Overview
- Metallurg crushed Sochi 6–1 on the road on December 17 in KHL regular-season play.
- Evgeny Kuznetsov scored his first goal for Metallurg, reaching the milestone in his 14th appearance after recording eight assists.
- The result reinforced Metallurg’s lead in the Eastern Conference with 55 points, while Sochi remain last in the West with 23.
- Sochi goaltender Ilya Samsonov said he received no offers from Metallurg and chose his current team to find motivation by helping a lower-ranked side after eight seasons in North America.
- Samsonov signed with Sochi in November despite Metallurg previously holding his KHL rights, and the teams next visit Traktor on December 19 and Barys two days later.