Game Day. The Champions' Test
GAME 2
SEPT. 8 — AT LOKOMOTIV
7:30 p.m. local | 12:30 p.m. ET | 9:30 a.m. PT
Arena 2000 Lokomotiv — Yaroslavl
THE STORYLINE: THE CHAMPIONS’ TEST
This is the measuring-stick game.
Lokomotiv is not simply defending a championship. It is defending two of them.
Yaroslavl enters 2026-27 chasing a third consecutive Gagarin Cup after retaining almost all of the core that produced back-to-back titles. The significant change is behind the bench, where Dmitri Kvartalnov succeeds Bob Hartley. But even there, Lokomotiv chose evolution rather than revolution.
Alexander Radulov remains. Maxim Shalunov remains. Artur Kayumov remains. Maxim Beryozkin remains. Georgy Ivanov remains.
And one of the league’s most interesting young forwards, Yegor Surin, is only getting better.
Shanghai will face an opponent that knows how to win games without needing the game to look pretty.
That may be the most valuable test of the entire trip.
KNOW THE OPPONENT
Lokomotiv’s preseason looked a lot like Lokomotiv.
The champions beat Neftekhimik 4-2 and Sibir 5-2 at the Blinov Cup, and went through the tournament without a regulation defeat. The scores were rarely spectacular; the control often was.
At one end, Daniil Isayev provides elite goaltending.
At the other, Alexander Radulov remains a tone-setter whose intensity can change a shift before he even touches the puck.
And then there is Surin.
The 19-year-old produced 45 points last season, including 18 goals, while setting a Russian-hockey record with 37 regular-season points before his 20th birthday. He then scored two goals in the championship-clinching game of the Gagarin Cup Final.
There are very few nights when Lokomotiv gives an opponent something for free.
Shanghai will have to earn its offense.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
SHANGHAI — Calen Addison
His puck movement could become essential against Yaroslavl’s pressure. Addison had two assists in his first preseason appearance for the Dragons and gives Love another way to attack from the blue line.
SHANGHAI — Dmitrij Jaskin
This is precisely the type of game in which Shanghai will need its captain around the blue paint. Isayev is too good when he sees the puck.
LOKOMOTIV — Daniil Isayev
The problem every opponent eventually has to solve.
LOKOMOTIV — Alexander Radulov
Still the emotional accelerant of a championship roster. Shanghai cannot allow his line to dictate the temperature of the game.
LOKOMOTIV — Yegor Surin
Young, aggressive, productive and comfortable playing on the edge. There may not be a more natural successor to Radulov’s competitive personality anywhere in the KHL.
KEY MATCHUP
Shanghai’s interior offense vs. Lokomotiv’s layers — and Isayev.
Perimeter possession will not be enough.
The Dragons need bodies between the circles, second chances and screens. Against an opponent this organized, the first shot is often merely the beginning of the scoring chance.
REST WATCH
There is another variable.
Lokomotiv opens its season against Traktor on Sept. 5. Shanghai plays in Nizhnekamsk a day later. That means the Dragons arrive in Yaroslavl having played more recently and having traveled between games.
How Love distributes minutes Sunday could have consequences Tuesday.
ONE TO REMEMBER
Shanghai has proof that Lokomotiv is not untouchable.
The Dragons beat Yaroslavl 4-1 on Sept. 12, 2025, one of the statement victories of their first season under the new identity.
Different teams. Different coaches. Different year.
But not an irrelevant memory.
DRAGONS’ PATH TO TWO POINTS
Accept that there may be stretches without the puck. Do not force offense through covered areas. Keep the first 10 minutes low-risk, make Lokomotiv work through layers and then attack the net when possession is earned.
Against the champion, patience is not passive.
It is survival.
FAMILIAR FACE?
No clear current Lokomotiv player with a significant recent Shanghai/Kunlun connection surfaced in the roster review.
Shanghai Dragons Media Relations, Yaroslavl
