CHELYABINSK (Interstat) — SKA Saint Petersburg will look to build on a strong start when it visits Traktor Chelyabinsk in a Kontinental Hockey League game Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Traktor Sport Palace in Traktor Arena. SKA enters at 5-1-0, while Traktor is 2-4-0. Nikolai Goldobin is a player to watch for SKA, and Henrik Haukeland is a player to watch for Traktor.

SKA most recently defeated Shanghai Dragons 7-2 on Sept. 15 in Saint Petersburg. Goldobin had one goal and four assists with two shots on goal. Scott Wilson added two goals and one assist, and Sergei Plotnikov had one goal, two assists and two hits. SKA also has a 1-0 win at HC Sochi on Sept. 12, a 3-1 loss at Spartak Moscow on Sept. 10, a 2-1 overtime win against Lada Togliatti on Sept. 9, a 5-3 home win over Dynamo Moscow on Sept. 7 and a 4-3 overtime win against Lada Togliatti on Sept. 5.

Goldobin is a player to watch for SKA. He recorded four assists against Dynamo Moscow on Sept. 7, two assists and four shots on goal against Lada Togliatti on Sept. 5, and an assist and a hit in the Sept. 9 meeting with Lada Togliatti. He also had two shots on goal in the Sept. 12 win at HC Sochi. His five-point effort against Shanghai Dragons highlighted SKA’s most recent victory.

Traktor returns home after a 2-1 win over Avangard Omsk on Sept. 20. Haukeland made 21 saves in the victory. Ivan Vydrenkov and Grigory Dronov scored for Traktor. Haukeland has faced steady work this season. He stopped 30 shots in a 3-1 loss to Spartak Moscow on Sept. 18, made 17 saves in a 2-1 loss at Ak Bars Kazan on Sept. 9, and turned aside 28 shots in a 5-1 loss at Lokomotiv Yaroslavl on Sept. 5. Traktor also has a 4-3 overtime win at Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg on Sept. 7, along with home losses to Spartak Moscow and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

SKA’s schedule continues with a road game at Barys Astana on Sunday, Sept. 27, before a visit to CSKA Moscow on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Traktor is set to travel to Dynamo Moscow on Monday, Sept. 28, and then to Spartak Moscow on Wednesday, Sept. 30. SKA will return home to face Admiral Vladivostok on Saturday, Oct. 3. Traktor will host Amur Khabarovsk on Tuesday, Oct. 6, and again on Thursday, Oct. 8. SKA will also play at Severstal Cherepovets on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Traktor 4, SKA 3.