Week starts with home loss to Torpedo

29 September 2025

SKA started the week with a disappointing home loss to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, suffering a 2:5 defeat at the Ice Palace.

Nevertheless, our players will have the chance to avenge this result on Wednesday against the same opponents in Saint Petersburg.

Torpedo were rewarded for their strong start in the 14th minute, as Andrei Belevich tipped the puck over Yegor Zavragin into the right corner.

SKA responded well in the second stanza, though, equalising through Valentin Zykov at close range on the powerplay and forcing the away side into committing several fouls.

To their credit, Torpedo weathered the storm successfully, before taking the lead again in the closing stages of the period with Vladislav Firstov bundling the rebound home.

The same player would subsequently strike the dagger with the clock ticking down.

Nikita Smirnov initially equalised with a well-taken effort midway through the third frame. However, after Joseph Blandisi had been penalised for tripping, Firstov deflected a heavy slap shot under Yegor Zavragin's pads with the puck trickling over the line.

Only six minutes remained. Unfortunately for us, Torpedo calmly negotiated the concluding minutes of regulation time, securing their win with Vasily Atanasov catching Zavragin cold with a sneaky backhander from a seemingly impossible angle.

Torpedo iced it with Sergei Goncharuk's empty-netter in the dying seconds.

The second game between the two teams will be held on Wednesday at 19:30 local time.

Match protocol:

SKA - Torpedo - 2:5 (0:1, 1:1, 1:3)

Goals:

0:1 Belevich (Nardella, Voronin), 13.34

1:1 Zykov (Plotnikov, Vorobyov), 29.49 PPG

1:2 Firstov (Letunov, Zhuravlyov), 35.53

2:2 Smirnov (Goldobin, Plotnikov), 51.26

2:3 Firstov (Nardella, Sokolov), 53.40 PPG

2:4 Atanasov (Goncharuk, Letunov), 57.50

2:5 Goncharuk (Sokolov), 59.39 EN