Ak Bars faces Avtomobilist, CSKA welcomes Admiral
Tonight’s KHL matchday features two key games. Ak Bars aims to rebound at home against Avtomobilist, who opened their season with a loss to Lada. Meanwhile, in Moscow, CSKA hosts Admiral after a dominant win against Dynamo Moscow. Admiral, fresh off a shootout victory over Shanghai Dragons, face the challenge of overcoming a tough CSKA side with a historical home advantage. Both games promise high intensity and an intriguing battle for early-season momentum.
After losing its first game to Metallurg, Ak Bars bounced back with a hard-fought, 2:1 win in Omsk. Grigory Denisenko scored his first goal with his new team and Mitchell Miller netted the game-winner after already scoring to Magnitka. Goalie Mikhail Berdin had a strong performance with 35 saves and perhaps will get the start in Ak Bars’ home opener tonight. Somewhat surprisingly, Avtomobilist started its season with a loss. In Togliatti, the Motormen allowed four goals to Lada, and a double by Brooks Macek wasn’t enough. Avtomobilist will chase its first win of the season in Kazan.
In the Western Conference, CSKA faces Admiral. The Muscovites had a strong home opener, defeating Dynamo Moscow 6:2 in the first derby of the Russian capital this season with six different scorers. The Sailors also collected a win in their first game in the 2025-2026 campaign, a 4:3 SO win over the Shanghai Dragons, with Igor Geraskin netting a spectacular short-handed goal and the winning shootout attempt. However, to achieve a win tonight, not only does Admiral need to punch above its weight against a strong opponent, but also go against history as the Sailors never won against CSKA in Moscow in KHL history.
19:30: Ak Bars (1-0-1) vs Avtomobilist (0-1-0)
About the game
Ak Bars starts a five-game home series following a road win over Avangard on Monday (2:1).
Avtomobilist is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Lada also on Monday (3:4).
Injury list
Avtomobilist: Curtis Valk.
Milestone alert
Ak Bars’ forward Dmitrij Jaskin may reach 300 KHL points (currently at 298)
Ak Bars’ forward Vladimir Alistrov may score his 100th league point (currently at 99).
19:30: CSKA (1-0-0) vs Admiral (1-0-0)
About the game
CSKA ends a two-game home series following a win in its home opener against Dynamo Moscow on Saturday (6:2).
Admiral is in the middle of a three-game home series and defeated the Shanghai Dragons on Monday (4:3 SO).
Injury list
CSKA: Danila Moiseyev, Maxim Sorkin, Vladislav Yeryomenko.
Milestone alert
Admiral’s head coach Leonids Tambijevs may celebrate his 100th win in the KHL.
