Slender loss in goal-filled CSKA showdown

22 October 2025

A seven-goal thriller fell CSKA Moscow’s way in Saint Petersburg, as SKA conceded an avoidable 3:4 home loss in the first Army Rivalry of the 2025/2026 KHL regular season.

Just like in several recent games, SKA started well and had CSKA on the ropes, but a series of penalties resulted in another thoroughly disappointing defeat.

SKA quickly opened the scoring within the maiden three minutes.

Nikolai Goldobin took aim from a seemingly impossible angle, but his effort bounced in off unfortunate CSKA goalkeeper Dmitry Gamzin.

That goal provided SKA with a well-needed boost of positive energy.

Competing on the front foot for the majority of the opening frame, our players applied pressure on the Muscovites with their intense approach, protecting the puck inside the attacking zone and passing up a couple of promising opportunities with Valentin Zykov notably shooting wide when powering through.

CSKA’s first realistic chance was created shorthanded, as the onrushing Rhett Gardner could only fire into Yegor Zavragin.

A daft tripping penalty taken by Joseph Blandisi in the very first second of the second stanza opened the door for the league’s best PP team to equalise.

They duly took advantage of that opportunity, as Nikolai Kovalenko whipped past the stranded Zavragin into the far corner from the left circle.

Buoyed by that goal, CSKA went on to boss the period and began creating clear shooting lanes inside our zone with alarming regularity. To our dismay, their pressing eventually resulted in a second marker in the 34^th minute, with Ivan Drozdov bundling the loose puck over the line after Zavragin had failed to freeze the initial shot.

SKA thought that they had got back on level terms. However, following a video review which took place as a consequence of CSKA’s coach’s challenge, Marat Khairullin’s brilliant goal was disallowed for offside.

The Moscow-based organisation tallied a vital third goal in the second minute of the third period.

And it was one which Zavragin will want back, with the puck agonisingly looping up into the air and over the line after he had tried to save Colby Williams’ slap shot with his blocker.

It took a while for SKA to recover from that psychological blow. Nonetheless, Vladislav Romanov handed his team a lifeline midway through the stanza, intelligently tipped over Gamzin’s blocker to score his first KHL goal.

But, instead of building on that goal and generating positive moment, SKA struck themselves in the foot with two penalties taken by Khairullin and Andrei Loktionov.

The potent Daniel Sprong reinstated CSKA’s two-goal advantage, thumping a strong wrist shot in with Zavragin unsighted.

That proved to be the killer blow. After pulling Zavragin for the extra skater, Mikhail Vorobyov gave SKA late hope as he backhanded in at point-blank range, but CSKA did indeed hold on.

SKA will now prepare to host Sochi at the Ice Palace on Friday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

SKA – CSKA – 3:4 (1:0, 0:2, 2:2)

Goals:

1:0 Goldobin (Murphy, Grimaldi), 02.58

1:1 Kovalenko (Buchelnikov), 20.44 PPG

1:2 Drozdov (Karnaukhov, Sprong), 33.14

1:3 Williams (Sorkin), 41.53

2:3 Romanov (Phillips, Zykov), 49.28

2:4 Sprong (Nesterov, Guryanov), 51.42 PPG

3:4 Vorobyov (Plotnikov, Murphy), 58.45 EN

Goalkeepers: Zavragin – Gamzin