Year-End Review

Admiral will wrap up the 2025 hockey year with games against Sibir. The matches will take place on December 26 and 28, with faceoff times set for 7:30 PM and 5:00 PM respectively.

Once again, the teams approach a head-to-head clash while sitting side by side in the standings. Since their previous meeting on December 19, nothing has changed in the table: Sibir are in 11th place, Admiral in 10th, both holding 30 points. The gap to the playoff zone remains four points. However, the Sailors have played two fewer games than their direct competitors for a spot in the top eight.

Both teams added to their point totals by defeating Amur, 4–2, while Admiral also came out on top in the head-to-head matchup with the Siberians, winning 3–2.

Admiral played their most recent game in Yaroslavl. The meeting with the reigning champions ended in a frustrating 2–3 loss. Summing up the game, Admiral’s acting head coach Ilnur Gizatullin remarked: “The game is there, but the result isn’t.” Indeed, the Sailors delivered a strong performance and even held the lead during the match. The outcome was decided by a bizarre goal that bounced off the boards and into the net in the 52nd minute.

Leaders

The Sailors’ most productive player on the road trip has been Nikita Soshnikov, who recorded a brace in the previous game. The forward has four points in his last four matches (2+2). The same total belongs to Sibir forward Taylor Beck (0+4).

Anton Kosolapov saw his three-game scoring streak come to an end in the previous match — a stretch during which he collected six points (4+2). Timur Akhiyarov ranks among the top five players in the regular season in blocked shots (93 in 34 games). Daniil Gutik leads the league in takeaways (31 in 36 games).

December Breakout

Anton Kosolapov has become one of the biggest revelations of December in the KHL. After joining Sibir in a trade from Torpedo, the forward began proving from his very first game that he was more than just a piece of the deal. In eight games for Sibir, he has already recorded 13 points — eight of them goals. Prior to that, Kosolapov had appeared in only four KHL games without registering a single point.

Making a real leap forward and reaching a new level is rare without a coach’s trust. In Kosolapov’s case, that trust has been there. Under Yaroslav Luzenkov, he won the Kharlamov Cup with Dynamo Moscow. Luzenkov knows the young forward well — especially his greatest strength: a powerful shot.

Kosolapov was given power-play time in his very first game, and he made it count by beating Avtomobilist’s goaltender with a pinpoint sniper shot from the left faceoff circle. At the moment, Kosolapov is Sibir’s main weapon — and the Sailors have already had a close look at him.

Head-to-Head

In the current season, the teams have played three of the six regular-season meetings scheduled. Admiral have won twice (2–0, 3–2) and earned one point after losing in a shootout (3–4 SO). Overall, the opponents have faced each other 42 times, with the Sailors claiming 18 victories.

Recent Games

19.12.2025 — Sibir vs Admiral 2:3
15.09.2025 — Admiral vs Sibir 2:0
12.09.2025 — Sibir vs Admiral 2:1 SO
02.02.2025 — Admiral vs Sibir 3:4 OT
24.02.2025 — Sibir vs Admiral 2:5