Dragons, SKA to face in St. Petersburg in the second matchday!
After yesterday’s Opening Cup game, the KHL season is about to start for another eight teams, Metallurg faces Ak Bars, CSKA welcomes Dynamo Moscow, Torpedo entertains Salavat Yulaev, and the Shanghai Dragons face off with SKA.
The top game of the second matchday will be Shanghai Dragons’ first official game in their new home and with their new look. The Chinese franchise changed its look and name this summer, other than relocating to St. Petersburg, and today the team will face SKA in an intriguing crosstown game as they elected SKA Arena as their home ice. The Dragons had a good showing at the recent Mayor of Moscow Cup, finishing in third place after defeating Dynamo Moscow in the bronze medal game (6:1). SKA’s preseason was a mixed show as the team is still adjusting to life under new head coach Igor Larionov, and the curtain-raiser in St. Petersburg promises to be an exciting game for fans of both sides. On top of that, SKA will miss two important pieces in the team’s defense in Andrei Pedan and Nikita Zaitsev. It will also be interesting to see Gerard Gallant’s first KHL game.
The second matchday of the season will start in the East, with Metallurg hosting Ak Bars. The Eastern classic matchup will see both teams in good shape for the start of the 2025-2026 campaign. Ak Bars had more points than everyone else in the preseason, with 11 in seven preparation games, with newcomer Mikhail Fisenko leading the way with four goals. Metallurg had four wins in six games, with Roman Kantserov being its top scorer. In KHL history, Ak Bars has 39 wins in the all-time matchup, with Metallurg being at 37.
In Moscow, the season will start in a bang, with CSKA facing Dynamo in the first derby of the Russian capital. The teams had very different offseason paths. CSKA dismissed its previous head coach Ilya Vorobyov and opted to sign back former Gagarin Cup winner with the team Igor Nikitin, who led Lokomotiv to triumph in 2024. The team also underwent a significant renovation of its roster, with bold signings in the offensive zone like Daniel Sprong, Dmitry Buchelnikov, and Nikolai Kovalenko. The latter was excellent in the preparation stage, helping CSKA win the Mayor of Moscow Cup, but now it’s time to bring his offensive skills to official games. Dynamo Moscow has also a very strong roster on paper, but may lack some depth. They signed two players off CSKA – Maxim Mamin and Fredrik Claesson, and that, joined with CSKA being forced to do without leader Maxim Sorkin, will add another layer of excitement to an already highly anticipated match.
The last game of the matchday sees Torpedo facing Salavat Yulaev. Both sides encountered difficulties this summer, with Torpedo rebuilding its team after dismissing head coach Igor Larionov, and Salavat Yulaev losing leaders like Joshua Leivo and Sheldon Rempal as its budget was significantly cut. Moreover, Torpedo only won one game in the preseason, with a 4:3 SO win over Avtomobilist in the last showdown before the home opener, finally ending Alexei Isakov’s wait for his first win as a KHL head coach. Salavat Yulaev also only won once – everything looks like it will be a long season for both sides.
14:30: Metallurg vs Ak Bars
About the game
Metallurg starts a three-game home series to kick-off its 2025-2026 campaign on home ice, while Ak Bars plays the first match of a two-game road trip.
Milestone alert
Metallurg may collect its 750th win in the KHL.
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitrij Jaskin may record his 300th point in the league (currently at 297).
16:00: CSKA vs Dynamo Moscow
About the game
CSKA kicks off its 2025-2026 path with a two-game home series, while Dynamo Moscow plays the lone road match of the series.
Injury list
CSKA: Yegor Fateyev, Danila Moiseyev, Maxim Sorkin.
Dynamo Moscow: Artyom Mikheyev.
Milestone alert
CSKA’s head coach Igor Nikitin is at his 550th game in the KHL regular season.
17:00: Torpedo vs Salavat Yulaev
About the game
Torpedo starts a three-game home series to kick-off its 2025-2026 campaign on home ice, while Salavat Yulaev plays the first match of a two-game road trip.
Injury list
Salavat Yulaev: Alexei Vasilevsky
Milestone alert
Torpedo’s forward Vladislav Firstov may reach 100 KHL points (currently at 98).
Torpedo’s forward Alexei Kruchinin may record his 100th assist in the league (currently at 98).
17:00: Shanghai Dragons vs SKA
About the game
The Shanghai Dragons commence their 2025-2026 path with the first match of a three-game home series, while SKA plays its first match of the season nominally on the road, with its second game being scheduled in Nizhny Novgorod. SKA will have its home opener on September 11, against Traktor.
Injury list
SKA: Andrei Pedan, Nikita Zaitsev, Ivan Zinchenko.
Milestone alert
SKA’s goalie Sergei Ivanov enters the season on a 62:04 shutout streak.
