High-flyers Come To Town – Kunlun Red Star

3 February 2025

After a high-scoring loss against Ak Bars, we’re up against more tough opposition in Mytishchi this week. Our two games bring Avtomobilist and Dynamo to town, both teams jockeying for position at the top of their conferences. And when those games are done, the focus shifts to Novosibirsk for the 2025 All-Star Game.

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (h), Feb. 4, 1930 Moscow Time

Last time out: we don’t often get a win over the Motormen, especially not in Yekaterinburg, so November’s shoot-out success was one to remember. We might have got it done in regulation, but a late goal cancelled out Spencer Foo’s opener. Undaunted, the guys finished the job in the extras with Luke Lockhart getting the shoot-out winner.

Familiar faces: Just the one, with Avtomobilist defenseman Jesse Blacker revisiting the club where he began his KHL career.

Setting the scene: It’s time for the Alexander Sharov derby! Our recently-acquired center lines up against his namesake on the Avto forward line in a clash that has TV commentators pulling out their hair. More seriously, there’s plenty at stake for both teams in this game. Avtomobilist moved up to second in the Eastern Conference at the weekend and has a realistic shot of overtaking Traktor at the top of the table if it can make the most of its four games in hand. Meanwhile, the Dragons need points to eat into the six-point gap between ourselves and the playoff places in the West.

The Motormen are in terrific form right now, and Sunday’s 4-2 win at Lada made it 10 victories in a row for Nikolai Zavarukhin’s men. There are no big surprises among the scoring leaders, with Stephane da Costa, Brooks Macek and Anatoly Golyshev out in front as usual. In recent games, though, Alexei Byvaltsev has gotten hot: he had three points in the win at Lada, and has 6 (3+3) from his last five games.

Dynamo Moscow (h), Feb. 6, 1930 Moscow Time

Last time out: We opened the season with a 3-1 win at Dynamo, getting our first ever regulation-time victory against this opponent. Then, on Dec. 1, Yaroslav Likhachyov’s debut goal earned us a point despite a 4-5 OT loss in Mytishchi.

Familiar faces: None, following the departure of ex-Dynamo goalie Konstantin Volkov to Lada.

Setting the scene: After welcoming the second placed club from the East, we take on a Dynamo Moscow team looking to secure a similar position in the West. Although it’s hard to imagine anyone overtaking…