As the KHL regular season reaches its final stretch, hockey fans are gearing up for an exciting week filled with pivotal matchups. On Thursday, March 20, 2025, three exciting games are scheduled that could shape the playoff picture. With teams vying for their best positions, every game holds significant importance.
First up, Avtomobilist from Ekaterinburg will host SKA from St. Petersburg at the UGMK-Arena. The match starts at 16:55 and will be broadcast live on the MATCH! channel. Avtomobilist is looking to regain momentum after a tough last round where they lost 1:4 to Salavat Yulaev, conceding two goals from top scorer Livo. Although Avtomobilist had an impressive stretch earlier in the season with an 11-game winning streak, they now find themselves facing five losses in their last seven matches. Currently, they sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and sixth overall, a contrast to their semifinal appearance in the previous season's Gagarin Cup.
Recent history is not in Avtomobilist's favor, as they fell 2:5 to SKA in their previous encounter. SKA, however, has had its share of ups and downs. After winning two Gagarin Cups in 2017 and consistently reaching the Western finals until 2023, they faced a setback last season, getting eliminated in the quarterfinals by Avtomobilist. This season, SKA has scored the highest number of goals in the league with a total of 231, but their penchant for conceding goals—200 this season—has kept them down in the standings, currently at 13th overall and 7th in the West. After a successful four-game winning streak, they stumbled against Traktor in Chelyabinsk, losing 2:4. Predictions for this match anticipate a tight contest, with TV Mag favoring SKA to narrowly defeat Avtomobilist 3:2.
Later on the same day, Torpedo from Nizhny Novgorod will clash with Severstal from Cherepovets at Nagorny Stadium, with a scheduled broadcast at 19:15 on MATCH!. Torpedo stands eighth in the Western Conference, but their position is fairly secure for a playoff spot, given the significant gap from Kunlun. However, recent performances have been disappointing, with only two wins out of their last seven matches. Historically, Torpedo has yet to break beyond the quarterfinals in the KHL playoffs, which adds pressure to this crucial match against Severstal.
On the other hand, Severstal is enjoying a breakout season, occupying the sixth place in the Western Conference. With a balanced goal difference of 194:194, the Cherepovets club has impressed fans but has struggled recently with six losses in the last nine games. However, their morale was lifted with a victory over Kunlun in a shootout (5:4) on Tuesday. As for historical context, Severstal reached the Russian championship finals 22 years ago but has since struggled to replicate that success. Predictions are slightly in favor of Severstal, with a forecast of 4:3 over Torpedo.
The next day, on Friday, March 21, the spotlight shifts to Moscow, where Dinamo will square off against Lokomotiv at the VTB Arena named after Arkady Chernyshev, with a broadcast at 19:25 on MATCH!. This clash will bring together the second-placed Dinamo and the league-leading Lokomotiv, with Dinamo trailing their rivals by 11 points.
Dinamo has been on a hot streak lately, collecting eight wins in their last nine games, including a recent 5:3 victory over Lokomotiv and a 4:3 overtime win against Avangard. Despite winning the Gagarin Cup in both 2012 and 2013, Dinamo has struggled to advance past the second round in recent playoff appearances. They have already triumphed over Lokomotiv twice this season, solidifying their challenge for the playoffs.
Lokomotiv has proven itself as the undisputed leader of the KHL this season, racking up an impressive total of 100 points, which ensures them victory in the tournament's first stage and ownership of the Continental Cup. With a remarkable victory streak of 11 wins during the previous months, their form has fluctuated this spring, and after a recent shootout loss to Neftekhimik, they returned to winning ways against Admiral and CSKA with scores of 4:1 and 3:1, respectively. Lokomotiv's illustrious history includes three championship titles, notably in 1997, 2002, and 2003, yet they are still in search of their first Gagarin Cup trophy, having only reached the finals twice. TV Mag predicts Dinamo to continue their good run against Lokomotiv, forecasting a 3:2 win for the home team.
As the KHL season progresses, the upcoming games are set to be thrilling spectacles. Fans eagerly await to see how the playoff picture shapes up with the results of these crucial matchups, where teams must harness their momentum or face the possibility of missing out on their championship aspirations.
