CSKA began its journey in the 2026 Gagarin Cup with a game against the SKA. Dmitry Gamzin started in goal; this was his first KHL playoff game. Forward Denis Zernov, who was injured in the game against Spartak, was not included in the squad, and Nikolai Kovalenko filled him for in the center, and his linemates were Alexei Churkin and Dmitry Buchelnikov. And Denis Guryanov moved into the top three with Pavel Karnaukhov and Ivan Drozdov.
The first period was tight and tense, as expected in the playoffs. At the start, CSKA players were more active in attack; they got to the crease well and created dangerous moments. Gradually, guests began to enter our area more often and bother Gamzin. Our goalkeeper neutralized Korotkiy's dangerous attack, and in one episode the crossbar helped Dmitry. The second period turned out to be much more eventful. The visitors opened the scoring, and the goal-scoring attack came out of nowhere. A puck release from the SKA zone unexpectedly led to Nikolai Goldobin's rush to the goal, and the forward took advantage of his chance. Our team bounced back thanks to a goal by Maxim Sorkin, who did everything himself. Vitaly Abramov threw the puck forward, Maxim picked it up, carried it to the crease and, after rebounding off a defender, hit the far bottom corner. Unfortunately, the score did not remain tied for long. The guests played the puck to a free Sergei Sapego who scored on a direct shot. Denis Guryanov could have scored from a great position, but the SKA goalkeeper Pleshkov saved his team. The third period didn't give the CSKA a good attacking opportunity for a long time. When it seemed that victory was slipping away, the army team finally brought the stands of the CSKA ARENA to boost them up. Our team went out to play with an empty net at six down the field, and this move was crowned with success after an accurate shot by Maxim Sorkin.
The game went into overtime, where CSKA had several great chances to score the winning goal. The puck kept bouncing around and around the SKA's goal, but couldn't get inside. We couldn't score in the power play either. And yet, the pressure from our team took its toll. Nikita Nesterov shot was decisive who scored his 60th point in the KHL playoffs and became the record holder among defensemen on this matter. We entered the series with a victory.
