The SKA Saint Petersburg return to SKA Arena with their season teetering on the edge, while Traktor Chelyabinsk arrive in Petersburg sensing an opportunity to deepen the crisis at one of the KHL’s flagship clubs. SKA have lost two straight and dropped to ninth in the Western Conference, outside the playoff places, after a 1-4 home defeat to Dinamo Minsk. Traktor, eighth in the East, are hardly in commanding form themselves, but they come with a recent head-to-head edge and a chance to compound the pressure on a wounded opponent. The chances give SKA a 49 percent likelihood of victory against Traktor’s 29 percent, with a level score after regulation time at 22 percent and a likely 3-2 scoreline in favour of the hosts.
SKA’s slide into unfamiliar territory
SKA are ninth in the Western Conference with 26 points from 25 games, a position that forward Rocco Grimaldi described bluntly as “terrible” after the Minsk defeat. The 1-4 loss was their second consecutive defeat and left them outside the playoff picture, a scenario almost unthinkable for a club of SKA’s resources and ambition. Head coach Andrei Razin has spoken about a “reset” for several players, and the forward lines have been shuffled repeatedly in search of combinations that click. Nikolai Goldobin, the team’s leading scorer before his hand injury, has returned to the lineup, but his presence alone has not solved the broader issues. SKA’s defensive structure has been porous, and their attacking play has lacked the cohesion that characterised Razin’s best teams.
Traktor’s mixed form and a costly collapse
Traktor sit eighth in the Eastern Conference with 27 points from 26 games, a record that reflects a team capable of competing but unable to string together consistent results. Their last outing was a 3-4 shootout defeat at Severstal, a game in which they led 3-0 after the first period and still managed to lose. Andrey Svetlakov, Boris Katchouk and Maxim Dzhioshvili scored in regulation, but the collapse exposed the fragility that has kept Traktor from climbing higher. Head coach Scott Gordon has acknowledged that his team “can play much better” and must do so. The Chelyabinsk side have taken eight of ten points in their last five games, a run that offers encouragement, but the Severstal loss was a reminder of how quickly momentum can evaporate.
The head-to-head leans toward SKA, but recent history is tighter
The historical record between these clubs is heavily weighted toward SKA, who have 21 wins in 38 meetings against Traktor’s nine. Across those games, SKA have scored 131 goals to Traktor’s 78. However, the recent trend is more balanced. The most recent encounter, in September 2026, ended in a 3-4 SKA victory in Chelyabinsk, but Traktor won the previous meeting in March 2026, 2-1, and SKA’s 5-2 win in September 2025 was followed by a 4-2 Traktor victory in March 2025. The head-to-head offers SKA a psychological edge, but it is not the overwhelming advantage the overall numbers might suggest.
Injuries and the lineup picture
SKA’s injury list is significant and has shaped their season. Linus Weissbach has been out since September, Trevor Murphy has not played for nearly a year and may be forced to retire, Andreas Johansson broke his leg in September and is out long-term, and Klim Kostin is sidelined for the remainder of the season. Scott Wilson has also been dealing with injury. The return of Goldobin is a boost, but the forward group remains stretched. Traktor have their own absences: Vitaly Kravtsov is recovering from an Achilles injury, Sergei Mylnikov is out for the season, and Artyom Nizameev and Sergei Telegin have also been unavailable. The goaltending situation has been unsettled, with Mylnikov’s absence forcing Traktor to rely on less experienced options.
The chances and the expected shape
The chances give SKA a 49 percent likelihood of victory, with Traktor at 29 percent and a level score after regulation time at 22 percent. The most likely score after sixty minutes is 3-2 in favour of the hosts. SKA’s path to victory runs through an early goal, a disciplined defensive performance and the kind of home-ice authority that has been missing for much of the season. Traktor, meanwhile, will look to Svetlakov and their transition game to exploit SKA’s defensive frailties and to capitalise on any anxiety in the building. Given SKA’s recent struggles and Traktor’s mixed form, a tight, nervy contest seems the natural expectation, with the hosts’ individual quality and home advantage likely to prove decisive — but only if they can rediscover the composure that has eluded them in recent weeks.
Preview prepared from the match data · 14 November