Sputnik Almetievsk vs SKA-1946

SKA-1946 controlled the opening frame without fully dominating the scoreboard. The breakthrough came at 08:31 when Viktor Sulima collected a pass in the slot from Sergei Zatsepin and fired a one-timer through Sputnik goaltender Danil Tychkin, as Sulima later described it, "right through the five-hole." The visitors took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission despite being outhit 10-2 in the period.

Sputnik found their equaliser early in the second period on the power play. At 24:21, Artyom Karimov tipped home a point shot from Timur Galimov, with Karim Ismagilov also assisting, to make it 1-1 and briefly energise the home side.

The response from SKA-1946 was immediate and decisive. Just 63 seconds after Karimov's goal, Andrei Korablyov restored the lead on the power play, converting a feed from Egor Privalov at 26:24. Before Sputnik could regroup, Ivan Chervyakov made it 3-1 at 29:14, finishing a passing play from Makar Timashkov and Artyom Vilchinsky — also with the man advantage.

All three second-period goals came on special teams within a 4:53 window. Sputnik took three minor penalties in the frame (including a bench minor for too many men), and SKA-1946 made them pay on two of four power-play opportunities.

The second-period special-teams swing flipped the match. Sputnik had earned a power-play goal to level the score and had momentum, but they gave SKA-1946 two power plays in quick succession, and the St. Petersburg side converted both. The sequence — Sputnik goal, then two SKA-1946 power-play goals in 2:50 — effectively ended the contest before the third period.

• Viktor Sulima (SKA-1946) — Scored the opening goal at 08:31 and set the tone physically. In his post-match interview on the SKA-1946 official site, Sulima acknowledged discipline issues: "We'll discuss it within the team and cut out unnecessary penalties because they ruin the game."

• Andrei Korablyov (SKA-1946) — Tipped in the go-ahead goal on the power play at 26:24, immediately swinging momentum back to the visitors.

• Ivan Chervyakov (SKA-1946) — Sealed the result with the third goal at 29:14, capitalising on another power play to make it 3-1.

• Matvei Karbainov (SKA-1946) — Made 26 saves on 27 shots, posting a .963 save percentage. Sputnik managed only two shots on goal in the third period.

Player of the Match: Viktor Sulima (SKA-1946)

The shot totals (39-47 overall, 27-21 on target) suggest a more even contest than the scoreline indicates, but the underlying numbers reveal SKA-1946's control. Faceoffs went 37-22 in favour of SKA-1946 (a 62.7% win rate), giving them sustained offensive-zone time. The visitors also dominated hits 24-11 and committed fewer giveaways (13-20), despite racking up 12 penalty minutes to Sputnik's eight. The power-play count (SKA-1946 2/4, Sputnik 1/6) tells the decisive story: both teams spent significant time shorthanded, but SKA-1946's special teams were more clinical.

This was the opening match of the TNA Cup (9th edition), a six-team round-robin pre-season tournament in Kazan featuring Irbis, Avto, Chaika, Reaktor, Sputnik Almetievsk and SKA-1946. SKA-1946 — making their first appearance in this tournament — earned their first two points of the competition. Sputnik, who had lost both of their pre-season friendlies against Reaktor (1-4, 1-4) before this tournament, started the TNA Cup with a defeat.

Next fixtures: Sputnik Almetievsk face Avto on 15 August 2026; SKA-1946 play Chaika on 15 August 2026.

A composed, professional start to the TNA Cup from SKA-1946. Their second-period special-teams burst decided the game, but the underlying faceoff and territorial dominance suggests this scoreline fairly reflects the balance of play. Sputnik were competitive at even strength but the penalty kill let them down at a critical juncture.

All match statistics sourced from the MHL official game summary and the 1946.ska.ru match report.