The KHL is back! Metallurg, Lokomotiv battle for Opening Cup!

The seventeenth KHL season kicks off tonight with a clash between last year’s finalists, Metallurg and Lokomotiv. It’s the first time that the two sides meet in the Opening Cup. The Steelers had two wins, while the Railwaymen are yet to record an Opening Cup victory.Finally, competitive hockey is back after a long summer and the traditional preparation games and tournaments. In this highly anticipated showdown, following last year’s 4-3 Metallurg win in the final series, both teams will have similar lineups as both sides this summer preferred not to change too much and only try and strengthen their rosters bit by bit. Lokomotiv signed Alexander Radulov, Metallurg added Scott Wilson from Vityaz, and both Andrei Razin and Igor Nikitin will lay on chemistry to grab the first title of the season.As the sole game of the night, the clash between Metallurg and Lokomotiv becomes a beacon of excitement for fans who have eagerly awaited the dawn of the new, 2024-2025 season.17:00 Metallurg vs LokomotivThe teams had opposite preseasons, with Lokomotiv only playing six games and gaining five wins, with no regulation defeats, while Metallurg only had three wins in eight contests. Most recently, the Railwaymen had a 6:5, SO win over Severstal, while Metallurg defeated its farm team, Magnitka, 3:2 SO at the home preseason tournament.Metallurg has a 2-1 record in Opening Cup games (6:1 over Dynamo Moscow in 2014, 3:2 against CSKA in 2017, and a 2:6 defeat again against CSKA in 2022), while Lokomotiv is 0-2 (1:4 against Salavat Yulayev in 2008, 2:3 OT against Ak Bars in 2009).Tonight’s game will be Metallurg’s first home match in a series of three, while Lokomotiv stats a two-match road trip. The Railwaymen don’t achieve a victory in Magnitogorsk since Oct 22, 2013 (1:2 SO).Injury listLokomotiv: Alexei BereglazovMilestone alertMetallurg’s defenseman Yegor Yakovlev may line up for his 600th KHL game.