Before the Ak Bars – Barys Match

Barys will continue their first road trip of the season in Kazan.

In their last game, Ak Bars defeated reigning Gagarin Cup champions Metallurg at home (2-0). Goals from Albert Yarullin and Artem Galimov (an empty-netter) secured the win, while Amir Miftakhov made 22 saves, extending his shutout streak to 104 minutes and 7 seconds. Head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin noted that the first home game of the new season was quite emotional for the team.

Ak Bars has earned four points in four games so far. The team's top scorer is newcomer Nicolas Petan (2+3). Another newcomer, Alexander Barabanov, along with Dmitry Yashkin, have both registered points in every game this season (both 1+3). Amir Miftakhov leads the league with a goals-against average of 0.96 and a save percentage of 96%.

Barys finally secured their first win of the season on Tuesday, defeating Avtomobilist 2-1 in overtime in Yekaterinburg. Kirill Savitsky (scoring his first goal of the season) and Michael McLeod scored the goals, both assisted by Roman Starchenko. Nikita Boyarkin made 36 saves. Young defensemen Beibarys Orazov and Aslan Zhusupbekov, both 19 years old, made their KHL debuts in the game. After the victory, head coach David Nemirovsky emphasized the importance of the win but acknowledged that the team still needs time to refine their system.

Barys has earned three points from five games. Michael McLeod (2+1) is currently the team's top scorer. Damir Zhafyarov and Viktor Antipin are likely to miss the evening’s game as they recover from injuries.

The Ak Bars – Barys match will begin at 21:00 Astana time.
A live broadcast will be available on Qazsport and KHL channels.

General partner of HC Barys – JSC "NWF Samruk-Kazyna"
Partner of HC Barys – KF "Tourism and Sports Industry Support Fund"

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