Yunost Minsk vs Vladivostok

Admiral dominated territorially from the opening faceoff, outshooting and out-chancing the Belarusian hosts, but Rostislav Zinovenko in the Yunost net kept the scores level through two periods. The first period featured an Admiral power play after Artem Kazaryan took a tripping penalty, but the visitors could not convert.

The second period followed the same pattern: Admiral pressing, Yunost defending deep and countering when possible, and Zinovenko making saves. At the other end, Arseniy Tsyba — one of only five Admiral players with any KHL experience from last season — had a relatively quiet night, facing limited clear chances.

With 2:13 remaining in regulation, the deadlock finally broke. Ilya Morozov, a defender playing in his first pre-season match for Admiral, fired the puck past Zinovenko off an assist from Kirill Fomin to make it 1-0.

Yunost pulled Zinovenko for the extra attacker in the final minute, but the gamble backfired. Admiral won a board battle, and Kirill Zhukov raced the length of the ice to score into the empty net at 59:45, with Maxim Musorov and Danila Khulapov collecting assists.

Morozov's 57:47 opener was the clear inflection point. Until then, Yunost's game plan — absorb pressure and rely on Zinovenko — was holding. Once Admiral scored, Yunost had to abandon the structure that had kept them in the match, and Zhukov's empty-net goal was the direct consequence of pushing for an equaliser.

The longer the game stayed 0-0, the more it suited Yunost. Admiral's inability to score through 57 minutes despite territorial dominance was a concern; the fact that they finally broke through was a relief for head coach Oleg Bratash, who fielded a heavily experimental lineup.

Rostislav Zinovenko (Yunost Minsk) — The Belarusian goaltender was the best player on the ice. He kept Yunost in the game for 57 minutes with a series of saves against a KHL opponent that outshot his side comfortably. The KHL match report noted he "played superbly" before being pulled for the extra attacker.

Arseniy Tsyba (Admiral) — The young Admiral goaltender earned a shutout in his first pre-season appearance. While not heavily tested, he was steady and composed when called upon, giving Bratash a positive goalkeeping takeaway from the match.

Ilya Morozov (Admiral) — The defender scored the game-winner, his first goal of pre-season, breaking the deadlock when it mattered most.

Kirill Zhukov (Admiral) — Added the insurance goal into an empty net, but his work on the forecheck to create the turnover that led to the chance was equally important.

The provider scoreline shows 0-0 after two periods and 0-2 in the third, but the underlying story was Admiral's territorial control. The KHL's official match report describes Admiral's "territorial and game advantage" as "very large," yet the scoreboard read 0-0 until the 58th minute. This was a game where the xG (had it been tracked) would have heavily favoured the visitors, but Zinovenko's goaltending kept Yunost in it.

Admiral's struggles to convert possession into goals despite 57 minutes of pressure is a pattern worth monitoring. The experimental lineup — featuring mostly newcomers and players on two-way contracts, with only five players who had any Admiral experience from last season — explains part of it. Bratash admitted as much by resting his one-way contract players, who cannot be involved in pre-season camps before 1 August under KHL regulations.

For Admiral, this was a functional start to pre-season. The result is secondary at this stage — Bratash used the match to evaluate trialists and two-way-contract players, seeing who might earn a spot in the KHL roster. The team finished last in the KHL's Eastern Conference in 2025/26, and Bratash has described the summer's recruitment as "frankly weak" with a playoff berth feeling like a distant target. Admiral continues their Belarus training camp, moving to Raubichi next.

For Yunost Minsk, the result was a narrow defeat against a higher-tier opponent. The defending Belarusian champions (2024) reached the Extraliga semi-finals last season before losing to eventual champion Metallurg Zhlobin. Pre-season form: Yunost beat Soligorsk Shakhtyor 3-2 on 18 July, then lost 2-3 to Novopolotsk Khimik on 24 July. This 0-2 loss to Admiral makes it two straight defeats.

The two teams had met only once before — Yunost won 4-1 in August 2024, also in Minsk.

A predictable pre-season result: the KHL side dominated territorially, struggled to finish, but eventually found two late goals against a well-organised Belarusian opponent. Zinovenko's performance was the main positive for Yunost, while Admiral will want to improve their finishing before the KHL season starts. The scoreline flattered Yunost for 57 minutes, then accurately reflected the balance of play.