Super Saturday against Spartak

Box-office ice hockey is on its way to the Ice Palace this evening, with SKA set to host arch-rivals Spartak in what promises to be a blockbuster battle.

INCONSISTENCY CONTINUES

Consistent at being inconsistent: that’s the best way to describe Spartak’s season so far. Stacked with firepower, the Moscow-based organisation are capable of scoring as many goals as they want on their day, but they’re all over the shop at the back and trade wins with defeats with alarming regularity.

The Spartak management recently made the decision to sack assistant coach Alexei Kovalev following a poor string of results. However, that call hasn’t had the desired effect, with Spartak currently occupying eighth place of the Western Conference with Shanghai hot on their heels. Furthermore, the Muscovites are coming into this afternoon’s duel on the back of three straight losses to Barys Astana (3:4 OT), Avangard Omsk (5:7) and fellow capital club Dynamo (0:1).

Rumours are beginning to intensify with regard to the possible sacking of head coach Alexei Zhamnov. And, given that Alexander Barkov – the boss of Spartak’s youth team – has been sent to Saint Petersburg to provide Zhamnov with extra assistance for their next three games, there may be some truth behind the rumours suggesting that panic is rising in the Spartak camp.

Experienced 29-year-old goalkeeper Alexander Georgiyev, who spent eight years in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks, joined Spartak in November with his new employers looking to rectify their problem of conceding far too often; letting in 123 goals across only 36 games isn’t something to be proud of. Former SKA goaltender Dmitry Nikolayev was indeed sent packing with Georgiyev arriving.

Nevertheless, despite their defensive woes, Spartak remain one of the league’s most dangerous attacking teams with their entertaining, swashbuckling approach. Moreover, with ex-SKA forward Ivan Morozov having now returned from a drugs ban, the Muscovites carry even more threat than when these two teams first met in Moscow in early October. Spartak won that particular game by a modest score of 3:1, scoring three straight after Valentin Zykov had initially given SKA the lead.

Taking into account that Spartak possess the KHL’s fifth best powerplay, it’s imperative that our players compete with discipline. On the other hand, however, today’s opponents have the championship’s second worst PK. Joey Keane is the one to watch at the blue line, while the likes of Adam Ruzicka, Mikhail Maltsev and Nathan Todd are always at the forefront of Spartak’s creative play in the opposing zone.

It is worth noting that key forwards Nikita Korostelyov and Pavel Poryadin haven’t been included in the travelling squad.

LEADERS*

GOALKEEPERS

Artyom Zagidulin: 25 matches, 10 wins, 88.7% save percentage, 3.57 GAA, 2 shutouts

Evgeny Volokhin: 4 matches, 1 win, 87.0% save percentage, 3.45 GAA

Alexander Georgiyev: 3 matches, 2 wins, 89.2% save percentage, 2.66 GAA

DEFENSEMEN

Joey Keane: 25 (4+21) points, -1

Daniil Orlov: 18 (4+14) points, -3

Andrei Mironov: 12 (4+8) points, -3

FORWARDS

Adam Ruzicka: 31 (13+18) points, -12

Nikita Korostelyov: 23 (13+10) points, -5

Nathan Todd: 23 (10+13) points, -8

*Only taking current Spartak players into account

SPECIAL TEAMS

PP

147 attempts, 40 goals, 27.2% conversion rate, 5^th place

PK

110 penalties, 29 conceded goals, 73.6% success rate, 21^st place

WHERE TO WATCH

Puck-drop is scheduled for 17:00 local time. You can purchase a live video broadcast on the KHL’s official website, whereas text updates are available on our official X account.