Loko lifts Opening Cup in a shoot-out

Yegor Surin scored the first goal of the new season for Lokomotiv, Pierrick Dube got his first in the KHL for Traktor, but the Railwaymen edged a shoot-out verdict in the 2025/2026 curtain-raiser in Yaroslavl.

Another trophy for Lokomotiv

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2 Traktor Chelyabinsk 1 SO (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 0-0, 1-0)

It took a shoot-out to settle the Opening Cup, with Lokomotiv edging past Traktor to lift the first trophy of the season. Pierrick Dube’s first KHL goal secured the visitor a tie in regulation, cancelling out Yegor Surin’s opener for the host.

But in the shoot-out – which reverts to a best-of-three format this season, rather than the best-of-five seen in recent years – Loko came out on top. Alexander Radulov set the tone when he converted the first attempt, Daniil Isayev denied Dube an instant response, then Josh Leivo and Maxim Beryozkin traded successful efforts before Isayev stopped Mikhail Grigorenko from extending the contest.

Since last season’s Gagarin Cup final, both teams have undergone change. For Lokomotiv, the playing staff is largely familiar but Bob Hartley has arrived as head coach in place of CSKA-bound Igor Nikitin. Traktor’s coaching staff is still headed by Benoit Groulx, but he faced his fellow Canadian today with a new-look roster following the departures of goalie Zach Fucale, defenseman Steven Kampfer and forwards Vitaly Kravtsov and Maxim Shabanov.

Early in the game, new goalie Chris Driedger got a lively reception from the home offense. He had to make a couple of big saves in the seventh minute, denying first Maxim Shalunov, then Yaroslav Likhachyov. Gradually, though, Traktor came into the game and the best chance of the opening frame went to star forward Leivo. Last season’s record-breaking goal-scorer with Salavat Yulaev was denied his first of the current campaign by the post.

The intermission saw Lokomotiv reset and the defending champion began the second period with the same intensity that it brought the opening shifts of the night. And this time, Traktor was unable to claw its way back into the game. Alexander Polunin dinged the piping and Driedger continued to impress. He stopped Nikita Cherepanov, Alexei Bereglazov and Beryozkin as Lokomotiv piled on the pressure but could not force a way through.

Lokomotiv’s second-period domination finally got its reward 17 seconds before the hooter when Surin claimed the first goal of the new season. The 19-year-old shot to prominence during last year’s playoffs, where for a time he partnered veteran Radulov.

Today, that partnership was rekindled, and after a Martin Gernat stretch pass, Surin was looking for his colleague at the back. However, Artyom Koromyslov got in the way, and the Traktor D-man managed to steer the puck past his own goalie to break the deadlock.

In the third period, Traktor took the initiative as it looked to find a way back into the game. Under Nikitin, Lokomotiv was noted for its ability to close out leads calmly in the final stanza; Hartley’s team found this more challenging. The visitor enjoyed more of the play and when Cherepanov was assessed a cross-checking penalty midway through the frame, Traktor tied the scores.

Groulx’s new-look strikeforce delivered its first scoring contribution to convert the power play. Leivo won possession on the boards and found Mikhail Grigorenko, who fired a cross-ice pass towards Dube. The Frenchman ripped a one-timer into the open corner of Daniil Isayev’s net to claim his first goal in the KHL.

Traktor had a further power play chance in the closing stages but could not take advantage. Then, in overtime, the visitor tested Isayev on a couple of occasions before having to kill a penalty to steer the game to a shoot-out.