs. The Muscovites come from a trip to Togliatti, where they celebrated an extra-time win (2-1 OT). That was only their second win in nine games for the Blue-and-Whites, who remain a point outside the playoff spots. The Novosibirsk side is instead in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, but it can’t relax as only two points separate five teams. To add an extra layer of intrigue to the game, veteran imports Jordan Weal for Dynamo and Darren Dietz for Sibir may net their respective 100^th goal in the KHL.

However, the main event of the matchday is in St. Petersburg. SKA plays its first game under Andrei Razin in a home game against Avtomobilist counted for the First Teams’ Cup standings. After just eight wins in 15 games, SKA’s board ran out of patience and parted ways with Igor Larionov, hiring Metallurg’s former bench boss as the team’s new head coach. Razin, who led Metallurg to a Gagarin Cup in 2024, and also won Coach of the Year award, is taking charge of his sixth team in our league, having also coached Avtomobilist, Yugra, Admiral (albeit briefly), and Severstal. Known for his offensive style, emotional intensity, and a great eye for young players, it will be interesting to see whether Razin will be able to lead SKA to success with a team that has plenty of resources and several dangerous offensive players on its roster. The team enters today’s game on a five-game losing streak and will be looking for a win to shake things up and move up the standings. The Motormen are currently on a three-game losing streak and have fallen out of the playoff places in the East.

19:00: Lokomotiv (12-4-0, 2^nd W) vs Neftekhimik (9-6-2, 3^rd E)
About the game

Lokomotiv starts a five-game home series fresh off a win over HC Sochi on Saturday (6-3).

Neftekhimik is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to CSKA on Sunday (1-4).

Lokomotiv’s forward Alexander Radulov is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that stretch.

Neftekhimik’s forward German Tochilkin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.

Injury list

Lokomotiv: Maxim Beryozkin, Denis Romantsev.

Milestone alert

Lokomotiv’s forward Georgy Ivanov may reach 200 points in the KHL (currently at 199).

Lokomotiv’s goalie Alexei Melnichuk may record his 10^th league shutout.

Neftekhimik’s forward Andrei Belozyorov may record his 100^th career assist (currently at 99).

19:30: Dynamo Moscow (7-10-2, 9^th W) vs Sibir (6-8-3, 8^th E)
About the game

Dynamo Moscow plays the lone game of its home series after a win over Lada on Saturday (2:1 SO).

Sibir starts a four-game road trip after a loss to Barys also on Saturday (0-1).

Injury list

Dynamo Moscow: Yegor Rimashevsky, Nikita Tertyshny.

Sibir: Mikhail Abramov, Maxim Osipov, Daniil Valitov.

Milestone alert

Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin may record his 10^th career shutout.

Dynamo Moscow’s forward Jordan Weal and Sibir’s defenseman Darren Dietz may score their 100^th league goal (currently both at 99).

Sibir’s defenseman Ivan Mishchenko may deliver his 100^th assist in the KHL (currently at 99).

19:30: SKA (8-6-1, 8^th W) vs Avtomobilist (6-8-2, 10^th E)

About the game

SKA starts a four-game home series on a five-match losing streak.

Avtomobilist wraps up a four-game road trip after losing the previous three matches.

Injury list

SKA: Zakhar Bardakov, Trevor Murphy, Linus Weissbach.

Avtomobilist: Vladimir Galkin, Nikita Shashkov.

Milestone alert

SKA’s forward Daniil Aimurzin and defenseman Alexei Maklyukov may reach their respective 100^th career assist (currently both at 99).

Avtomobilist’s forward Alexander Sharov may record his 200^th KHL assist (currently at 199).

Avtomobilist’s goalie Evgeny Alikin may record his 30^th career shutout.