Upbeat Dragons plot Loko revenge

15 October 2024

The Dragons are back home and feeling optimistic. Last week brought a long-awaiting win over Severstal – a traditional bogey team for us – along with a first KHL shut-out for Kyle Keyser and a first KHL goal and points for Jayden Halbgewachs. That 3-0 success in Cherepovets came after a great performance against Lokomotiv that deserved better than an OT loss. Now we have a chance to prove a point against the Railwaymen when they come to us on Wednesday. After that, we welcome Sochi on Friday evening.

Lokomotiv (h), Oct. 16, 1930 Moscow Time

Last time out: Come on, you remember this one. Just last week we went to Yaroslavl and gave the league leader an almighty fright. Up 2-0 on goals from Spencer Foo and Nolan Moyle, the Dragons were less than three minutes away from securing victory. Unfortunately, a late goal took us to overtime and a narrow loss – but we showed once again that we can compete with anyone in this league.

Familiar faces: In last week’s game, on-loan defenseman Alexei Kozhevnikov played against his parent club for the first time. He had 14:24 in ice time, made one hit and blocked one shot.

Setting the scene: After a strong start to the season, there are signs that Lokomotiv might be running out of steam. Where Igor Nikitin’s men once seemed unbreachable in defense and powerful going forward, now there is evidence of vulnerability. Our recent game in Yaroslavl was just one example: since then, there was an unconvincing 2-1 win over lowly HC Sochi and a 1-2 loss at Vityaz. It’s hardly a streak that will trigger panic in Yaroslavl, but it does offer encouragement to the rest of the KHL.

That said, this is still a team that knows how to win – as we discovered to our cost last week. And there is some impressive depth in scoring here: while Alexander Radulov is the highest-profile name on the roster, his recent quiet spell has seen the likes of Maxim Shalunov and Artur Kayumov step up to provide the points. We can expect a tight, intriguing battle in Mytishchi on Wednesday.

HC Sochi (h), Oct. 18, 1930 Moscow Time

Last season: We had fun with the Leopards last term, winning five out of six games. That included three from three on home ice, culminating in February’s 4-0 success. In that game, we hit our four goals in a devastating five-minute blast with both Foo brothers on the scoresheet. Matt Jurusik claimed the shut-out.

Familiar faces: Defenseman Yury Pautov had two spells with Sochi. He made his KHL debut on the team in 2014/15, then returned for part of the 2021/22 season.

Setting the scene: In recent seasons, Sochi has been struggling at the foot of the standings – and the Leopards have been a consistent source of wins for us. This time around, once again, the league standings don’t tell the happiest of stories with Sochi at the foot of the Western Conference. However, there are differences this season. Sergei Zubov is back as head coach; he was the last man to lead the team into the playoffs and has a track record of building teams that exceed the sum of their parts.

The class of 24/25 is showing some promising signs. Although there have been a lot of losses, there are few of the hammerings that Sochi suffered last season. And, in the last six games, the Black Sea boys have picked up three wins (two of them shut-outs), two one-goal losses (one in OT) and a 2-4 reverse after allowing an empty-net goal with two seconds on the clock. This is a team that remains competitive and cannot be taken lightly, despite its lowly position in the standings.