Neftekhimik 3–4 Admiral 10/29/2026
29.10.2026
Neftekhimik lost to Admiral 3–4.
The opening period turned out to be a real test for Neftekhimik. The game did not follow the usual pattern from the first minutes, and Neftekhimik found itself fighting less for the initiative than for a way back into the game.True to their role as the home team, Neftekhimik had no intention of giving up territory easily; early on, they launched several sharp raids toward Admiral’s net, showing their usual intensity and desire to dictate the terms. Yet it was the visitors who struck first. Admiral played with cool composure: on their first serious attack, they moved the puck calmly and confidently inside the Neftekhimik zone, never letting their opponents disrupt their rhythm. That well-executed sequence ended with a precise shot by Ivan Muranov.
Things became even harder a minute later. Neftekhimik earned a power play and, naturally, threw everything into storming Nikita Boyarkin’s net. But in chasing a goal, the team became too attack-minded, and Admiral ruthlessly punished that lapse – a second puck found its way into the hosts’ net. All of this happened before the five-minute mark.
Such a rapid-fire start might have rattled any team, but the "Wolves" were truly ignited. From that moment on, they significantly raised their aggression, giving Admiral no comfort in moving the puck. Neftekhimik went on to enjoy three more power-play opportunities, creating a series of dangerous chances in front of Boyarkin’s net. Yet no matter how hard the hosts tried, the puck simply refused to go in. Neftekhimik came out for the second period with intense focus, as if shaking off the lethargy of the opening frame and returning to their best form.
That mindset quickly paid off. Early in the period, Yevgeny Mityakin started an attack that Artur Tyanulin carried forward. Reading the play perfectly, Tyanulin served up a gift-wrapped pass to Rafael Bikmullin, who scored to make it 1–2.
The goal seemed to give Neftekhimik fresh confidence. Their pressure on Admiral’s net grew, and Neftekhimik began to show calculated aggression – no frantic, aimless movement, but a clear intent to level the score. The fans picked up on the energy; the Neftekhim Arena was buzzing, urging the team to keep pushing forward and maintain the pace. Less than four minutes after Bikmullin’s goal, Neftekhimik managed to tie the game up.
The moment brought to mind a game from a month earlier in Vladivostok. Back then, Neftekhimik had also trailed 0–2 after the first period, only to turn the game around completely in the second – scoring three unanswered goals to head into the second intermission with a 3–2 lead. Today, history seemed to be repeating itself, though with a slightly different script. Once again, Neftekhimik scored three goals in the second period, proving that when the team finds its rhythm, it is incredibly difficult to stop. Unlike that earlier meeting in Vladivostok, however, Neftekhimik could not keep a clean sheet this time; Admiral managed to respond with a goal of their own. And so the teams headed into the second intermission tied at 3–3.
The third period remained scoreless right up until the very end. However, with 31 seconds left on the clock, the visiting team earned a power play. It was not meant to be for our guys to force the game into overtime, a precise shot by Vladislav Tsitsyura found the back of the net.
Upcoming game:
DATE OPPONENT TIME
11/1/2026 vs Admiral ⏰1:30 pm
