Club Friendly· Season 2026
Irbis beat Sputnik Almetievsk 4-2 in Tatarstan derby at the TNA Cup pre-season tournament, powered by three power-play goals.
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow It Unfolded
Sputnik struck first. Vladimir Safonov opened the scoring at 13:30 of the opening period, converting on the power play with helpers from Vilen Taziev and Danil Fakhrutdinov after Irbis defenceman Konstantin Nikitin was called for hooking.
Irbis levelled before the first intermission. With Sputnik's Danil Fakhrutdinov in the box for delay of game, Askar Kamalov tipped in a point shot at 19:28 — the puck crossed the line with just 32 seconds left in the period. Islam Davletshin and Kirill Buzayev drew the assists.
Second period — Irbis take control
Irbis needed 1:50 of five-on-four time to grab the lead. Artur Gimadiev buried a feed from Andrey Dulnev at 26:44 after Nazar Kozulya was sent off for hooking. Dulnev then doubled the lead 14 seconds into another power play at 34:58, blasting home from the point after Timur Galimov's delay-of-game penalty.
The shots were 17-14 in favour of Irbis in the second, but the hosts made their chances count: both second-period goals came with the man advantage.
Third period — Sputnik push back, Irbis seal it
Sputnik pulled one back in a chaotic stretch of special teams. After a four-minute sequence of overlapping penalties — Andrey Dulnev called for slashing, Irbis for too many men, then a Sputnik minor — Timur Galimov scored at 46:34 on a four-on-three power play, assisted by Semyon Buss.
Sputnik pulled goaltender Danil Tychkin for an extra skater with 2:45 remaining, but Irbis defenceman Dmitry Khoruzhev fired into the empty net at 58:11 on the power play — Nikita Evseev was off for hand-passing — to make it 4-2. Artur Gimadiev recorded his second assist of the night.
The Turning Point
Irbis's second-period power-play double was decisive. After a 1-1 first period in which both teams traded one-timers with the extra man, Irbis's Dulnev and Gimadiev converted two separate advantages inside a 10-minute window, stretching the lead to 3-1. Sputnik never got closer than one goal thereafter.
Special-teams efficiency told the full story: Irbis went 3-for-7 on the power play (42.9%), while Sputnik managed 2-for-10 (20%).
Key Performers
Andrey Dulnev (Irbis) — One goal (the 3-1 strike on the power play) and one primary assist on Gimadiev's go-ahead goal. The defenceman quarterbacked the top power-play unit and logged heavy minutes.
Artur Gimadiev (Irbis) — Scored the game-winner at 26:44 and added a secondary assist on Khoruzhev's empty-netter. Two-point night in a pre-season statement.
Igor Saburin (Irbis) — The starting goaltender stopped 31 of 33 shots faced for a .939 save percentage, with Sputnik generating 33 shots on goal across 60 minutes.
Player of the Match: Andrey Dulnev (Irbis)
By the Numbers
Irbis outshot Sputnik 67-58 overall (36-33 on goal), but the underlying story was special teams. The hosts' 42.9% power-play conversion dwarfed Sputnik's 20%, and Irbis dominated faceoffs 37-28 (56.9%). Sputnik landed more hits (22-19) and blocked more shots (16-12), but finished with no takeaways against Irbis's three. Discipline was an issue for both sides: 20 penalty minutes for Irbis, 18 for Sputnik in a chippy derby.
What It Means
The result leaves Irbis with two wins in three games at the Kубок TNA, following a 7-1 rout of Reaktor on 15 August and a 2-1 loss to Avto on 14 August. Sputnik, who lost 7-1 to Avto the previous day, finished the tournament winless.
Both sides continue pre-season preparations for the 2026/27 OLIMPBET MHL season, which begins in September. Irbis's next fixture is scheduled for 18 August against Chaika at the Tatneft Arena in the final round of the TNA Cup. Sputnik face Avto on the same day.
Verdict
A convincing pre-season victory built on power-play execution. Irbis's special-teams edge and second-period burst proved too much for a Sputnik side that competed hard at five-on-five but couldn't match the hosts' efficiency with the extra man.
Match Events
Key match events between Irbis and Sputnik Almetievsk — 6 goals and 0 cards recorded during the match.
D. Fakhrutdinov
K. Buzayev
D. Khoruzhev
Power-play
Power-play
Power-play
Rivalry since 2016
Irbis vs Sputnik Almetievsk Head to Head Results· 48
Irbis and Sputnik Almetievsk have met 48 times — Irbis won 30, Sputnik Almetievsk won 18, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2016. Irbis leads the head-to-head with 30 victories from 48 meetings. A combined 238 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 4.96 per match (140 for the home side, 98 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 38 matches (79%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 47 games (98%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. The highest-scoring encounter finished 5–6 in 2016.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 17 Aug 2026