Canadian rivalry, comeback kings and a surprise leader
The first full week of the season left just one team undefeated in the KHL, and it’s probably not a line-up many would have picked before puck drop. The week also saw the first head-to-head meeting of Gerard Gallant and Bob Hartley, back-to-back comeback wins in Tatarstan and the emergence of a rising star in St. Petersburg.
Torpedo on top
Maybe being a KHL head coach isn’t as difficult as it looks? Alexei Isakov, in his first job in the league, has led Torpedo to the top of the pile. Four wins from four games has Nizhny Novgorod rocking, and after three victories at home, Sunday’s success at Spartak proved that Torpedo can do it on the road as well. It’s been exciting stuff, too, with all four games decided by a single goal, two of them in OT. Isakov’s men are the last remaining undefeated team this season.
Six shooters
The scoring race currently has a bunch of players tied on six points. Last season’s hot shot Josh Leivo got there in three games (he was suspended for two after missing last season’s closing ceremony) and has one goal and five assists. Sergei Goncharuk (3+3) has been a big factor in Torpedo’s fast start. Lokomotiv’s Alexander Radulov (3+3), Sochi’s Sergei Popov (2+4) and Traktor’s Pierrick Dube complete the pack. Dube’s four goals have him tied with Avangard’s Nikolai Prokhorkin at the top of the sniper chart. Prokhorkin claimed the first hat-trick of the season in Saturday’s win over Avangard
Gallant 1, Hartley 0
The battles of the Canadian coaches promise to be one of the more intriguing KHL sub-plots this season. Gerard Gallant, in his first weeks with Shanghai Dragons, had an early meeting with Bob Hartley, now at Lokomotiv – and shot down the defending champion in a 4-1 win. Despite allowing an early goal to Alexander Polunin, the Dragons roared back. Max Ellis kept up his goal-a-game start, and Riley Sutter scored his first in the KHL.
Comeback kings
It’s early days, but there are signs that Neftekhimik could be the team least likely to roll over when faced with adversity. The Wolves had back-to-back wins last week, and both saw Igor Grishin’s team come from behind. First, Dinamo Minsk blew a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 with Maxim Fedotov getting the winning goal. Then it was Lokomotiv’s turn. The defending champion led 2-0 and 3-1, but Neftekhimik recovered to win it 5-4 in overtime thanks to a Damir Zhafyarov power play marker.
Dishkovsky’s flying start
Not many pundits put a tick next to 22-year-old forward Nikita Dishkovsky’s name over the summer. The youngster had played his entire career in SKA’s system without getting near the first team. Nor had he been notably prolific in the VHL or the juniors, where his results were solid rather than spectacular. But Igor Larionov spotted something in the young right winger, and Dishkovsky has rapidly repaid that faith. Three assists against Traktor helped SKA to a first win of the season. Then, two days later, he scored his first two KHL goals to help brush aside Lada 6-1. This is a name you’re likely to hear more of in the very near future.
Youngest goalie ever
Dynamo prospect Vladimir Selivanov made history when he replaced Maxim Motorygin during a 4-7 loss at Avangard. Aged 17 years, 50 days, Selivanov became the youngest goaltender ever to play in an official KHL game. Despite the high-scoring game, the youngest let nobody down: Motorygin allowed six of Avangard’s goals and the seventh went into an empty net. Selivanov’ broke the record of Ilya Sorokin, who was 17 years, 156 days when he first played in the league.
Landmark moments
Defenseman Mikhail Naumenkov played his 700th KHL game on Sunday. The Torpedo blue liner featured in his team’s overtime win at Spartak. Previously he represented CSKA, Admiral and Salavat Yulaev. The same day saw Ak Bars forward Dmitrij Jaskin score in a 3-6 loss to Metallurg, bringing up his 300th point in the league. Jaskin has 184 goals and 116 assists. Earlier in the week, Vadim Yepanchintsev celebrated his 100th win as a head coach when Sibir defeated Admiral.
Coming up
The big game this week sees Lokomotiv travel to CSKA. The visit of the defending champion to Moscow would always be a headline grabber, but there’s extra spice this season following Igor Nikitin’s summer switch from Yaroslavl back to the capital. That brought Bob Hartley to Lokomotiv, and the two coaches will reprise their rivalry from the Gagarin Cup finals of 2019 and 2021. Nikitin’s team won the cup in the first meeting, with the Canadian enjoying a revenge triumph two years later. How will the 2025/2026 instalment start?
