KHL - 3 January 2021

3 January 2021

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk vs. Sibir Novosibirsk

These are two teams that are most probably out of the run for the playoffs. The hosts from Tatarstan are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with just 22 points to show from 40 matches, while Sibir sits five points behind the last playoff berth, but with already three more matches played than Barys in eighth position. Sibir will start a rare East-West road trip with S7 Airlines, formerly known as Sibir Airlines of course. After Nizhnekamsk, they will visit Yaroslavl and Mytishchi, where they will face Lokomotiv and Kunlun Red Star.

SBI8513 OVB 1700-1700 NBC A320 (02/01/21)

Salavat Yulaev Ufa vs. Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg

With most teams using relatively common airliners these days, Avto is probably the most extravagant traveling unit in the KHL at the moment. For their road trips they are using an Airbus A320 that was once destined to be delivered to the SAAD Group in Saudi Arabia and to date still retains the fancy livery from back then. The first trip of 2021 will take Avto to Ufa and then on to Moscow, where they will face CSKA before heading home to the Ural again.

MMM9671 SVX 1400-1500 UFA A320 VQ-BIS (02/01/21)

MMM9672 UFA 2122-xxxx MOW A320 VQ-BIS (03/01/21)

Airbus A320 M-YKDA, these days registered as VQ-BIS, seen at Basel-Mulhouse in March 2017

CSKA Moscow vs. Jokerit Helsinki

Jokerit is spending more time on the road than any other team this season, with two home matches already re-aligned with their road trips after two lengthy quarantine spells. Coming off a home win over SKA in late December, the Jesters will take on the other "army team", CSKA, in Moscow first up, before heading South to Sochi. They will travel on a Finnair A319, as usual:

AY7501 HEL 1500-1740 SVO A319 (02/01/21)

AY7503 SVO 2230-0110(+1) AER A319 (03/01/21)

HC Sochi vs. Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod

Torpedo may look relatively safe in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, but within only a few games, things may soon look very different. It is vital for them thus to pick up maximum points from the game in Sochi, where the home team is once again struggling. Torpedo is a rare team to travel with Gazpromavia this season, though the type of aircraft is not confirmed yet.

EDIT (02/01/21, 01.45h): The flight will be done by a Sukhoi Superjet.

4G131 GOJ 0940-1200 AER SU95 (02/01/21)

Dinamo Minsk vs. Avangard Omsk

They may be called Avangard Omsk, but of course they are based in Balashikha for the second of probably three or even more seasons. A new arena is being built in Omsk, but may not be open before 2022. As part of the "Far Eastern Division" (Chernyshev Division in KHL speak), Avangard has a heavy traveling schedule too though, and this time they move West to Minsk, before heading back to the mid-East for a game in Ufa, before returning to Greater Moscow again. They will do so with the backing of Aeroflot:

SU7310 SVO 1600-1730 MSQ A320 VP-BTA (02/01/21)

SU7312 MSQ 1030-1525 UFA A320 VP-BTA (04/01/21)