Rough Start Sinks Dragons in Magnitogorsk

MAGNITOGORSK — A nightmare first period proved too much to overcome for the Shanghai Dragons, who fell 6–1 to Metallurg Magnitogorsk on Sunday night. Despite another early strike from Nikita Popugayev, the Eastern Conference powerhouse responded with four unanswered goals in the opening frame to take full control.

The Dragons iced the same lineup that earned a 6–3 win in Cherepovets just two nights earlier. Once again, Patrik Rybar started in goal before being replaced midway through the game by Andrei Tikhomirov.

Popugayev Strikes Again

The game couldn’t have started better for Shanghai. Just 48 seconds after the opening faceoff, relentless forechecking forced a Metallurg turnover, and Popugayev jumped on the loose puck in the slot, firing it home for his third goal in two games.

But that early lead didn’t last. Spurred on by a raucous home crowd, Magnitka stormed forward in waves, peppering Rybar with shots and creating constant traffic around the crease.

Metallurg Takes Over

At 7:21, Vovchenko tied the game with a well-placed wrist shot on the power play. Two minutes later, another man advantage led to Iskhakov’s go-ahead goal, as the hosts quickly flipped the momentum.

From there, it snowballed. A miscommunication on a puck that appeared to leave the zone caught the Dragons off guard, and Mikhailis made it 3–1. Less than three minutes later, Tkachev and Silantyev connected on a 2-on-1 rush, extending the lead to 4–1.

The Dragons, shell-shocked after conceding four straight, headed into the intermission with a steep climb ahead.

Tikhomirov Steps In

Head coach Gérard Gallant made a goaltending change to start the second period, giving Tikhomirov his first action of the road trip. The Dragons tightened defensively but continued to battle discipline issues, taking several penalties that kept them pinned in their own zone.

Metallurg thought they had scored again midway through the frame, but video review overturned the call — the puck had never fully crossed the line.

Shanghai created flashes of offense in the final minutes, with Quinney and Josephs testing Nabokov, yet the score remained 4–1 after 40 minutes.

Closing It Out

In the third, Metallurg managed the game expertly – controlling tempo, waiting for breakdowns, and capitalizing when they came. Kantserov made it 5–1 midway through the period, and Korobkin added a shorthanded marker minutes later to seal the win.

The Dragons, despite solid effort late, couldn’t solve Nabokov, who finished with 26 saves.

Next Up: Shanghai returns home to face SKA Saint Petersburg on November 6 at Ledovy, SKA’s home arena.

KHL Regular Season – FONBET
Metallurg Magnitogorsk – Shanghai Dragons 6-1 (4–1, 0–0, 2–0)

November 3 | Arena Metallurg, Magnitogorsk | Attendance: 7,500
Goalies: Nabokov – Rybar (Tikhomirov – 20:00)

Scoring Summary:
0:1 – Popugayev – 00:48
1:1 – Vovchenko (Petunin, Press) 07:21 PPG
2:1 – Iskhakov (Press, Mikhailis) 09:43 PPG
3:1 – Mikhailis (Iskhakov, Maklyukov) 13:10
4:1 – Silantyev (Tkachyov, Nabokov) 16:05
5:1 – Kantserov (Maklyukov, Press) 50:57
6:1 – Korobkin (Yakovlev, Galenyuk) 53:31 SHG

Press Office, Shanghai Dragons, Magnitogorsk