Toros Neftekamsk vs CSK VVS

CSK VVS struck first. At 8:18 of the opening period, Rinel Fakhrutdinov finished from Ilya Kudryashov's feed at even strength to give the Samara side a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Toros registered 11 shots on goal in the first period but found Evgeny Kiselev in the CSK VVS net in good form.

Toros equalised early in the second. With Ilya Zharkov in the box for hooking, Dmitry Pykhtin redirected home at 22:18 off assists from Alexander Cherny and Artyom Nabiev — Toros' power play finally clicking. Then at 36:11, Artur Faizov put Toros ahead with an even-strength goal, set up by Timur Aplin, making it 2-1.

Toros controlled the third period but could not breathe until the final push. CSK VVS pulled Kiselev for an extra skater with under three minutes left, only for Artyom Nabiev to seal it at 57:35 on the power play, assisted by Pavel Volokitin, after Saveliy Sementsov was called for holding. The 3-1 scoreline was final.

Toros came out flat and trailed after the first frame. But a power-play equaliser 2:18 into the second period — Pykhtin's redirect on Cherny's feed — unlocked the game. Toros outshot CSK VVS 12-5 in the middle period and never looked back. Head coach Vladimir Potapov's message between periods clearly worked.

• Artyom Nabiev (Toros): One goal (the 57th-minute clincher) and one assist. Nabiev was involved in two of Toros' three goals in a standout all-round display. Player of the match.
• Nikita Bogdanov (Toros): The Toros goaltender stopped 28 of 29 shots faced (.966 save percentage) and did not allow a goal after the 8th minute, including a clean sheet across the final two periods.
• Artur Faizov (Toros): Scored the decisive 2-1 goal at 36:11 and provided relentless forechecking energy.
• Rinel Fakhrutdinov (CSK VVS): Scored the lone CSK VVS goal and was one of the few away players to consistently trouble Bogdanov.

CSK VVS outshot Toros 59-52 overall and put 29 shots on target to Toros' 28, yet lost 3-1 — a classic story of missed conversion. Toros capitalised on 2 of 4 power plays while holding CSK VVS scoreless in 4 attempts. The hitting count (24-18 in CSK VVS' favour) showed the away side's physical commitment, but discipline let them down: key penalties by Zharkov and Sementsov directly led to Toros power-play goals. Faceoffs were tight (31-29 Toros), confirming a battle of two evenly matched VHL rosters.

Toros finished their Almet Oilers Cup campaign with two wins from three games (6-1 vs Bars, 2-1 SO vs Neftyanik, 3-1 vs CSK VVS) — a promising return for their VHL preseason. CSK VVS went 1-2 in the tournament (5-4 SO win over Neftyanik, 0-1 loss to Bars, 3-1 loss to Toros) and will need to sharpen their defensive structure before the regular season.

Toros' next preseason fixture is unconfirmed at time of writing. CSK VVS will look to tighten their 5-on-5 play after conceding three goals in their tournament finale.

A deserved win for Toros built on a second-period surge and clinical special teams. CSK VVS competed physically and generated chances but lacked the finishing touch. Nabiev's two-point night underlined why he will be central to Toros' VHL campaign this season.