VLADIVOSTOK (Interstat) — Alexander Polunin scored two first-period goals, and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl made that lead stand in a 2-1 Kontinental Hockey League victory over Admiral Vladivostok on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, at Fetisov Arena.

Polunin, a 5-foot-8, 172-pound forward, opened the scoring at 11:48 of the first period, with Maxim Shalunov and Denis Alexeyev assisting. He struck again at 16:30, with Danil Romantsev and Alexeyev setting up the play. The two goals gave Lokomotiv a 2-0 lead. The outburst came after Polunin had recorded three shots on goal in a 5-0 loss to Barys Astana on Sept. 20. He had two shots against Avangard Omsk on Sept. 18, one assist, two penalty minutes and four hits at Traktor Chelyabinsk on Sept. 15, and four penalty minutes at CSKA Moscow on Sept. 13. Stepan Falkovsky was sent off for holding at 17:36, but the visitors took the two-goal advantage into the first intermission.

Admiral’s Libor Sulak was called for tripping at 27:15 of the second period, and Lokomotiv’s Yegor Surin went off for tripping at 28:41. Lokomotiv goaltender Daniil Isayev kept Admiral off the board through the first two periods. The 5-foot-11, 159-pound Isayev finished with 22 saves on 23 shots and recorded the win. Polunin ended with two goals and three shots on goal. Alexeyev had two assists and one shot, Romantsev added one assist and two shots, and Shalunov contributed one assist, two shots and one hit.

The third period brought more penalties and a late push from Admiral. Andrei Sergeyev was whistled for hooking at 40:28. Admiral’s Yegor Chezganov went off for hooking at 44:02, and Nikita Yefremov was penalized for throwing the puck outside the playing area at 44:29. Admiral finally broke through at 50:27 when Semyon Ibragimov scored, with Chezganov and Daniel Usmanov assisting. Ibragimov finished with one goal on one shot, while Usmanov had one assist and one shot. Lokomotiv’s defense, including Daniil Misyul’s two hits, protected the one-goal lead the rest of the way.

Lokomotiv’s Yegor Surin recorded four shots and two penalty minutes. Georgy Ivanov had two shots, and Misyul delivered two hits. Alexeyev, listed at 6-foot and 183 pounds, finished with two assists and one shot. Romantsev, 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, had one assist and two shots. Shalunov, also 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, had one assist, two shots and one hit. Surin, 6-foot-1 and 192 pounds, added four shots and two penalty minutes. Polunin was named the top star for Lokomotiv after his two-goal effort.

The victory improved Lokomotiv to 7-1-0 on the season. The loss dropped Admiral to 2-6-0. Lokomotiv had won six of its first seven games before a 5-0 home loss to Barys Astana on Sept. 20. Lokomotiv’s other wins this season included a 4-1 victory at Traktor Chelyabinsk on Sept. 15, a 3-2 win at CSKA Moscow on Sept. 13, a 2-1 overtime win over Severstal Cherepovets on Sept. 10, a 3-1 win over Shanghai Dragons on Sept. 8, and a 5-1 win over Traktor on Sept. 5. Admiral had alternated wins and losses over its previous three games, including a 4-3 shootout loss to CSKA Moscow on Sept. 21, a 2-0 home win over Severstal Cherepovets on Sept. 19, and a 3-2 loss to Dynamo Moscow on Sept. 17. Admiral’s other results included a 2-1 loss at Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk on Sept. 13, a 4-2 win at CSKA Moscow on Sept. 11, a 2-1 shootout loss at Dynamo Moscow on Sept. 9, and a 2-0 loss at Ak Bars Kazan on Sept. 7. A crowd of 4,501 attended the game at Fetisov Arena.

Lokomotiv is scheduled to visit Amur Khabarovsk on Friday. Admiral will host Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk on Sunday. Lokomotiv then continues its road trip at Sibir Novosibirsk on Sept. 27, while Admiral plays at Severstal Cherepovets on Oct. 1.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Lokomotiv 4, Admiral 1, and its ELO system had given Lokomotiv an 84.9 percent probability to win.