Torpedo vs SKA St. Petersburg Prediction 24 January 2026

🔴 With the arrival of Alexey Isakov, Nizhny Novgorod's Torpedo have become a more consistent team, as evidenced by their current 4th place in the standings. Their ongoing winning streak of five consecutive games is particularly noteworthy. Last Thursday, the "Avtozavodtsy" left no chance for the Shanghai Dragons on home ice, securing a 7-2 victory. Torpedo's average stats reflect 2.94 goals scored per game against 2.67 conceded. One of the major developments recently was a trade between Torpedo and Admiral. Dmitry Shugaev and Igor Geraskin joined the ranks of the Nizhny Novgorod club, while Ivan Kulbakov, seeking more playing time, moved in the opposite direction. The top scorer for the "Avtozavodtsy" is Yegor Vinogradov, boasting 14 goals and 24 assists in 48 championship games. 

🔵 Things aren't going as planned for Igor Larionov at SKA. Their current 8th place in the Western Conference standings is a testament to that. Reports suggest the head coach of the St. Petersburg club is looking to bring Mikhail Vasilyev into his staff, with whom he previously worked at Torpedo. However, this would mean parting ways with Vladimir Filatov. Recently, the "Neva Army Men" suffered another defeat at the hands of Spartak Moscow (1-2). Now, the head coach of the "Autoworkers" is facing significant criticism from the hockey community. Former referee Yuri Karandin commented on his work at SKA: “So far, nothing. Magnitka has a system, Minsk has one, even CSKA has one, though they're not having a consistent season. I don't see a stable system at SKA yet. In some matches, the St. Petersburg team pulls together, and then it's interesting to watch them play. But there are games where SKA seems disjointed. It’s clear that the team and coaches are on different paths, and they don't always intersect.”