Sabres prospect Prokhor Poltapov kept his engine revving Saturday, getting to the doorstep to score his third goal of the season as CSKA Moscow dropped a 4-2 decision at Severstal Cherepovets.
The goal gives Poltapov points in all five games this season as CSKA has gotten off to a disappointing 2-3 start. His nine total points (3+6) currently place him in a tie with CSKA linemate Maxim Sorkin for second in KHL scoring, while the third member of that line, Vitaly Abramov, leads the way with 11 points (5+6).
We’ve seen Poltapov connect on offense early in his campaigns. In 2023-24, the then-20-year-old potted four goals and seven total points in his first dozen games, but then the well went dry with a 17-game point drought. He didn’t collect his ninth point until his 31st game.
Things feel different this year, though, as perhaps an equally significant development is the trust that Poltapov continues to earn from new CSKA head coach Ilya Vorobiev.
In the Saturday defeat, Poltapov earned 16:49 of work – the second greatest TOI he has received in a regular season contest in his KHL career. More importantly, Poltapov led all CSKA forwards with 15:28 of work at even strength. We will see if the trend continues on Tuesday when CSKA attempts to claw their way to level par with a home game against Dynamo Moscow.
Regardless of what happens Tuesday, Poltapov asserting himself as one of the KHL’s premier young players is a storyline that every Sabres fan will want to keep track of this season in the final year of his current contract.
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