03 November 2025

Before the Barys – Neftekhimik Game

In their first November matchup, Barys will face Neftekhimik. The previous meeting between the teams, held last week in Tatarstan, ended in favor of the Nizhnekamsk side (3–2).

After that success, the “Wolves” had a tough trip to Omsk, suffering a 1–2 loss. Danil Yurtaykin scored the team’s only goal against Avangard. Goaltender Filipp Dolganov stopped 19 shots on goal. That game marked the debut of Ivan Nikolishin for Neftekhimik, who had recently left Barys. Head coach Igor Grishin lamented his team’s poor power-play efficiency.

In 22 games, Neftekhimik have earned 23 points — currently the sixth-best result in the Eastern Conference. Four players share the team’s scoring lead with 16 points each, though the top scorer by goals is Yevgeny Mityakin (8+8). Defenseman Luka Profaka and forwards Alexander Dergachyov and Nikita Popugayev remain on the injured list.

In the previous round, Barys lost a high-scoring game in Chelyabinsk (3–6). The goals against Traktor were scored by Michael Vecchione, Jake Massie, and Tyce Thompson. Two assists each were recorded by Astana’s top scorer Riley Walsh (7+12) and Semyon Simonov. Head coach Mikhail Kravets noted that his team had struggled in first periods throughout the road trip, which often determined the outcomes of those games.

The Kazakh team has 19 points after 22 games, currently holding the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Over the weekend, newcomer Max Willman joined the club, while Alikhan Asetov was removed from the injured list. Both are likely to appear in the lineup tonight. Still unavailable due to injuries are Nikita Boyarkin, Maxim Mukhametov, and Emil Galimov. Defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon, who sustained a serious injury in the last game against Traktor, will soon join them in the infirmary.

The Barys – Neftekhimik game begins at 19:30 Astana time.
Tickets are available at the Barys Arena box office and online at hcbarys.kz/tickets.
The live broadcast will be available on KHL, KHL Prime, and Qazsport TV channels.

General Partner of HC Barys: JSC “Samruk-Kazyna”
Partner of HC Barys: Corporate Fund “Tourism and Sports Industry Support Fund”