SKA - CSKA. Introducing the opponents

CURRENT STANDINGS

3. SKA, 37 matches, 21 regulation victories, 1 overtime victory, 1 penalty shootout victory, 9 regulation defeats, 1 overtime defeat, 4 penalty shootout defeats, goal difference 118-83, 51 points

2. CSKA, 37 matches, 24 regulation victories, 2 overtime victories, 2 penalty shootout victories, 6 regulation defeats, 3 overtime defeats, goal difference 121-75, 59 points

FORM

The Army Rivalry, rightly considered one of the KHL’s most exciting match-ups, will be staged for the second time in the 2020/2021 regular season after the two teams previously met in Moscow on October 16. CSKA emerged victorious in that particular game by a score of 3:1 with Kirill Marchenko scoring the only SKA goal.

This will be the teams’ first match since the international break which reached its completion on Sunday.

CSKA are once again experiencing a fantastic campaign. With 37 games in the books, the capital giants find themselves in second position of the overall standings, boasting 59 points on the board and having only conceded six defeats in regulation time. In the summer, head coach Igor Nikitin lost the services of leading lights such as Ilya Sorokin, Kirill Kaprizov and Mikhail Grigorenko to the NHL, but that hasn’t affected the 2019 Gagarin Cup champions at all. It’s also worth noting that SKA haven’t beaten CSKA at home in the regular season since August 2017 in a battle for the Opening Cup.

In excellent form, CSKA haven’t lost a single match on the road since a 3:4 setback to Dynamo Moscow on November 11, with the Army Men subsequently beating Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (4:2), Dinamo Minsk (5:1), HC Sochi (4:1), Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (5:1), Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (2:1) and Avangard Omsk (4:1) away from home in consecutive games. CSKA’s last three defeats to Spartak Moscow (3:4 OT), Sibir Novosibirsk (1:5) and Dinamo Minsk (2:4) were suffered in Moscow.

Forwards Konstantin Okulov (10+21), Maxim Mamin (13+14), Maxim Shalunov (12+11) and Anton Slepyshev (11+12) are enjoying particular productive seasons for CSKA, while Bogdan Kiselevich (4+11) and Mat Robinson (5+8) are their leading points scorers among defensemen. Former SKA defenseman Yegor Rykov (0+8) is on their books.

In the preceding three matches ahead of the Channel One Cup, SKA conceded a shock 3:4 penalty shootout defeat to Dinamo Riga in Saint Petersburg, comfortably beat Avtomobilist at home (7:2) and gained revenge over the former with a 4:1 triumph on Latvian ice. A victory in this match will shorten the gap against CSKA to only six points with our players currently occupying second spot of the Western Conference.

POINTS LEADERS IN LAST FIVE MATCHES

SKA

Vladimir Tkachyov: 7 (2+5) points

Andrei Kuzmenko: 5 (2+3) points

Igor Ozhiganov: 4 (2+2) points

CSKA

Maxim Mamin: 5 (2+3) points

Bogdan Kiselevich: 4 (1+3) points

Konstantin Okulov: 4 (1+3) points

Between the pipes, the experienced 29-year-old Alexander Sharychenkov has largely been the starting CSKA goaltender this season, having already competed in 25 matches and tallied a 91.6% save percentage, a goals against average of 2.07 and two shutouts. Lars Johansson (10 appearances, 92.1%, 1.70, 1 shutout) and Vsevolod Skotnikov (3 appearances, 91.7%, 1.94) - who is with the junior Russian national team in Canada for the upcoming 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship - have also played in league matches in the CSKA goal.

Magnus Hellberg, possessing a save percentage of 93.3%, a goals against average of 2.02 and one shutout, has participated in 12 matches to date for SKA. Alexander Samonov (9 appearances, 91.0% save percentage, 2.46) have also impressed recently, while 18-year-old Yaroslav Askarov (7 appearances, 96.2%, 0.96, 1 shutout) is with the junior national team in North America.

WHERE TO WATCH

The match at the Ice Palace is scheduled to begin at 19:30 local time. Match TV and Channel 78 will provide a television broadcast in Russia, whereas you can purchase a live video on the KHL’s official website worldwide. Text updates will be available on our official Twitter account.