Long-Awaited Win: Dragons Rally Past Barys in Overtime

The losing streak is over.

The Shanghai Dragons stormed back from a two-goal deficit and defeated Barys Astana 4–3 in overtime on Thursday night at Barys Arena, snapping their slide in dramatic fashion.

Kablukov and Akolzin returned to the lineup, with the latter facing his former club in an emotional matchup warmly acknowledged by the Astana crowd. Tikhomirov once again got the nod in goal.

Fast start, costly penalties

The Dragons couldn’t have scripted a better opening. After absorbing the home side’s early push, the Quinney line struck first. Rendulic hammered a one-timer past Boyarkin at 3:51 to give Shanghai a 1–0 lead.

A power-play opportunity followed, but instead of extending the advantage, Shanghai allowed a quick counterattack that tied the game. Momentum shifted late in the period, and despite Barys entering with one of the league’s weakest power-play percentages, the hosts struck twice with the man advantage. Goals from Walsh and Morelli in a 61-second span flipped the game to 3–1.

Searching for rhythm

The second period became disjointed for the Dragons. A string of penalties prevented sustained pressure in the offensive zone. While Tikhomirov was kept busy under steady fire, Boyarkin had a far quieter night at the other end.

Late in the frame, Shanghai finally earned a power play that carried into the third period – a potential turning point.

Captain sparks the comeback

The breakthrough didn’t come on that advantage, but it arrived shorthanded instead. Midway through the third, the captain pounced on a rebound after Sutter’s breakaway attempt and buried it to cut the deficit to 3–2 at 46:49. The shorthanded tally energized the bench and shifted the tempo.

The Dragons kept pressing. Josephs missed a two-on-one opportunity, and Merkley couldn’t convert from the crease. A late power play also came up empty – but persistence paid off. With just over four minutes remaining, Akolzin delivered against his former team, jamming home a loose puck at 55:37 to tie the game 3–3. Shanghai nearly won it in regulation when Merkley fired wide from a prime slot position in the final seconds, sending the game to overtime for the third straight outing.

Overtime redemption

This time, the Dragons finished the job. After early looks from Sucese and Quinney, Josephs capitalized on a clean two-on-one with Rendulic, wiring the winner at 62:48 to secure a 4–3 overtime victory. The Dragons finally turned late-game resilience into two points.

Shanghai continues its road trip February 22 against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.

FONBET KHL Regular Season
Barys Astana – Shanghai Dragons 3–4 OT (3–1, 0–0, 0–2, 0–1)

February 20 | Astana, Barys Arena | Attendance: 6,164
Goaltenders: Boyarkin – Tikhomirov

Scoring Summary:

0–1 — Rendulic (Merkley, Quinney) 03:51
1–1 — Asetov (Walsh, Logvin) 13:51
2–1 — Walsh (Vecchione, Morelli) 16:54 PPG
3–1 — Morelli 17:55 PPG
3–2 — S. Foo (Sutter) 46:49 SHG
3–3 — Akolzin (Merkley, Bryntsev) 55:37
3–4 — Josephs (Rendulic) 62:48 OTW

Press Office, Shanghai Dragons, Astana