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Avangard hosts West leader CSKA on a four-game KHL Thursday
Four games feature on Thursday’s KHL schedule. West leader CSKA, on a four-game winning streak, visits Avangard for the first time after last year’s playoff series. Metallurg, top of the East, hosts second-placed Neftekhimik, which goes for its 500th KHL win, and Nikita Gusev is set for his 800th KHL game as HC Sochi faces Severstal. Also on the schedule, the Shanghai Dragons entertain Dynamo Moscow, with both sides on two-game winning streaks.
In Omsk, Avangard hosts CSKA, its opponent in three playoff series over the last eight seasons. CSKA swept the 2019 Gagarin Cup final, Avangard won the 2021 final in six games, and last spring the Hawks took their second-round series 4–1. That made it five home wins in five meetings with CSKA since January 2025. The Muscovites arrive as Western Conference leaders, with 34 points, and have won 16 of their 18 games since a 1–3 start, including the last four, in which they scored 18 goals. Avangard returns home after two overtime defeats, 2–3 at Lada and 1–2 at HC Sochi. They have also left head coach Guy Boucher on 99 KHL victories since the 4–0 win at Ak Bars on Oct. 28. With 22 points, Avangard is level with Avtomobilist on the edge of the Eastern playoff places.
The East’s top two meet in Magnitogorsk, where Metallurg looks to bounce back from its heaviest defeat of the season. Magnitka led CSKA 2–0 early in the second period on Tuesday, but conceded seven of the last eight goals in a 3–7 home loss. Neftekhimik’s recent road games have gone differently: the Wolves have won the last four while allowing four goals in total, the latest 2–1 at HC Sochi on Tuesday. Metallurg, whose 79 goals are the most in the league, has won both meetings this season. At home on Sept. 20, it trailed 1–2 after the first period before scoring five unanswered goals in a 6–2 win, and in Nizhnekamsk on Oct. 27, it let a two-goal lead slip in the third period before winning 3–2 in overtime. As now, seven points separate the teams in the Eastern Conference standings.
In Sochi, the Black Sea franchise welcomes Severstal with the two teams’ form pointing in opposite directions. HC Sochi has won four of its last six games, two of them on the road at Lada and Salavat Yulaev, after winning three of its first 16. It remains eight points behind Dinamo Minsk, which holds the last Western playoff place. Nikita Gusev has played a big part in the upturn: the forward, who made his season debut on Oct. 3, has assisted on eleven of the team’s 22 goals during his nine-game point streak, and all thirteen of his points this season are assists. Severstal, sixth in the West with 26 points, won the first meeting 3–1 in Cherepovets on Sept. 26. The Steelers scored 25 goals and allowed nine while winning seven straight games between Oct. 3 and Oct. 19, but have managed seven goals and one win in the six since, 3–2 in a shootout against Spartak on Oct. 29.
At the same time in St. Petersburg, the Shanghai Dragons host Dynamo Moscow, which they beat 3–2 in Moscow on Oct. 7. Dynamo’s last two wins, 2–1 over Amur on Oct. 28 and 4–0 at Dinamo Minsk on Sunday, both came in regulation, after a run of 16 games in which all three of the Blue-and-Whites’ victories came after 60 minutes. With 23 points, Dynamo is seventh in the West, one point ahead of the Belarusians. The Chinese franchise has 30, four fewer than leader CSKA, and has won both of its games since a 2–4 home loss to Barys on Oct. 30. On Sunday, the Dragons were 0–2 down to Salavat Yulaev before scoring three times in the third period, the last two through Canadian forwards Brett Murray, with 2:03 left, and Riley Sutter, on a power play six seconds from time. On Tuesday, they beat Severstal 3–1.
16:30: Avangard (10-8-2, 9th E) vs CSKA (17-5-0, 1st W)
About the game
Avangard starts a two-game home series on a two-match losing streak.
CSKA ends a three-match road trip on a four-game winning streak.
Avangard’s forward Joshua Leivo is on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that stretch.
CSKA’s forward Prokhor Poltapov had at least one assist in each of his previous three games, totaling five helpers.
CSKA’s forward Marat Khairullin is also on a three-game scoring streak, with 4 (3+1) points over that span.
Injury list
Avangard: Pavel Leuka, Nikolai Prokhorkin.
Milestone alert
Avangard’s head coach Guy Boucher may record his 100th KHL win.
CSKA’s defenseman Nikita Nesterov may reach 300 KHL points (currently at 299).
CSKA’s defenseman Robert Hamilton may record his 100th KHL point (currently at 98).
CSKA’s forward Pavel Karnaukhov may reach 100 KHL assists (currently at 99).
17:00: Metallurg (17-5-2, 1st E) vs Neftekhimik (13-7-3, 2nd E)
About the game
Metallurg, who defeated Neftekhimik twice earlier in the season (6–2, 3–2 OT), enters the second game of a three-match home series following a loss to CSKA on Tuesday (3–7).
Neftekhimik ends a three-game road trip on a two-match winning streak.
Metallurg’s forward Sergei Tolchinsky is on a six-game scoring streak, with 7 (1+6) points over that stretch.
Neftekhimik’s forward Artur Tyanulin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik may record its 500th KHL win.
19:30: HC Sochi (7-15-0, 10th W) vs Severstal (12-9-2, 6th W)
About the game
HC Sochi enters the third game of a six-match home series following a loss to Neftekhimik on Tuesday (1–2).
Severstal, who defeated HC Sochi earlier in the season (3–1), ends a two-match road trip on a two-game losing streak.
HC Sochi’s forward Nikita Gusev had at least one assist in each of his previous nine games, totaling eleven helpers.
Injury list
HC Sochi: Pavel Akolzin, Pyotr Andreyanov, Artyom Guryev, Cameron Lee.
Severstal: Nikolai Burenov, Yegor Graf, Timofei Davydov, Gennady Chalyi.
Milestone alert
HC Sochi’s forward Nikita Gusev lines up for his 800th KHL game. The 2017 Gagarin Cup champion is fourth in league’s history scoring with 270 goals and 491 assists.
HC Sochi’s forward Pyotr Khokhryakov may record his 100th KHL assist (currently at 99).
Severstal’s forward Nikita Popugayev may reach 100 points in the league (currently at 98).
19:30: Shanghai Dragons (14-5-2, 3rd W) vs Dynamo Moscow (9-10-5, 7th W)
About the game
The Shanghai Dragons, who defeated Dynamo Moscow earlier in the season (3–2), end a four-game home series on a two-match winning streak.
Dynamo Moscow enters the second game of a six-match road trip following two consecutive wins.
Shanghai Dragons’ defenseman Brennan Menell is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (1+3) points over that stretch.
Dynamo Moscow’s goalie Maxim Motorygin is on a 102:27 shutout streak.
Injury list
Shanghai Dragons: Nikolas Petan, Martin Frk.
Dynamo Moscow: Nick Merkley, Yegor Rimashevsky.
Milestone alert
Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Artyom Blazhiyevsky lines up for his 700th league appearance.
