SKA St. Petersburg vs Severstal Cherepovec Prediction 18 February 2026
🔊 In-form SKA, coming off two consecutive shutout victories, host one of the Western Conference leaders, Severstal. The winning streak for the team from Cherepovets is notably more modest. Can Severstal defeat the St. Petersburg side for the first time this year? We break down this KHL regular-season matchup and offer a prediction for the game on February 18. Explore more at KHL.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the last five seasons, SKA and Severstal have faced off 16 times: the St. Petersburg club has claimed victory in 11 of those matches, while the Cherepovets team has won five. Notably, the last three encounters have gone in favor of the "Army Men from the Neva," including both games this season in Cherepovets (6-4 and 3-1).
Head-to-head statistics SKA St. Petersburg - Severstal Cherepovec
SKA St. Petersburg Team Overview
After a record-breaking streak of seven losses, the St. Petersburg side have lifted the spirits of their fans and silenced critics by winning five consecutive games. On the road, Igor Larionov's team outperformed Dinamo Minsk (4-3 OT), Severstal (3-1), Neftekhimik (5-1), Barys (5-0), and at home earlier this week, they routed Salavat Yulaev (4-0). The "Army Men from Neva" have gone 99 minutes without conceding a goal.
Despite this winning streak, it hasn't yet impacted SKA's standing-they remain eighth in the West with 64 points. However, one more victory could propel the team from Russia's northern capital to sixth place, currently held by Dinamo (66 points). They've also improved their goal difference, climbing to fifth in the conference for goals scored and allowed.
This past week, the injury list grew longer with Valentin Zykov and Joseph Blandisi joining Trevor Murphy, Nikita Zaitsev, and Igor Larionov. The Canadian is expected to return soon according to the medical staff, but the Russian will be sidelined for at least a few games.
Match Results: SKA St. Petersburg
Severstal Cherepovec Team Overview
The "Steelmen" ended their three-game losing streak before the All-Star weekend and have now secured back-to-back regulation wins for the first time in a month. They triumphed on the road against the Shanghai Dragons (3-2) and at home against Neftekhimik (3-1). These victories have allowed Andrey Kozyrev's squad to not only clinch a playoff spot but also climb to second place, surpassing Dinamo Minsk.
In terms of away performance, taking into account points lost, Severstal are the top team in the West. Over 27 matches, the Cherepovets side has accumulated 35 points, though in nearly three months, they've only managed to secure consecutive road wins once.
After their win over the Shanghai Dragons, Kozyrev made several lineup changes: Grigory Vaschenko and Makar Fomin replaced Timofey Davydov and Timur Karimov in defense, 19-year-old Ivan Okunev was promoted to the first attacking line, and Ilya Reinhardt and Danil Veryayev were reintroduced to the roster.
Match Results: Severstal Cherepovec
⚡️ Leaders
Marat Khairullin maintains his lead in SKA's scoring and sniper race with 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists). The KHL recognized the impressive play of 21-year-old Matvey Polyakov, naming him the Rookie of the Week after he recorded three assists in his last three games, averaging 18 minutes on the ice. Sergei Plotnikov continues his pursuit of the "250+ goals club," currently sitting at 249 goals in the league, ranking eighth in the tournament's history.
In the match against Neftekhimik, Daniil Kazulaev scored his debut KHL goal, marking only his third game in the league. Ruslan Abrosimov leads Severstal in points with 46 (22 goals, 24 assists), while Danil Aymurzin, Mikhail Ilyin, and Ioannis Kaldis are all vying for the top assister title with 25 assists each.
🥅 Goalkeepers
SKA's back-to-back shutout victories are credited to Artemy Pleshkov and Sergei Ivanov. Pleshkov handled 36 shots from Barys in Astana, while Ivanov stopped 35 shots from Salavat Yulaev in St. Petersburg. Pleshkov leads the league with a save percentage of 93.8%.
In Severstal's last two games, Alexander Samoylov has returned to guard the net. He made 29 saves in St. Petersburg (93.5% save percentage) and 26 saves at home (96.3%). Konstantin Shostak and Vsevolod Skotnikov, who had been filling in as the primary goaltender, have seen less action recently.
Editorial Prediction
In each of their five consecutive victories, SKA have scored at least three goals. Against Severstal, they have also netted at least three times in six straight head-to-head encounters. Since Samoylov's return, he has yet to face a formidable attack, with all due respect to the Shanghai Dragons and Neftekhimik-teams outside the top-10 in league scoring.
Igor Larionov, the head coach of the "Army Men from the Neva," has expressed his desire for the team to secure three consecutive shutout wins for the first time under his leadership. However, continuing their winning and high-scoring form is far more crucial. Therefore, we predict SKA's individual total goals over 2.5.
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Betting Tips: SKA St. Petersburg - Severstal Cherepovec
in 6 of last 7 home games against Severstal Cherepovec (KHL).in 9 of last 10 away games (KHL).in 7 of last 8 games (KHL).in 6 of last 7 home games (KHL).
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