First Shootout Win Of The Season! Dragons Edge Spartak In St. Petersburg

The Shanghai Dragons evened their home back-to-back with Spartak Moscow on Tuesday night, grinding out a 4–3 shootout win at SKA Arena and snapping through for their first shootout W of the season.

Head coach Gérard Gallant tweaked his lines ahead of the rematch, welcoming Gage Quinney back into the lineup as the top-line center alongside Nick Merkley and Kevin Labanc. Nate Sucese and Alex Burmistrov sat out, while Kirill Rasskazov made his Dragons debut on the second line with Nikita Popugaev and Pavel Akolzin. Andrei Kareev got the start in goal.

Before puck drop, the club honored captain Spencer Foo for reaching 300 KHL games, with congratulations delivered by Dragons CEO Sergey Belykh and Spartak forward Luke Lockhart, Foo’s former teammate.

Back-and-forth start

As in the first meeting, Spartak came out flying — and once again found themselves chasing early. Ben Harpur’s point shot turned into a fortuitous opener when a Spartak defenseman accidentally redirected the puck past his own goalie at 6:11.

The lead didn’t last. Spartak tied the game three minutes later and jumped ahead at 15:46 on a power-play marker. Labanc had a golden chance to answer, slipping in alone on a breakaway, but his shot rang off the post.

Dragons flip the script

Shanghai opened the second period shorthanded after Merkley took a five-minute major late in the first. Spartak controlled possession but couldn’t generate a true Grade-A look, as the Dragons’ penalty kill held firm.

Momentum swung midway through the period. After Popugaev’s shot from the wall, Sutter slipped a perfect deflection on the doorstep to tie the game at 2–2. Just before the intermission, Josephs capitalized on sustained pressure and buried a loose puck into an open cage, sending Shanghai to the room up 3–2.

Tension to overtime

The Dragons survived another early penalty in the third, but Spartak’s relentless push finally paid off at 49:41, knotting the game at 3–3. Fu appeared to restore the lead on the power play moments later, only to have the goal waved off for a high stick.

Neither side found a winner in regulation.

Kareev steals the spotlight

Overtime belonged to Kareev. Spartak controlled most of the three-on-three play, including a two-minute 4-on-3 advantage after a Valentsov penalty. Kareev stopped everything – including a penalty shot from one of the league’s most dangerous shootout specialists, Luke Lockhart.

That carried into the shootout. Kareev turned aside all three Spartak attempts, while Rasskazov calmly beat Georgiev to seal the win.

Shanghai finished with a 4–3 shootout victory, avenging Sunday’s loss and closing the series on a high note.

The Dragons continue their homestand Thursday, December 26, against Neftekhimik at SKA Arena. Tickets are on sale.

FONBET KHL Regular Season
Shanghai Dragons – Spartak Moscow 4–3 SO (1-2, 2-0, 0-1, 0-0, 1-0)

December 24 | Saint Petersburg, SKA Arena | Attendance: 5,060
Goaltenders: Kareyev – Georgiev

Scoring Summary:

1-0 — Harpur (Josephs, Wagner) 06:11
1-1 — Pashin (Maltsev) 09:24
1-2 — Maltsev 15:46 PPG
2-2 — Sutter (Popugayev) 27:34
3-2 — Josephs (Rendulic, Valentsov) 39:12
3-3 — Maltsev (Todd, Orlov) 49:41
4-3 — Rasskazov 65:00 SOW

Press Office, Shanghai Dragons