Winning start for finalists, 100 goals for Kuznetsov. September 5 round-up

Both of last season’s Gagarin Cup finalists made winning starts to the 2026/2027 KHL campaign. Lokomotiv powered to a 5-1 win over Scott Gordon’s Traktor, while Ak Bars edged Sibir in a shoot-out. The latter game saw Evgeny Kuznetsov scored his 100th KHL goal, but it wasn’t enough to win it for Sibir. Avtomobilist head coach Alexei Kudashov masterminded a win over his former club Dynamo Moscow, a 17-year-old forward got the only goal in Torpedo’s victory at Spartak, and there were tight verdicts for SKA (4-3 OT vs Lada) and Salavat Yulaev (3-2 at Severstal).

Last year’s champ eases to opening-day win

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 5 Traktor Chelyabinsk 1 (2-0, 1-1, 2-0)

Defending champion Lokomotiv began the new season with an emphatic victory over Traktor – and it was a memorable opening day for 18-year-old forward Matvei Kotkov.

The teenager marked his KHL debut with the first goal of the 2026/2027 season, breaking the deadlock after eight minutes of Saturday’s opener in Yaroslavl.

Kotkov was the playoff MVP as Loko won last year’s Kharlamov Cup but did not find the net during six pre-season games with the first team. However, he picked the perfect moment to break his duck. Artyom Kuzin went behind the net and got the puck to the slot, Nikita Kiryanov helped it on, and Kotkov was in space in front of the net to bang it home.

That set up new head coach Dmitry Kvartalnov and his team for a dominant win. The Railwaymen doubled their lead just before the intermission when Giovanni Fiore, one of the few summer signings for Loko, applied the finishing touch to Alexander Yelesin’s point shot.

Traktor, with new head coach Scott Gordon behind the bench for the first time in the KHL, made a better start to the second period, helped by an early power play. The visitor also had some good fortune when Rushan Rafikov’s piledriver dinged the post and bounced to safety. Shortly after that, a quick counter saw Andrei Svetlakov halve the deficit: he rifled home a wrister from Mikhail Rolgizer’s feed, while Boris Kachouk marked his KHL debut with an assist.

But there would be no fightback. Maxim Shalunov continued to torment his hometown club, putting away a third goal late in the middle frame. That makes it 13 goals for Shalunov against Traktor.

It turned into a difficult debut for Norwegian goalie Henrik Haukeland, fresh from helping his country to a historic World Championship bronze last season. He wasn’t helped by his team-mates, who ran into penalty trouble before Maxim Beryozkin converted a five-on-three power play at the start of the third. And midway through the final frame, another PP saw Yegor Surin pounce on a rebound off the goalie’s pads to make the final score 5-1.

Kudashov gets better of former club

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 2 Dynamo Moscow 1 (2-0, 0-1, 0-0)

Alexei Kudashov enjoyed a winning start to life as Avtomobilist’s head coach – and celebrated a success against the team that fired him last November. For Dynamo, it was a disappointing start under the guidance of Leonids Tambijevs, appointed as head coach over the summer.

Kudashov’s men seized the early initiative, helped by getting the first power play of the game after just 58 seconds. Although Nick Merkley returned from the box three seconds before the opening goal, it was effectively the culmination of the home power play. Rubbing salt into Dynamo wounds, it went to Anton Slepyshev, who played for the Blue-and-Whites last season. He was in the right place to collect Anatoly Golyshev’s feed from the corner and rifle home a one-timer from the top of the circle after three minutes.

Midway through the opening frame, Avtomobilist doubled its lead with three summer signings combining. Ilya Karpukhin released Adam Ruzicka into the Dynamo zone, the Slovak forward dished it off to Alexander Barabanov on the right, and the former Ak Bars man’s pass to the slot bounced off a Dynamo skate and into Maxim Motorygin’s net.

Having built a handy advantage, the home team somewhat surprisingly chose to sit back in the second period. Dynamo looked to take advantage, enjoying the better of the play in the middle frame. It took time to get a reward, but in the 38th minute Nikita Tertyshny got the visitor on the board. Avtomobilist could not get to the puck after losing a face-off in front of Evgeny Alikin’s net, and Tertyshny found the net from close range.

That set up a final frame full of tension. Avtomobilist could not add to its slender lead and the closing stages saw constant Dynamo pressure. However, Alikin held firm in the home net to close out an opening-day win for the Motormen, getting the Kudashov era off to a bright start.

Milestone for Kuznetsov, but Ak Bars gets the win

Ak Bars Kazan 3 Sibir Novosibirsk 4 SO (1-2, 0-1, 2-0, 0-0, 1-0)

Last year’s beaten finalist Ak Bars had a difficult summer on the transfer market, seeing several leading players leave and adding relatively few replacements. Moreover, the most exciting of Anvar Gatiyatulin’s new acquisitions, American forward Kevin Hayes, has yet to join up with the team and was unavailable for selection today.

Sibir, meanwhile, secured the exciting capture of Evgeny Kuznetsov. He made his debut on Saturday, and scored his first goal for the club and 100th in the KHL.

That effort, which came late in the middle frame, opened a 3-1 lead for Sibir. Igor Korshkov retrieved Ivan Mishchenko’s shot from behind the net, and Kuznetsov found the net from a tight angle. The Big Bird took flight, and Ak Bars was in trouble.

But the home team rallied strongly at the start of the third, wiping out that two-goal deficit with two goals in barely a minute. Alexander Ivanov reduced the deficit on the counter, then, on 41:08, visiting goalie Mikhail Berdin once again spilled a shot into the path of an opponent and Semyon Terekhov made it 3-3.

Neither team could find a winner and the game ended in a shoot-out. However, Kuznetsov did not get the chance to show off his penalty shot skills. Sibir missed its first two attempts, while Alexander Chmelevski and Grigory Denisenko were on target to win it for the host.

Earlier in an entertaining game, Ak Bars took an early lead thanks to Artyom Galimov’s third-minute goal. But a penalty for Alexei Marchenko shifted the momentum. Taylor Beck converted the power play quickly, and the opening frame ended with Stepan Nikulin putting the visitor up 2-1.

But even after extending its lead, Sibir could not hold on and Kuznetsov’s debut ended in defeat.

Rodewald’s double sinks Severstal

Severstal Cherepovets 2 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 3 (1-2, 1-1, 0-0)

Veteran Vadim Shipachyov returned to his hometown of Cherepovets to make his competitive debut for Salavat Yulaev. Along with Ufa captain Grigory Panin, he was part of an elite group of players to feature in all 19 KHL seasons to date.

And Ufa’s golden oldies started with a win, thanks largely to two goals from Jack Rodewald.

Both teams were affected by injuries, meaning chances for new faces to impress. And Severstal saw two summer additions record their first points for the club inside four minutes when Nikita Artamonov and Yegor Graf set up Ilya Kvotchko’s opener.

The lead lasted just 63 seconds before Artyom Nabiyev tied the scores. Back on level terms, Salavat Yulaev enjoyed the better of the play in the first period. The reward came not long before the intermission when Rodewald put his first of the night past Alexander Samoilov.

A power play early in the middle frame brought the Canadian a second goal, finding the net just seven seconds after Semyon Chuklinov went to the box.

But midway through the session a Severstal PP saw Denis Yan tie the scores with a shot that looped off goalie Semyon Vyazovoi and into the net.

In the third period, Severstal chased the game hard. Much of the action was in front of Vyazovoi’s net and Salavat had to kill two more penalties. But there was no tying goal and the points went to Ufa.

17-year-old forward claims winner on debut

Spartak Moscow 0 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 1 (0-1, 0-0, 0-0)

A solitary goal from 17-year-old Sergei Skvortsov was enough to give Torpedo a winning start to the season.

The youngster, who was making his KHL debut in Moscow, was trying to get the puck to the slot from behind the net. The attempted pass bounced off

Andrei Mironov’s skate and found its way into Ivan Fedotov’s net late in the first period.

Although it was Skvortsov’s first goal in the KHL, it’s his second against Spartak in the space of a week. He was on target last weekend as Torpedo edged a 7-6 verdict over the Red-and-Whites in the Mayor of Moscow Cup.

The home team had grounds to feel aggrieved after enjoying the better of the first period. Spartak had 13 shots on goal, and saw a further 15 blocked but failed to get past Denis Kostin.

That pattern of play held up for the rest of the game, but Kostin finished with 29 saves to claim the first shut-out of the new season.

Battling Lada pushes SKA all the way

SKA St. Petersburg 4 Lada Togliatti 3 OT (1-2, 1-0, 1-1, 1-0)

Igor Larionov’s SKA was one of the talking points of the summer as the Petersburg club embarked on a rebuild. Saturday’s opening game against Lada ended with the expected home victory, but proved to be a closer contest than many might have anticipated.

SKA got an early lead thanks to Sergei Sapego, who opened the scoring in the seventh minute. But the home team trailed at the intermission on goals from Andrei Chivilyov and Riley Sawchuk as two of Lada’s leaders from last season might a bright start to the new campaign. Another key forward, Nikita Mikhailov, assisted on both plays.

Midway through the second, the host tied it up at 2-2. Sapego turned provider as Sergei Plotnikov scored; Nikolai Goldobin claimed his second helper of the night.

However, it still wasn’t plain sailing in Petersburg. Lada hung around and a power play at the start of the third brought Ben King his first goal in the KHL. The 24-year-old Canadian forward, who played most of last season in the ECHL, gave a first indication of what encouraged Togliatti to move for him over the summer.

Larionov’s redemption arrived thanks to a player who has been closely associated with him throughout his KHL career. Vasily Atanasov made his KHL debut for Torpedo under the current SKA head coach and established himself as one of Russian hockey’s brightest prospects. This summer he moved to join Larionov at SKA, and began repaying that faith today. Atanasov tied the game with five to play, then assisted as Matvei Korotky scored the overtime winner.