The 2023-24 KHL season headed into its All-Star break with a bang, with ten games on the schedule for Thursday, December 7th and several having significant impact on the standings. The proceedings started with Admiral Vladivostok avenging yesterday’s 4-3 shootout defeat to Amur Khabarovsk in a Far East rivalry matchup. The game at first was heavily tilted towards Amur’s side of the ice, with Admiral’s solid power play (ranked ninth in the league headed into the matchup despite their less than impressive record) taking advantage of open space which would help them out-shoot Amur 17-7 in the first period via dominance up a man and with the team also clicking on four-on-fours (yet not finding the back of the net) but would even out over time. The third period would have an apparent Amur goal waved off before Dmitry Zavgorodny would find the back of the net for Admiral with just over four minutes remaining, which was the difference maker in a 1-0 regulation win. Both team’s netminders put in an excellent performance (Igor Bobkov stopping 27 of 28 for Amur) but alas, Admiral would walk away with this one, with Vasily Demchenko registering the 30-save shutout.

In the next game on the schedule, HC Sibir Novosibirsk wound up defeating Barys Astana 5-1 in a game that began with them entering the first intermission up 4-0, having shot 4/15. This was crucial as some of the macro-stats in the first (13-13 faceoffs won and Barys’ 9-3 advantage in hits, for example, as well as the near identical time on attack – 4:36 for Sibir and Barys’ 4:41) could’ve lent themselves to a game that was much closer, but Sibir effectively converted almost all their high danger chances.

SKA Saint Petersburg would next take on Traktor Chelyabinsk in interconference action. Head coach Roman Rotenberg’s squad were notably without Devils prospect Zakhar Bardakov, as he had his jaw broken in their matchup against Avtomobilist. However, the team dominated Traktor throughout much of the matchup, outshooting them 15-2 in the first period, and would win 3-1 despite Traktor’s testing of G Nikita Serebryakov in the third period in a spirited comeback attempt. The most noteworthy performance came by way of D Alexander Nikishin (CAR, 69th overall, 2020) having an assist on Borna Rendulic’s goal and scoring the empty-netter to ice the game. Vladmir Alistrov also got on the board for SKA.

In a noteworthy Eastern Conference matchup, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg defeated Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3-2 in overtime, with ex-Merrimack College Warrior/Ottawa Senator Stephane Da Costa having an exemplary performance in which he tallied an assist and the OT GWG. In his post-game interview, the French national stated that he was grateful that the team seems to be trending in a better direction and that they are going into the break with a win. Perhaps they have something of a run in them in the back half of the year.

A marquee interconference game saw Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod defeat Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3-2 on the road. While Metallurg struck twice in the opening few minutes, the visitors would gradually climb back, striking twice in the second period and tallying the game-winner with a little over seven minutes remaining in regulation. Igor Larionov’s Torpedo squad would therefore get them two helpful points in the last game before the interruption in regular season action (with the regulation win also placing them ahead of SKA in the standings for fourth place on a tiebreaker), but also impact the Continental Cup race by handing a regulation loss which would be made very consequential by the results of the final two matchups on the schedule.

In the latest chapter of their most recent, surprising in quality return to the KHL from the VHL, Lada Togliatti defeated Eastern Conference foes HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 3-0. Their special teams were quite useful in this matchup as their penalty kill went a perfect 4/4 and their power play accounted for two of their three goals. Headed into the break, the Cinderella team is fourth in the East, level with Ufa at 50 points.

Interconference action between two good teams would yet again present itself on the schedule in a home game for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl against Ak Bars Kazan. The home team would enter the first intermission down 1-0 but would emerge victorious 3-1, as three players would have 1g-1a statlines, most notably homegrown talent and 12th overall selection in 2023 (Arizona Coyotes) Daniil But. Loko enter the break third in the West and fifth in the league/Continental Cup race, with 53 points.

In a comprehensive victory wherein they outshot their opponents 31-16, Sergei Fedorov’s CSKA Moscow team defeated Vityaz 4-1. All goals were scored on even strength, by four different goal scorers. While this one was nominally a gimme, it was beneficial for CSKA to get their forwards going and get the two points before the interruption in competitive play. They still do not have the most preferential seeding, being sixth in the West, five points behind Army Derby rivals SKA (with 46 points), but we shall see what’s in store for this streaky but high potential typical juggernaut in Russian hockey in the second half of the year after this satisfactory team win to leave off on.

At home in the Cherepovets Ice Palace, Severstal would force overtime but fall 2-1 in the shootout to Dynamo Moscow. This was a very competitive game in which many of the team stats were in close proximity to one another, but the favored opponent, who are one of the most dominant teams in the KHL this year, would emerge victorious with Nikita Gusev scoring the shootout winner. This would put Dynamo at the top of the West and Continental Cup race, but the permanence of this would hinge upon a rival’s results.

As it would turn out, Spartak Moscow (who I for a long time now have perceived to be the Gagarin Cup favorites) would rise to the occasion in their game against HC Sochi. While the visitors (sans PHI 2023 7th overall pick Matvei Michkov due to pneumonia – More on his status momentarily – and not getting much out of another key forward piece in the form of MIN 37th overall 2020 selection Marat Khusnutdinov, who was held shotless and pointless) made it a competitive game from beginning to end, Spartak would win 4-3 via multi-point games from forwards Pavel Poryadin, Andrei Loktionov, and Alexander Belyalev and D Joseph Keane. Nikolai Goldobin also tallied a goal for their forward group, as he continues the most impressive season of his professional career under the excellent guidance of head coach Alexei Zhamnov and assistant coach Alexei Kovalev. The excellent performance of this somewhat ragtag, economically paid core under a phenomenal coaching staff has the somewhat overlooked capital city franchise first in the West and the Continental Cup race headed into the All-Star festivities. They are a force to be reckoned with and appear here to stay.

With regards to young phenom Matvei Michkov, the picture isn’t entirely clear if he is going to come back immediately after the break. The expectation seems to be that he will most likely return for the five-game home series beginning December 26th, but his situation will be monitored to see what the timeline is really like. It is a shame that the prodigal talent has encountered yet another difficulty in his somewhat star-crossed career. I am sure, however, that he will come back determined and resume his individual dominance when his body is back at 100%.

With this, my coverage of the KHL will be put on pause until competitive matchups return. I may or may not provide some cursory coverage of the All-Star festivities, but I do not see it as imperative, as they will not have any bearing on the relevant narratives to this series even with the expansion of its scope. Rest assured, however, there will be plenty of content to fill the gaps in the form of more prospect profiles, historical retrospectives, op-eds, and contributions from my collaborators. The coming days will be just as fulfilling as usual, from a broader lens. The KHL journal will resume in due time.