31 January 2025

Before the Avangard vs. Barys Match

Barys kicks off their road trip with a matchup against Avangard.

In their previous game, Omsk's team suffered a home loss to Salavat Yulaev. Danil Bashkirov and one of the league’s top snipers, as well as Avangard's leading scorer, Reid Boucher (22+15), found the back of the net against Ufa. Goaltender Nikita Serebryakov stopped 26 shots. Head coach Guy Boucher noted that his team started playing 20 minutes later than their opponent.

After 49 games, Avangard has earned 53 points. Defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov (8+28) is the second-highest-scoring blueliner in this regular season. The team is currently dealing with several injuries—defensemen Sergey Boykov, Alex Grant, Alexey Solovyov, and Daniil Stepanov, along with forwards Vladimir Tkachyov, Nikolai Prokhorkin, and Michael McLeod, are all sidelined.

Last Sunday, Barys ended their losing streak with an overtime victory against Sibir (4:3). The star of the game was Nikita Setdikov, who recorded his first KHL hat trick. Viktor Antipin also scored his debut goal for Astana’s team, while Roman Starchenko, in his 850th KHL game, contributed two assists. Goaltender Nikita Boyarkin made 28 saves. Head coach Galym Mambetaliev stated that his players believed in victory until the end and managed to turn the tide of a difficult game.

Currently, Barys has 28 points after 50 games. The team’s top scorer, Anton Burdasov (12+5), remains sidelined. Maksim Mukhametov and Alikhan Asetov are still recovering from injuries. Beibarys Orazov has traveled to the Challenge Cup and will rejoin the team on Saturday. Additionally, in the upcoming games, the coaching staff will have to manage without 11 key players, as they are currently with the Kazakhstan national team.

In their head-to-head matchups this season, Avangard leads the series with two wins in three games (4:0, 3:2 OT – 0:1).

Match Start: Avangard vs. Barys – 18:30 Astana time.
Live Broadcast: Qazsport, KHL, and KHL Prime.

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