NOVOSIBIRSK (Interstat) — Ak Bars Kazan will visit Sibir Novosibirsk on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, for a Kontinental Hockey League game at Ice Sports Palace Sibir in Sibir Arena. Ak Bars enters with a 5-3 record, while Sibir is 2-5. The teams met earlier this season on Sept. 5 in Kazan, where Ak Bars earned a 4-3 shootout win after Sibir forced overtime. Ak Bars will be the visiting team in the second meeting of the season.

Ak Bars most recently defeated Lada Togliatti 3-2 in overtime on Sept. 21. Timur Bilyalov made 29 saves on 31 shots in the win. Alexei Byvaltsev scored one goal on two shots and recorded one hit, while Grigory Denisenko had one goal, one assist, three shots and two hits. Bilyalov is the player to watch for Ak Bars. His recent appearances include a 29-save effort against Lada, 30 saves in a 2-1 win over Traktor Chelyabinsk on Sept. 9, and a 15-save shutout against Admiral Vladivostok on Sept. 7. He also made 28 saves in a 3-2 loss at HC Sochi, 27 saves in a 3-2 loss at Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, and 27 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss to Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Earlier this season, Ak Bars also earned wins over Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Traktor, Admiral and Sibir, with losses to Metallurg, Torpedo and Sochi.

Sibir most recently won 5-1 at HC Sochi on Sept. 20. Mikhail Berdin made 24 saves on 25 shots. Anton Kosolapov recorded two goals, one assist, three shots and one hit, while Darren Dietz added one goal, one assist, four shots and two hits. Berdin is the player to watch for Sibir. He has posted a 24-save win at Sochi, a 25-save shutout against Amur Khabarovsk on Sept. 10, and 21 saves in a 4-3 loss at Ak Bars on Sept. 5. He also made 22 saves in a 5-2 loss to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg and 18 saves in a 7-1 loss at Barys Astana. Sibir’s other results this season include a 4-1 loss at Dinamo Minsk, a 3-0 home loss to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, a 5-2 home loss to Avtomobilist, a 2-0 home win over Amur and a 7-1 loss at Barys. Ak Bars will visit Metallurg Magnitogorsk on Sept. 26, while Sibir will host Lokomotiv Yaroslavl on Sept. 27.

The game features two goaltenders who have seen significant work early in the season. Ak Bars has won five of its first eight games, and Sibir has won two of its first seven. The matchup in Novosibirsk will be the second meeting between the teams this season.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Ak Bars 3, Sibir 2.