With the NHL lockout over, some of Russia's biggest hockey stars are to return overseas soon. But Malkin, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk and Datsyuk still produced key performances for their teams in the KHL this week.

The New Year has brought the KHL new leaders, SKA Saint Petersburg.

Game Week 16 saw the Armymen victorious in both of their games, with nine goals scored. And two shut-outs for their netminder, Semyon Bobrovsky.

The Saint-Pete side went top of the league on Friday after thrashing Lokomotiv 4-0 on home ice.

Ilya Kovalchuk has got an empty-netter in that one as well as his 40th point in 34 games in the KHL.  

And after outclassing Neftekhimik 5-0 away, SKA are now four points clear of Cup holders, Dynamo Moscow.

Ovechkin and Co hosted Torpedo and it was the visitors who opened through Ruslan Zaynullin.

But it wasn’t enough to shake Dynamo’s confidence as the Blue-and-Whites stormed back after the first intermission to win it 3-1, with Alex the Gr8 scoring the winner and his 19th goal.  

Evgeny Malkin's has netted his second KHL hat-trick, helping Metallugh Magnitogorsk to a 3-0 win against Traktor Chelyabinsk.  

CSKA also topped Traktor this week, with in form Pavel Datsyuk bringing the Muscovites a 3-2 shootout victory.
 

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