Evgeny Kuznetsov was up to more of his usual shenanigans on Friday.
During a KHL game between Salavat Yulaev and HC Sochi, Kuznetsov, who is currently out injured for Salavat, made his way down to the glass where Sochi’s backup goalie, Ilya Samsonov, was sitting to watch the game. Samsonov, in his full gear, laughed with Kuznetsov as the latter leaned down to take an impromptu selfie with his former Washington Capitals teammate.
The interaction was caught on video by the KHL broadcast.
Samsonov, who sat second chair to starting netminder Pavel Khomchenko in the game, posted the resulting selfie to his Instagram.
“@kuzy092knows the best time for a selfie 😂,” he wrote in the caption, as translated via Google Translate.
The two former first-round picks formed a great friendship while with the Capitals, joining Alex Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov as part of the team’s Russian core for a few seasons. Samsonov departed DC as a free agent in 2022, while Kuznetsov was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2024.
Sochi ended up dropping Friday’s road game 2-1, as Salavat’s Alexander Khokhlachyov scored the game-winning power-play goal with just 1:15 remaining in regulation.
The 2025-26 season is Samsonov’s first back in the KHL since the Capitals brought him over from Russia in 2018. In 14 appearances for Sochi, Samsonov has posted a 3-8-0 record with a 3.27 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.
Kuznetsov was injured in Salavat’s 5-3 win over the Shanghai Dragons on March 15. He recorded two assists in 13:40 of ice time before he was forced to leave the game early. After a midseason move from Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Kuznetsov has found good form with Salavat, posting 18 points (6g, 12a) in 19 games.
