Gomolyako: SKA Not Yet at Full Strength Despite 5-1 Run

Sergei Gomolyako, the former sporting director of Metallurg, has given his verdict on SKA's start to the 2026/27 regular season: five wins from six matches, but a side he believes is not yet at full tilt.

"I consider that SKA have started the championship well, taking 10 points from a possible 12. A pretty decent return for the St Petersburg side, but the impression is that the team may not have shaken off pre-season loads yet and is playing in an energy-saving mode. Take yesterday's game against Shanghai — every goal came from well-worked counterattacks. I'd also point to the armeytsy's difficult schedule. That comes down to rescheduled fixtures and games on consecutive days, which is unusual for the KHL — what the NHL calls a 'back to back'. That's new for our league. Looking at all of SKA's matches this season, they've followed a similar pattern. SKA mostly play second fiddle, letting the opponent press and attack fairly actively. The exception was probably the game against Spartak, the armeytsy's only defeat. As for pressure and intensity, Lada surprised me the most — SKA played them twice, and both games went beyond regulation time. SKA's potential is clear, but the impression is that the team is not yet playing at full strength, switching on only when it needs to. But again, the result is there, and it's a pretty good one — five wins from six," said Gomolyako.

SKA's only loss in six games came against Spartak. Both meetings with Lada needed extra time to be settled. The next fixture in the schedule will show whether the "back to back" congestion Gomolyako flagged keeps shaping how the armeytsy manage games, or whether Saint Petersburg start playing closer to what he considers their real level.