Severstal Cherepovec vs SKA St. Petersburg Prediction 5 February 2026
🔊 In the final game before the All-Star break, the Kontinental Hockey League sees a clash between this season's biggest surprises - Severstal, the second team in the West, and SKA, enduring one of their worst seasons in history. Can the hosts edge closer to the top spot in the conference? We break down this KHL regular-season matchup and offer a prediction for the game on February 5.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past five seasons, Severstal and SKA have faced off 15 times: Severstal claimed victory in 5 of those encounters, while SKA came out on top in 10. In November, the teams already clashed at the Ice Palace in Cherepovets, with the visitors securing a 6-4 win.
Head-to-head statistics Severstal Cherepovec - SKA St. Petersburg
Severstal Cherepovec Team Overview
Severstal, who are poised to make their sixth consecutive playoff appearance, have been unable to string together more than two consecutive wins since late November. However, they also haven't lost more than two games in a row all season. With 70 points, Andrey Kozyrev's team sits second in the Western Conference, trailing Lokomotiv by three points. Even a victory against the "Neva Army Men" won't allow them to overtake Yaroslavl before the "All-Star" break.
At home, the "Steelers" have been relatively consistent, twice putting together winning streaks of 4+ games. Recently, however, they suffered their worst defeat of the season, falling to Spartak (1-5) - and this was without their captain Adam Liska, who has joined the Slovak national team for the 2026 Olympic hockey tournament.
In Liska's absence, the coaching staff entrusted the captaincy to Ruslan Abrosimov. The departure of the Slovak forward necessitated a shuffle in the lines - Vladislav Tsitsyura joined Abrosimov and Chefanov, while Kirill Tankov was left out of the lineup, and Ilya Reinhardt returned to the squad.
Match Results: Severstal Cherepovec
SKA St. Petersburg Team Overview
Igor Larionov's team in Minsk snapped a dreadful seven-game losing streak (4-3 OT) - the first of its kind in the club's KHL history. In terms of points lost, the St. Petersburg side now surpasses Dynamo Moscow - a team also experiencing a slump (SKA with 56 points in 51 games versus Dynamo's 60 points in 53 games).
Thanks to their victory over Dinamo Minsk, the "Army Men from the Neva" improved their standing in the form table over a 10-game stretch, climbing from second-to-last to a more familiar eighth place. Forwards Matvey Polyakov and Nikita Nedopyokin shone in January's fixtures, earning spots in the KHL's Rookie Team of the Month.
Sergey Ivanov and Nikolay Goldobin returned to the ice in Minsk, both making it into the match's three stars. The forward, who missed two games, replaced league debutant Sevastyan Kapchuk in the lineup and for the first time since mid-January, finished with 2 points - 1 goal and 1 assist.
Match Results: SKA St. Petersburg
⚡️ Key Players
The top scorer for the "Steelmen" this season is the temporary captain Ruslan Abrosimov, who has racked up 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists). Meanwhile, Mikhail Ilyin leads in assists with 24. Alexander Skorenov has been on a roll, scoring points in five of the last seven games (4 goals, 3 assists).
For SKA, the most prolific player is Marat Khayrullin with 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists), though American forward Rocco Grimaldi is challenging him with his 12 goals. The leading playmaker for the St. Petersburg side is Mikhail Vorobyov, who has notched 22 assists.
🥅 Goaltenders
In the absence of Alexander Samoylov over the past month, the goaltending duties have been shared between Vsevolod Skotnikov and Konstantin Shostak. Against Spartak, the Russian conceded three goals in just 18 minutes, leading to the entry of the Belarusian netminder. Shostak managed to save 20 of 22 shots, maintaining a save percentage above 90%.
Sergey Ivanov stepped in for Artemiy Pleshkov against Minsk and delivered an outstanding performance. The 21-year-old goalie made a personal KHL record of 45 saves in regular play and stopped three more in the shootout. Ivanov has consistently kept his save percentage above 90% for six consecutive matches.
Editor's Prediction
This season, Severstal have suffered five defeats by a margin of three or more goals, and in each game following these losses, they have conceded at least twice before facing Spartak. This pattern occurred after a 2-5 defeat to Metallurg (they then beat Barys 3-2), a 0-3 loss to Dynamo Moscow (followed by a 3-6 defeat to the Kunlun Red Star and then a 5-4 OT win against Sochi), and a 1-4 loss to Avtomobilist (followed by a win over Lada 3-2).
Severstal struggle to quickly recover from heavy defeats and, despite their victories, they concede quite a bit. Moreover, SKA have scored at least twice in Cherepovets in 28 of their last 29 games there. The choice is clear - SKA's individual total over 2.
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Betting Tips: Severstal Cherepovec - SKA St. Petersburg
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