Dragons Battle Hard, Fall 3–1 To Defending Champion Lokomotiv

The Shanghai Dragons went toe-to-toe with the defending Gagarin Cup champions Monday night, but couldn’t find enough offense in a 3–1 loss to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl at Arena 2000.

Coming off a dramatic overtime victory in Nizhnekamsk, the Dragons’ coaching staff elected to keep the winning lineup intact. Amir Miftakhov made his second consecutive start as Shanghai faced one of the KHL’s toughest early-season tests — Lokomotiv on home ice.

Searching for an Opening

Shanghai created the first dangerous chance of the night.

The puck found Vladimir Kuznetsov in the slot, and the Dragons forward quickly fired toward the near side, only for Daniil Isayev to turn it away with his shoulder.

Lokomotiv gradually took control from there, spending long stretches in Shanghai territory and forcing the Dragons into extended defensive shifts. One attempt rang off the crossbar behind Miftakhov, while several more dangerous pucks bounced through traffic around the crease.

Shanghai responded with a quality opportunity from Mikhail Kotlyarevsky, but soon found itself back on defense and facing the game’s first penalty kill.

The Dragons survived it and appeared set to reach the intermission scoreless.

Then, with just 23 seconds remaining in the period, Lokomotiv broke through.

Yegor Surin created the opportunity himself, followed up his initial attempt and buried the rebound at 19:37 to give the hosts a 1–0 lead.

Menell Ties It, Lokomotiv Answers

Lokomotiv controlled much of the territory again in the second period, putting Shanghai’s defensive structure under sustained pressure.

The Dragons held firm, but opportunities at the other end were difficult to come by.

Then special teams provided one.

A Lokomotiv penalty midway through the period sent Shanghai to the power play, and Brennan Menell made it count. The defenseman picked his spot from the blue line and fired through traffic at 28:10, with Kuznetsov and Brett Murray picking up the assists.

1–1.

The game remained tied for only 3:22.

This time, Shanghai was sent to the penalty box, and Lokomotiv’s experienced power-play unit went to work. Andrei Sergeyev and Alexander Radulov combined on a familiar-looking sequence, with Radulov finishing at the back post at 31:32 to restore the home team’s lead.

Lokomotiv had two more power plays before the end of the period, but Miftakhov refused to let the game get away.

The Shanghai goaltender battled from post to post, coming up with a series of key saves to keep the deficit at one through 40 minutes.

Champions Protect the Lead

Down just one entering the third, the Dragons remained very much in the game — and went searching for the equalizer.

Shanghai attacked the net, sent pucks through traffic and battled for second chances, but Lokomotiv responded the way championship teams often do: by making every inch of ice difficult to earn.

The hosts tightened up defensively without abandoning their attack.

At 47:58, they found the insurance goal.

Surin and Radulov combined to set up Georgy Ivanov, who finished the play to extend Lokomotiv’s advantage to 3–1.

The Dragons kept pushing.

Dmitrij Jaskin had one of Shanghai’s best opportunities from close range, but couldn’t convert from the top of the crease.

With just over three minutes remaining, Miftakhov headed to the bench for an extra attacker. Shanghai generated one final wave of pressure, with the puck coming agonizingly close to finding its way across the goal line.

It never did.

Lokomotiv closed out the 3–1 win, handing the Dragons their first loss of the 2026–27 season.

Shanghai leaves Yaroslavl without the result it wanted, but after competing deep into the third period against the defending champions on their home ice.

The Dragons continue their season-opening road trip on September 10 against Dinamo Minsk.

KHL Regular Season 2026–27
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl – Shanghai Dragons 3–1 (1–0, 1–1, 1–0)

September 8 | Yaroslavl, Arena 2000 Lokomotiv | Attendance: 7,315
Goaltenders: Isayev – Miftakhov

Scoring Summary

1–0 — Surin — 19:37
1–1 — Menell (Kuznetsov, Murray) — 28:10 PP
2–1 — Radulov (Sergeyev, Rafikov) — 31:32 PP
3–1 — Ivanov (Radulov, Surin) — 47:58

Shanghai Dragons Media Relations, Yaroslavl