First Win Of The Preseason! Dragons Take Down Hc Sochi

The Shanghai Dragons picked up their first win of the preseason, defeating HC Sochi 4–2 in their final game at the Minsk Cup.

With fifth place on the line, the Dragons went with a lineup close to full strength and immediately put pressure on Dmitry Bocharov and the Sochi net. The Leopards held their ground and had several opportunities on the power play — including a five-minute man advantage — but Shanghai’s penalty kill delivered every time.

When the Dragons finally got a power play of their own, they needed little time to make it count.

Dmitrij Jaskin scored his third goal of the tournament at 19:02, finishing a setup from Nikita Popugayev and Nick Petan to give Shanghai a 1–0 lead.

It continued an impressive run for the Dragons’ special teams: Shanghai converted five of its seven power-play opportunities during the tournament.

Tempers Flare, Dragons Add Another

The second period featured more confrontation than clean scoring chances.

The intensity boiled over repeatedly after whistles and around both nets, with Givani Smith and Yegor Yezhov dropping the gloves in one of the biggest altercations. Both were sent to the locker room for the remainder of the game.

Amid all the physical play, Shanghai managed to extend its lead.

At 33:30, Vladislav Barulin jumped on a rebound in front and put it away, with Brett Murray and Nick Cicek collecting the assists. The Dragons carried a 2–0 advantage into the third.

Petan Line Takes Over

With its season on the line in Minsk, Sochi came out aggressively in the third period. But Shanghai remained composed in its own end, limited second chances and answered with dangerous counterattacks.

Before long, the Dragons had taken control again.

Petan’s line repeatedly hemmed Sochi in its own zone, and at 46:41 the pressure paid off. Petan found Popugayev, who finished the play to push Shanghai’s lead to 3–0.

Sochi finally broke through five minutes later, when Alexander Khokhlachyov denied Amir Miftakhov a shutout and cut the deficit to two.

But there would be no comeback.

With Sochi’s goaltender pulled for an extra attacker, Petan capped a strong night by scoring into the empty net at 57:31. Gizdatullin added one for Sochi with 16 seconds remaining, but it changed nothing.

4–2 Dragons. First win of the preseason secured.

Shanghai leaves the Minsk Cup with its first victory under its belt — and with an encouraging special-teams performance to build on as preparations for the new KHL season continue.

Minsk Cup Preseason Tournament — Day 5
Shanghai Dragons – HC Sochi: 4–2 (1–0, 1–0, 2–2)

August 17 | Minsk, Olympic Arena | Attendance: 154
Goaltenders: Miftakhov – Bocharov (Shchetilin — 35:48)

Scoring Summary

1–0 — Jaskin (Popugayev, Petan) — 19:02 (PP)
2–0 — Barulin (Murray, Cicek) — 33:30
3–0 — Popugayev (Petan, Jaskin) — 46:41
3–1 — Khokhlachyov (Li, Polyakov) — 50:17
4–1 — Petan (Jaskin, Barulin) — 57:31 (EN)
4–2 — Gizdatullin (Li, Graham) — 59:44

Shanghai Dragons Media Relations, Minsk