SKA St. Petersburg vs Spartak Moscow Prediction 22 January 2026
📊 On January 22 in Saint Petersburg, SKA, struggling at home, will face a spirited Spartak, thriving on the road. Which streak will extend: a third consecutive defeat for the Petersburg side or a third away victory for the Moscow team? Let's delve into this classic rivalry between the two capitals and offer our editorial prediction for this KHL regular-season clash.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past five years, these teams have faced off 24 times, with the "Army Men" from Neva winning 16 matches and the "Red-Whites" claiming 8 victories. Notably, the last three head-to-head encounters have gone in favor of the Moscow side, with SKA failing to score more than twice in each of those games.
During the 2025/26 season, the teams met twice-Spartak secured a home victory in October (3-1) and followed it up with an away win in December (2-1).
Head-to-head statistics SKA St. Petersburg - Spartak Moscow
SKA St. Petersburg Team Overview
The team from St. Petersburg have had a disastrous start to their January home series, suffering defeats at the Ice Palace to KHL underdogs Sochi (1-2) and Dynamo Minsk (3-4). Igor Larionov's squad, after these two losses, have dropped to eighth place in the Western Conference standings with 53 points, falling behind their next opponents in terms of regulation wins (18 for SKA compared to 19 for Spartak).
Despite their precarious position in the standings, SKA boast one of the highest scoring rates among Western teams-averaging 2.96 goals per game. Only three clubs in the conference score more: Spartak and Severstal (both at 3.02), and Belarusian Dynamo (3.57).
Since the beginning of December, defenseman Trevor Murphy has been on SKA's injured list. The Canadian, who joined SKA before the season, will not be available for the match against Spartak.
Match Results: SKA St. Petersburg
Spartak Moscow Team Overview
If the hosts are left ruing their poor start to the home series, the "Red and Whites" are making a strong impression on the road. The Moscow team have clinched victory in four out of their last five away games. This interim success has even allowed Spartak to re-enter the KHL Power Rankings.
Moreover, Alexei Zhamnov's squad have been impressive in their recent away fixtures, averaging 3.6 goals per game. This is 20% higher than their season average. However, it's concerning that Spartak remain the only Western team with a negative goal difference, having scored 139 and conceded 145. Only three teams in the Western Conference have a worse goals-against record than the Moscow club, allowing an average of 3.15 goals per game.
Recently, Spartak bolstered their lineup by acquiring forward Daniil Gutik from Admiral Vladivostok in a trade. Gutik is the top scorer for the Far Eastern side this season, boasting 12 goals and 16 assists. Heading the other way are three players: defenseman Nikita Yefremov and forwards Yegor Chezganov and Daniil Usmanov. According to the KHL press service, Gutik hasn't yet been included in the "Red and Whites" roster, so it's uncertain whether St. Petersburg fans will see him in action on Thursday.
Match Results: Spartak Moscow
🏒 Projected Lineups
SKA: Pleshkov - Savikov, Phillips - Goldobin, Vorobyov, Khairullin
Spartak: Georgiev - Mironov, Kinn - Todd, Rubtsov, Ruzicka
🥅 Goaltenders
In recent matches, SKA have been splitting goaltending duties between Artemiy Pleshkov and Sergey Ivanov. The 23-year-old Pleshkov has posted a save percentage of 93.4% over 19 games, leading the KHL. Ivanov was in net during the home losses to Sochi and Dinamo Minsk.
Alexander Georgiev, who watched from the bench during the 3-1 victory over the Shanghai Dragons, leads the Moscow club in both save percentage (91.4%) and goals-against average (2.45). Artem Zagidullin earned high marks for his performance against the Chinese team, stopping all but one of the Dragons' shots with a save percentage of 97.4%.
Editorial Prediction
Recent clashes between SKA and Spartak in St. Petersburg have been lacking in goals, with 8 out of the last 9 encounters in the Northern Capital ending with six or fewer goals scored. In four of these games, the teams combined for just three goals.
Both the "Army Men" and Spartak are likely to secure playoff spots by the end of the regular season, so don't expect an all-out battle this time around. Statistically, both teams average about three goals per game, which forms the basis of our prediction: total under 6.5 goals.
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Betting Tips: SKA St. Petersburg - Spartak Moscow
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