First-game jitters?
Still in summer mode?
Whatever the case, the first game of the 2019-20 Kontinental Hockey League season -- the Opening Cup -- began with a goal that never should have been scored.
The game is contested by both teams who competed in the Gagarin Cup Final from last season. In this case, it was CSKA Moscow, the reigning champs, taking on Avangard.
This time around, it was Avangard who exacted some revenge, winning the game 3-1 and scoring a goal from Maxim Chudinov that embarrassed CSKA starter Lars Johansson.
Come on that's ridiculous. #CSKvsAVG pic.twitter.com/uzVDspiWVU
— KHL (@khl_eng) September 1, 2019
Chudinov is no stranger to clapping bombs from roughly around his own blue line.
He did the dirty in last year’s Gagarin Cup playoffs, too.
🚨 Goal from OWN BLUE LINE. #GagarinCup pic.twitter.com/Yh8Vs1A30s
— KHL (@khl_eng) March 20, 2019
Also: Sven Andrighetto collected his first KHL point with an assist during the game. Andrighetto played the past two seasons with the Colorado Avalanche before signing with Avagard during the offseason.
MORE:
• ProHockeyTalk’s 2019 NHL free agency tracker
• Your 2019-20 NHL on NBC TV schedule
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck
