NIZHNY NOVGOROD (Interstat) — Denis Kostin stopped 23 of 25 shots and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod defeated Ak Bars Kazan 3-2 in a Kontinental Hockey League game Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, at Trade Union Sport Palace. The announced attendance was 12,350. Torpedo improved to 4-1, while Ak Bars fell to 3-2.

Torpedo overcame an early deficit in a fast-opening first period. Ak Bars struck 1:36 into the game when Dmitry Katelevsky scored, with assists from Nikita Dynyak and Andrei Stas. Torpedo answered at 8:20 when Daniil Seroukh scored, assisted by Yegor Vinogradov and Robert Nardella. Igor Geraskin then put Torpedo ahead at 13:28, with Pavel Kraskovsky assisting. Torpedo carried a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Ak Bars’ Yegor Sokolov was assessed a slashing penalty at the 20-minute mark. The opening period produced three goals and one penalty.

The second period brought more Torpedo pressure and a key insurance goal. Vladimir Tkachyov scored at 24:02, with assists from Mikhail S. Vorobyov and Vinogradov, pushing the lead to 3-1. Tkachyov’s goal at 24:02 proved to be the game-winner. Earlier in the period, Ak Bars’ Mitchell Miller was penalized at 22:06 for throwing the puck outside the playing area. Torpedo’s Michael Vecchione was called for tripping at 29:48, and Ronald Brickey received a high-sticking penalty at 37:57. Kostin remained steady through the middle frame, protecting the two-goal advantage while Torpedo continued to generate shots. The teams combined for five minor penalties.

Ak Bars pushed back in the third. After Torpedo’s Sergei Goncharuk was penalized for high sticking at 45:11, Ak Bars’ Yegor Sokolov scored at 45:56, with assists from Kirill E. Semyonov and Nikita Lyamkin, trimming the deficit to 3-2. The visitors pressed for an equalizer, but Torpedo’s defense and Kostin held firm. Ak Bars could not convert its late chances, and Torpedo closed out the one-goal victory on home ice.

Kostin, listed at 6-foot-0 and 201 pounds, was the top star for Torpedo. He earned the win with 23 saves on 25 shots. Tkachyov, a 6-foot-0, 209-pound forward, finished with one goal, three shots on goal and one hit. Seroukh, listed at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, scored one goal and recorded five shots on goal with one hit. Geraskin, a 5-foot-4, 152-pound forward, added one goal, one shot on goal and four hits. Vinogradov, a 6-foot-2, 181-pound forward, assisted on both the Seroukh and Tkachyov goals and added one hit. Kraskovsky, a 6-foot-3, 196-pound forward, had one assist, two shots on goal and two hits. Zhuravlyov, a 6-foot-0, 163-pound defenseman, registered five shots on goal and one hit from the blue line.

For Ak Bars, Katelevsky, a 5-foot-11, 174-pound forward, scored one goal on one shot and delivered three hits. Sokolov scored one goal, recorded two shots on goal, served two minutes in penalties and had one hit. Stas, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound forward, recorded one assist and one shot on goal. Ak Bars generated chances late but could not solve Kostin again after Sokolov’s third-period strike. Torpedo’s penalty kill and goaltending held up in the final minutes.

The result gave Torpedo its fourth win in five games to open the season. Ak Bars, which entered with three wins in five contests, dropped to 3-2. Torpedo was coming off a 7-2 road win at Lada Togliatti, while Ak Bars had lost to Metallurg Magnitogorsk in a shootout. Torpedo’s next scheduled game is against CSKA Moscow on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Nizhny Novgorod. Ak Bars is set to visit Salavat Yulaev Ufa on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Torpedo 4, Ak Bars 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Ak Bars with a 65.7 percent probability to win. Torpedo’s actual 3-2 victory came despite that projection, as Kostin’s 23 saves and the club’s two-goal lead through two periods held up.