Before the Match: Kunlun Red Star vs. Barys

In the second game of their home series, Barys will face off against Kunlun Red Star.
The Beijing team enters the next round with four losses in their last five matches. In their previous game, Kunlun narrowly lost to CSKA on the road (2:3), with the decisive goal scored midway through the third period. For Kunlun, Jadon Halbgewachs and Tyler Graovac found the back of the net, while Kyle Keyser made 25 saves. Head coach Mikhail Kravets noted that despite an evenly matched game with similar shot and scoring chances, his team made one more critical mistake.

Kunlun has accumulated 30 points after 37 games. The team's leading scorer is Tomas Jurco (8+15), a player well known to Kazakh hockey fans. Young forward Semyon Sinyatkin remains sidelined with an injury.

Barys recently snapped an eight-game losing streak with a shutout win against Dynamo Moscow (2:0) on Tuesday. Anton Burdasov scored twice, becoming the first player on the team to reach 10 goals this season. He now ranks ninth among the all-time top scorers in KHL history with 218 goals. Nikita Boyarkin recorded 39 saves for his third shutout of the season, significantly improving his stats. Head coach Galym Mambetaliev praised the team's preparation during the break, noting they were ready to face a strong opponent.

Astana’s team has earned 23 points in 37 games so far. The team’s current top scorers are Anton Burdasov (10+5) and Alikhan Omirbekov (6+9). However, Alikhan Asetov will miss the game against Kunlun due to an injury sustained after setting a personal KHL scoring record in the previous match. On a positive note, Damir Zhafyarov is expected to return to the lineup after being out with a fracture since November 3.

The first meeting between Barys and Kunlun took place in October in Astana, where the Beijing team secured a 2:0 shutout victory.

The match between Kunlun Red Star and Barys is scheduled to start at 9:30 PM Astana time.
Live broadcasts will be available on Qazsport and KHL channels.

General Partner of HC Barys: JSC «Samruk-Kazyna» 

Partner of HC Barys: Tourism and Sports Industry Support Fund.

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