Neftekhimik was the next opponent looking to snap CSKA's winning streak. Igor Grishin’s team sat third in the East, so they had to be taken completely seriously. Making his debut following the recent trade, forward Riley Sawchuk joined the CSKA lineup, skating on a line with Derek Barach and Dmitry Buchelnikov. Alexander Samonov was in net – as Army men head coach Igor Nikitin already mentioned, our goaltenders are strictly alternating this season.
Since Russia celebrates Father's Day on October 18, the game was preceded by a ceremonial puck drop featuring the fathers of five CSKA players. Andrey Karnaukhov, Daniil Nesterov, Alexey Okhotyuk, Vladimir Buchelnikov, and Vyacheslav Gamzin takes the ice. This ceremony emotionally boosted the CSKA, and it took less than a minute from the opening puck drop for our team to open the scoring. A heavy forecheck forces a turnover, Klim Kostin feeds Maxim Mamin from behind the net, and he buries it. Neftekhimik weathered the storm, stabilized their game, and fought back to tie it up. German Tochilkin scored on a rebound after the puck got loose in the slot. CSKA usually dominates the second period, and tonight's game was no exception. Prokhor Poltapov and Maksim Sorkin nearly duplicated their first goal: a pass from behind the net followed by a precise shot. Unfortunately, we couldn't capitalize on the power play, even though we cycled the puck well in their zone. The third goal came at even strength. Nikita Nesterov took a shot, the goalie spilled the rebound right in front, and Ivan Drozdov pounced on the loose puck. At the start of the third period, the Army Men essentially sealed the win. One goal was disallowed for offside, but our team launched another scoring attack right away. Ivan Patrikhaev’s shot put the goaltender in a tough spot. He couldn't corral the rebound, and Denis Guryanov poked it home from the slot. After that, CSKA comfortably sat on the lead and suffocated any chance of an opponent's comeback.
